Cheezhead

Now, before you say, “Oh great, another job site,” hear me out: Jobscore is just another job site. However, what intrigued me about them is the fact that 1) they’re founded by a former recruiter (plus HotJobs connection) and 2) they’re a mash-up of many things, which may predict the future of job search destinations. According to founder Dan Arkind,

It seems like you’ll categorize us as one of the new ‘eharmony for jobs’ vendors. However, we have a new twist: JobScore is a free applicant tracking system – resume sharing network hybrid.

Jobscore will not have searchable jobs on their site, instead opting for taking resumes for matching purposes. Seekers are then asked a series of questions around “Describe Your Ideal Job.” At the end, privacy levels are chosen, blocking current and past employers. The process takes about 15 mins. Oddly, however, jobs will be accessible through sites like Simply Hired.

For employers, the site offers everything from a free ATS, e-mail referral system and job distribution solution. Click here for a complete tour. Think Jobthread for employers without the applicant tracking and matching stuff.

The free ATS is semi-customizable and should be a good option for small companies under 1,000 employees. Candidates are scored based on the site’s assessment technology. The referral system is e-mail based, sent out by Jobscore. Beneficial metrics such as open rates will not be tracked initially. The job distribution solution puts your opportunities on free sites as well as paid. Jobscore handles the payment process, which many employers will no doubt find quite convenient. Again, I highly recommend taking their online tour for more information.

Becoming an all-in-one solution this late in the game is going to be tough. One, it creates a lot of confusion in the mind of the consumer. I’d hate to be a sales person at Jobscore having to fight the numerous objections: “I like the job distribution thingy, but I already have an ATS. Thanks anyway.” Click. Two, being great at one thing tends to defeat being good at many things. It’ll be interesting to see if they can pull off being a Swiss Army knife.

Aside from basic positioning, the pricing model is maybe creative to a fault: “You can use JobScore to market jobs and manage applicants for zero dollars provided you share the resumes of un-hired candidates through the JobScore Network.” So, it’s free if you want to share, but you buy credits if you don’t. Or just buy a monthly subscription. Oh yeah, posting jobs on pay sites is extra too. If you need over 200 words to describe a payment system, it might be too complicated.

In addition to the challenges above, the company has very little in the way of marketing. When asked about a plan, a vague answer of be remarkable was returned. Nothing wrong with that, but remarkable is rare in the employment industry. You have to be really remarkable, which typically comes with uniqueness. And I’m not sure Jobscore pulls it off. Partaking in a little Marketing 101 would pay high dividends for this newbie.

I chatted with Arkind via telephone yesterday regarding the launch. Unfortunately, there’s a wicked echo that really screws up the quality of the recording. You can understand what’s being said, but it’s slightly painful and frustrating. If you want to check it out, however, enjoy (20 mins.):