alstin communications

It seems as if just about everyone here at Alstin knows just about all there is to know about the Web, especially when it comes to recruiting and/or retaining employees. When a client (or a friend, or a relative) needs help searching for a job — or for employees — someone here usually has a much too-lengthy list of recommendations to share. But as is usually the case, while some are neck-deep in knowledge, there are often equal numbers of those without a clue.

That’s where our government comes in.

In an effort to educate more job seekers about the array of online job search tools available to them, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has launched a “Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge.” Offering businesses and other organizations the chance to showcase their products, the challenge uses crowd-sourcing technology to inform job seekers about online career resources. Phase 2 (RECOMMEND TOOLS) is just coming to an end, with Phase 3 (RESULTS) coming in February.

The free Tools being identified for jobseekers are sorted and being evaluated in the following categories:

· General job boards, listing sites and aggregators

· Niche job boards

· Career tools such as ladders and transition tools

· Web-based career exploration sites

· Social media sites specializing in job searches or job postings

· Other job matching and career advancement tools

Though the current list of contenders has a few familiar names — aftercollege, craigslist, careerbuilder, linkedin are obviously there — I was pleasantly surprised not only by the mix of national and regional players, but strategies to help those who are looking for a job find a better plan (see Lazone Grays Jr.’s “Self-employment as a Pathway Out of Poverty”). I really like www.careerrealism.com from an editorial standpoint (their tagline? “Because EVERY Job Is Temporary.”) and think our tri-state area could use a www.Door64.com of our own.

I started to lose track of time checking out some of the tools entered in the Challenge and wondering about the tools who also voted for some of the sites. It seems as if some states/industries are represented better than others (or got the word about the contest out more quickly to constituents than others?), but overall, I’ve found the Challenge a great way to get up to speed quickly on a variety of known, relatively unheard-of, and up-and-coming tools and ideas.

I’ll definitely be checking back at the end of the month for Phase 3: Communicating Results. The DOL/ETA will publish the top tools in each category, with the goal of helping workforce system leaders decide which tools to make available through One-Stop Career Centers, state job banks, and other on-line resources.

Here’s hoping the Challenge not only helps someone you know and loved to work with, but gets the organizations helping people find or market jobs back on track as well.

Author Bio:  Christy Parker, Alstin's Creative Manager, has barraged us with brainstorms for more than 15 years. A multitasking copywriter who teaches head-first slides to her daughter's t-ball team, Christy believes equal parts ignorance and confidence - and regular shopping sprees - are all you need to succeed.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 1:08 pm and is filed under The Daily Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.