Searching for a job can be a nightmare. Not only must a job seeker sift through hundreds of various job boards and corporate career sites, but they must also keep tabs on where they’ve sent their resumes, who they interviewed with, and what that recruiter keeps buzzing in their ear about.
Steven Davis, a business consultant, decided to create an option for job seekers that could help ease this painstaking process. He came up with PerfectJob Software, a job search management solution that offers job seekers organizational tools and coaching.
“Between the job boards and general career sites, you can find plenty of tips on resume-writing, interviewing and dressing for success,” said Davies. “What was lacking was a tool to address what many consider to be the most difficult aspects of a job search: getting started, staying organized and maintaining momentum.”
The software is delivered today as a desktop application through Internet download, and according to the site, will be available later this year as an online service.
A quick run through the site revealed that users can view all their networking contacts, activities, and research for each job they have applied for, which is also linked to a database listing all their contacts’ info.
And if you completely crash and burn during an interview, there’s a coaching session that can help you resolve why you didn’t get the job and lend you advice for the future.
I’m not sure if job seekers will want to fork over the $50 Davies is charging for the software, especially during such tough times where many of us have had to forego our lattes in favor of Folger’s to save an extra buck. Also, a simple Excel spreadsheet, in my opinion, has been an adequate tool during my own searches.
However, I could be wrong. Meticulous job seekers who want to stay organized might just be willing to spend the cash to keep their job search neat and tidy.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Seems pretty similar to the well established JibberJobber to me. What makes this new one any better?
September 29th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
This sounds like a really good idea. As someone who has done job search and networking seminars for 1,100+ attendees over the past five years the amount of time that is saved by using such a system is worth the cash.
I am curious, has JibberJobber been written about here? I did a search for it and could not find the post. I would think Jason Alba who has been around for a couple of years, written a couple of books, and done a lot of speaking engagements would have featured at some point.
September 30th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Hi, Steve Davies from PerfectJob here. While PerfectJob has a lot of strengths, I usually talk about two main differences:
We provide instant context as you work. By linking records together, you immediately see how each item fits into your job search. Looking at a Contact, see why you know them, who they know, what their relationship is to your job opportunities, etc. All other entities can be linked together as well. The benefit to you is you can immediately pick up where you left off – you won’t spend time figuring out what you were doing.
PerfectJob helps you keep momentum by incorporating coaching that is integrated with the rest of the application. So instead of just reading about what you should do in a given job search situation, you can get specific action items. And those items are placed into your to-do list. With context. So you can stay productive.
I hope that helps explain why you should try PerfectJob.
Steve
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Thanks Steven and Paul for bringing up JibberJobber.com. There are a handful of players in this space, including JibberJobber (the first web-based product, afaik), Isabont, and a few others. I hadn’t kept tabs on PerfectJob because it’s not web-based (it’s more like JobTabs.com).
I e-mailed Joel a few times, and even met him in person at Kennedy, but never got a mention… I just figured he kept to writing about tools for boards, HR and recruiters, not job seekers. Maybe that’s changing with Vanessa onboard?