Job Seekers Gain Supporters Via Niche Social Network Tool

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - Nov. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Hoffman Estates, Illinois  – November 1, 2013 – The job search process has never been more complicated than it is today.  Applicant tracking systems, key word searches, electronic applications and video interviewing can present an intimidating environment for those young and old involved in a job search.  As technology seems to increasingly take over the job search process, it has pushed job seekers to digital job search strategies.

“The infiltration of technology has actually become a real problem for job seekers and employers alike”, says Dr. John-Paul Hatala, professor in the Career and Work Counselor program at George Brown College.  Hatala states that, “technology is increasingly pushing candidates away from human interaction with the employer as well as their personal networks.  The result is job seekers becoming screen isolated in their job search efforts.  Meaning, the personal job search is being regulated to personal computers, mobile devices and related technologies.”

Research continues to prove that even in this digital age most jobs, some report as high as 80%, are found through an individual job seeker’s personal network.  Dr. Hatala adds that those who find jobs through personal connections tend to have higher retention rates than those found through on-line means.  The problem job seekers face today is how to integrate their personal networking efforts into the digital age of job search?  One company believes they found the answer.

SnagPad.com is a web based strategic job search learning and management system for job seekers and the professionals who support them.  Designed for college career centers, workforce development agencies and outplacement firms to manage their job seeking clients, SnagPad is a central dashboard for job seekers to conduct their entire job search and for counselors to gain visibility into those efforts.  To address the problem of a diminishing reliance on personal networking, SnagPad offers a service called SnagCast™.

“We are the first on the internet to provide our customer’s job seekers with a tool to invite people to “support” their job search”, says Jeff Weber, CEO of SnagPad.  Supporting is a bit like “Following” in that people opt-in to a job seeker’s support request.  By doing so, the network of supporters are provided a weekly email summary of the job seeker’s targeted job, ideal industry and targeted employers and job opportunities that they are considering.  The summary allows supporters an easy way to provide feedback to the job seeker via email.

SnagCast blends today’s latest technology with the oldest and most proven method of landing a job. Weber said, “we found that most job seekers tell a limited number of individuals in their network that they are in a job search.  The retention of that encounter is short lived and job seekers quickly fall out of sight and out of mind.  We wanted an automated tool that: made it easy to invite people to be supporters, help them stay top of mind, easily remind them of their search focus, highlight opportunities being considered and make it unobtrusive for those supporters to participate.”   The result in SnagCast is a simple to use tool that effectively promotes a job seeker to their network increasing the likelihood of exposing jobs within that personal network – also known as the hidden job market.

About SnagPad

SnagPad™ is the digital culmination of 15 years of research into strategic career development designed to help job seekers organize and manage their job search, while empowering job counselors and workforce development agencies to improve the job placement rate of their clients.  The company’s management has extensive Internet, education, and employment social research experience.   The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois USA with an additional office in Burlington, Ontario Canada.  Additional information can be found at www.snagpad.com.

Contact:

Jeff Weber, CEO

jweber@snagpad.com

SnagPad

1400 Picardy Lane

Hoffman Estates, IL. 60192

847-496-4066

www.snagpad.com