April Proposal Presentations
On Tuesday, April 6th we hosted two proposal presentations by members of The Collaborative Group. Recognizing the immense effort and dollars that employers pay to find good talent, Matt Mosher and Erinn O’Connor believe there is a forthcoming shift in online recruiting and career building and are designing a Web site to accommodate the new era of online job shopping.
Sites currently available allow job seekers to apply for a position at no cost. Due to the difficult economy, this often leads to an overwhelming response to posted positions – sometimes 700-resumes per job! Matt and Erinn have developed a unique filtering process that will match candidates to opportunities much like a dating service, placing opportunities in the job seekers’ hands. Employers can initially post opportunities for free and job seekers pay nominal fees to apply, limiting the pool to serious applicants only.
When a job seeker is matched with an employer through the site, the employer will then pay their posting fee and the new hire will receive a signing bonus from the Web site. This paradigm shift will result in a higher chance of employment and an opportunity to track the success of the Web site – something no other career building Web site currently does.
Andy Meyer, a senior level executive who consults with various software companies, has a unique understanding of the venture capital market. Andy shared that while securing startup funding can be simple, it is often difficult to raise funds for continued growth. Andy contemplated how The Collaborative Group can help software businesses grow to a bigger market beyond Michigan noting that some solutions do exist, but they are limited:
- Private capital,
- Government sponsored venture capital, and
- Traditional venture capital.
Business incubators offer a good concept for starting a business and often provide seed capital, but who helps businesses continue to grow and find funding? Andy recommended that The Collaborative Group:
- Raise awareness,
- Provide resources via our Web site,
- Promote businesses and venture capitalists, and
- Provide coaching opportunities to businesses seeking funding.