Cheezhead Recruiting News and Opinion

It’s been almost a year since Jason Goldberg, one of the most dynamic, albeit controversial leaders in the employment industry, left his post at Jobster to focus on another startup.

Whether you liked him or not, one thing is for sure: Goldberg was a journalist’s dream. Whether he was allegedly threatening to murder his staff for leaking company information, poking the Bear, or blogging about almost drowning in his Prada shoes, you knew that Goldberg’s this-is-who-I-am-and-if-you-don’t-like-it-you-can-go-screw-yourself attitude would eventually land him in hot water.

After Cheezhead wrote this post speculating about Goldberg killing Jobster, “JGo” loyalists came out of the woodwork to stand behind their fearless leader and applaud his honesty and frankness. In contrast, several former Jobster employees and industry skeptics said what the investors must have been thinking: that Goldberg had finally crossed the line, and it was time to reevaluate his position.

Martin Snyder of PCRecruiter said, “I once wrote that Jobster was the Anna Nicole of the recruitosphere: we can’t stop looking at what often appears to be a flambo train wreck that hit the lotto. Jason was at the right time, in the right spot, with the right front running idea. I don’t think there is much mystery behind any of this. If Jobster survives and prospers, it would not surprise me. If it spins into the deadpool or gets bought up in a face-save for the investors, it would not surprise me.”

Eight months later, Goldberg was gone.

So how has Jobster fared since Goldberg’s departure? You tell me. Their PR rep isn’t talking, telling me instead that employees are “heads-down” on development. In other words, they’re keeping their mouths safely shut.

I sat down with a former Jobster employee who wishes to remain anonymous to get his thoughts on whether their situation has improved or if Jobster continues to hold the title of “the Swiss Army knife” of the industry.

First off, what was it really like working for Jason Goldberg?

Working for Jason was great. He had tremendous passion and energy and the ability to motivate you with his vision. He was/is a great speaker and used his speaking abilities and intelligence to get people on board and to persuade you to get on the fast-moving train he started.

And then there was the other side of Jason. Tyrannical. Off-balance. Playing both sides of the fence, like praising you immensely in public and the berating you in private (a tactic learned in the Clinton administration?). In my opinion, he had a intellectual/conceptual knowledge of what it truly took to build Jobster: grow the business (i.e. sales), but he did not have an experiential or practical knowledge of how to drive sales. He knew he just needed it, and really did not know how to achieve it.

Why did Goldberg leave? Was he forced out or did he quit voluntarily?

I don’t know for fact, but have pretty good insider knowledge that both parties wanted out based on where he had driven the business to (or not driven the business to depending on your wording or perspective). I think it was a somewhat agreeable parting of ways, but no doubt my sources says the VC’s wanted him out for basically failing to deliver on what I call “vision to revenue.”

How do you think the site has fared since he left?

I think the site has pretty much stayed neutral, which to me is a negative. They have one of the best domains in the business (www.recruiting.com), but a domain name does not nor can it ever build a B2B company. They have cleaned it up a bit and have tried to define their core, but to steal a term from economics, have only really kept up “with the rate of inflation” in the Web 2.0 world.

I keep hearing that Jobster doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up. What DOES it want to be, and has this identity crisis become a hindrance to growth?

They want to be a company that makes money instead of losing money. Jobster is desperately trying to define themselves, and this identity crisis has been a foundational flaw since its first release in spring of 2005.

At first, it was a passive candidate tool through trusted networks. Then it was an Employee Referral Program on steroids, then there was the whole deal with Facebook, Job tagging, indexing, quasi job board, etc. They have amoeba syndrome: they’re constantly changing and taking new shape.

And no doubt it’s been there downfall. Something I said earlier is basically their problem or failure has been lack of ability to take the vision or strategic direction of the company like getting/giving companies access to top candidates into a viable product or service that can first deliver on the vision and then create a sustainable revenue model because of that ability to deliver on products offered.

So where did all that money go?

Salaries to execs, payroll to 100+ employees (a big “burn” factor), sponsorships, parties at ERE, plush urban offices, Jason jet-setting all over the place, big commish to the few people who actually sold something, heavy marketing, PR, and advertising. It’s easy to blow through all the money because it was given to them. . . and not earned.

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