Cheezhead Recruiting News and Opinion

Many vendors and companies in the employment space are preparing to batten down the hatches order to weather this uncertain economic storm. A few will survive, and others will be forced to close their doors. JibberJobber, a web site for job seekers who want more than just a spreadsheet to handle their job search, is one of those vendors who might enjoy a healthy spike in traffic and users as more layoffs and downsizing occur nationwide.

I recently spoke with Jason Alba, CEO and founder of JibberJobber, which Alba says acts a lot like a CRM system, minus the sales jargon. JibberJobber’s suite of Web 2.0 tools help job seekers log all of their job search activity and manage contacts and also interface with a number of web devices including Skype, Google Maps, LinkedIn, and GetAnagram. Here’s our q&a:

So how does JibberJobber work?

JibberJobber is for an individual, not an sales organization. A job search coach will tell you to network your way into companies, and nurture relationships, right? Your spreadsheet will only take you so far. JibberJobber allows you to enter records, like target companies and network contacts, and then create logical associations.

In addition, there are places to do other things career coaches tell you to do: a place to wordsmith responses to interview questions, a place to track tax-deductable expenses, a job journal to log your career accomplishments, and more.

JibberJobber was optimized for a job search, but it was clear that this should be a long-term career management tool, useful even after you land your next job or between job searches.

How does JibberJobber change the way job seekers search for jobs?

Hopefully JibberJobber users focus more on relationships, a la Keith Ferrazzi and Thom Singer, rather than just applying to job boards. I hope my users are doing the right things in a job search, not wasting time with things that don’t work. My users tend to be professionals and executives, not entry-level job seekers, and those are the job seekers who need to focus more on networking in their strategy. If nothing else, it should empower them with the information they need when they need it, instead of hunting around for dates and data when someone calls them back.

Do you expect a significant increase in sign-ups as a result of the economic downtown?

I would think so. We continue to see increased visitors, signups and conversions. I do expect the economy to help JibberJobber grow for the next few years, as many people will either hit the pavement after a layoff or want to be prepared for their next transition. Using JibberJobber is a proactive tactic, so we enjoy users who are not in transition but worried they might be as well as those who are active job seekers.

How are you marketing JibberJobber?

I have what I call a comprehensive social marketing strategy, and am active in Twitter, some Yahoo Groups, and other social environments. I have worked on nurturing real relationships with industry leaders and have been able to spread my message through them, as they’ve come to trust and embrace JibberJobber.

Of course, I use JibberJobber as my own CRM, which allows me to keep track of those relationships, log important information, and create action items to follow up with them. Nurturing relationships is not necessarily done with technology, but a CRM tool is critical the more you network and nurture.

So how are you making money?

Originally the revenue model was centered around the freemium model, where a percentage of signups would upgrade. As time went on, I realized there was an opportunity to license JibberJobber to career professionals, universities, organizations, etc. That is the core of the JibberJobber revenue. As Jason Alba and the JibberJobber umbrella grows and evolves, I’m identifying other revenue streams, all of which are exciting and complementary to the main goal of getting more people to use JibberJobber as their career management tool.

Future plans for JibberJobber?

We’ve spent about 2.5 years to get this far, and have laid a solid foundation and built what I think is a good and solid brand. We’re recognized in the industry, and have a track record of an improving product. We’re going to use that foundation to grow our userbase, and work towards becoming the de facto standard for career management. I’d like to share specific technological ideas with you, but I know my competitors read this blog and I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag.