When social networks first appeared they looked like they would completely change the recruitment industry. I mean, a profile was exactly like someone’s CV, right? Wrong. Despite LinkedIn doing very well as a hub for recruiters that put the time and effort in (and upgraded to the Pro version) or others using Facebook as a recruiting ‘back door’, it remains the case that social networks tend not to be set up for real day-to-day recruitment purposes. The whole thing is just a bit of a mess, especially where people’s public and private streams start to cross.
Some startups are trying to address this issue. Notably, the newish BranchOut is a Facebook application that works out where your friends, and friends of friends, have worked. It has secured $6m from Accel, among others. Then there is JIBE and Emp.ly. However, while many of these startups are doing the classic Silicon Valley modus operandi of trying to scale as fast as possible and get headspace among users, there is one thing most seem to be missing from the equation: Employers. This is a group who are massively cautious and usually need hand holding. They are even now only just getting used to the idea that traditional recruitment consultancies or job boards are may be affected by ‘social recruiting.’
BraveNewTalent is a startup which has taken an approach from the other end of the telescope. It’s spent time building a network of corporate clients starting in London which has brought in revenues and pushed the startup towards profitability already, but clearly that doesn’t qualify it as a startup which can scale.
What does qualify it is its new Facebook app which just went live here.