Multiverse, Placed, and more interesting and unusual recruiting offerings!

March 1, 2022
JobBoardDoctor
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multiverse It’s been a while since I looked at different and unusual sites and services – I think the pandemic threw me off my game! But new things launch all the time, and some of them definitely stray from the path of a ‘traditional’ job board – whatever that is these days. So join me as I take a look – you may get some ideas for your own business!

Placed: Steven Rothberg and I recently interviewed Jennifer Johansson, the founder of Placed, on the JobBoardGeek podcast. This mobile-first service focuses on industries such as hospitality where skills and experience are more important than a resume. I like the combination of questions that candidates answer about their skills, along with quizzes and ‘fun facts’ that they can complete to fill out their profile. Candidates can also ‘follow’ their favorite brands or employers, and participate in events with other candidates. The app, which operates primarily in the U.K. market, seems to be effective in keeping candidates engaged, which is important in high-turnover sectors such as retail or hospitality. I suspect Placed will be around for a while.
Multiverse: This is considered an ‘edtech’ company – but the first link on the website is for ‘Employers’, so forgive me for considering it what I call a ‘hybrid’ recruiting site. Multiverse (wonder if they’re thinking about change their name now that Facebook is Meta?) focuses on apprenticeships as an alternative to traditional college or vocational school. As they point out, apprenticeships are ‘earn as you learn’, and they tend to attract diverse candidates – making the candidates attractive to many employers. With its focus on digital training, it feels a bit like one of the coding academies, although with more structure. Very interesting.
Cord: This site takes the concept of instant messages and turns it into the primary communication channel between candidate and employer. The U.K.-based company, which focuses on technology hiring, has candidates answer 4 questions about location and type of work sought; if the candidate is accepted, then they can message directly with a prospective employer. Companies are rated on their responsiveness, which seems to improve the candidate experience. Cord is only focused on a few geographic areas at present (shades of Hired!), but I suspect they will expand over time. An interesting twist on the typical job ad application process, and one that seems to work.
Seafair: The people who work on shipping vessels have, in some ways, the ultimately challenging gig job – working for previously unknown bosses, isolated from others, hazardous working conditions, and so on. Seafair tries to solve some of those challenges – it vets seafarers and shipping operators and uses matching algorithms to fit crew members with the right vessels. In other words, it’s a technologically focused staffing company for mariners and shipping companies. It has managed to attract some funding, which it hopes to use to expand beyond its existing base of Eastern Europe and the Philippines. It’s an interesting approach to a challenging market, and I suspect it will flourish.
ShiftSmart: This service is one of those category-blurring offerings that make the recruiting industry interesting. On the candidate side, ShiftSmart offers over 500,000 candidates in 50 countries who are willing to work variable shifts; on the employer side, it provides a platform that lets hirers fill shifts quickly, with minimal friction. It also provides a certain amount of onboarding capability for employers, and gives candidates in retail, tech, and other industries a decent variety of options. You could call it a job board for shift workers, or a semi-staffing solution, or a….well, just call it an answer for shift employers and workers! Pretty cool.
TalentProtocol: This one is truly different – as their site says, “Talent Protocol is a web3 platform where talent can easily launch a token for their career, and where users can back people they believe in.” These so-called ‘Talent Tokens’ are like purchasing shares in someone’s career, where both undiscovered talent and their supporters get paid dividends over time. Users of the platform can buy tokens using crypto or a credit card to back up-and-coming leaders and accelerate their careers. The better you know and understand someone, the more likely, I guess, that you can ‘place a bet’ on their future. I’m not sure how this will scale (or last), but it is truly an intriguing idea.