Introducing AuthenticJobs.com
~ 26 September 2006 ~
Almost exactly one year ago today I launched “Gigabits” (yeah, lame name, in retrospect) in an interest to assist companies who frequently emailed me asking if I knew of qualified candidates for a position they were looking to fill.
It’s entirely fitting, then, that it receives a big ol’ first-birthday present: Gigabits is now AuthenticJobs.com, completely retooled to improve the existing job listing service.
Since 2005, qualified candidates have been applying for great opportunities at The Motley Fool, Turner Sports Interactive, Last.fm, Phinney Bischoff, Garmin, Agilisys and many other companies. But up until now the job listing process was a tedious one at best. Companies would email me a listing, I would then have to shorten/edit it, and then post it as a new entry in Movable Type.
Gone is the previous cumbersome modus operandi, replaced by a customized submission process, payment processing, and improved listings layout. Listings will continue to be featured here, and doubly wicked is the fact that the listings are now featured on Airbag Industries too.
What about all the other niche job boards that have popped up recently, you ask? No complaints here — I think the shift away from mega-conglomerate job sites to smaller, targeted job boards is a much needed change.
That said, here are a few comparative differences:
- Designers and developers are the primary audience. Previous listings have included such positions as User Experience Designer, Web Producer, Web Developer, Design Director, and so on. (Though you never know who might show up here — Erik Spiekermann, arguably one of the most influential typographers of our time, once commented on this site.)
- On-site (full-time, in-house) and off-site (contract, telecommute) positions are clearly differentiated. Talk to just about anyone today and chances are they’re using outside contractors for one or more projects. No need to be restricted by location in today’s global web economy.
- Money-back guarantee. You probably won’t need it, but there’s a guarantee in place to ensure you get your money back if things don’t fly the way you expect them to.
- I’ll continue to screen listings and will remove those that involve adult content or an illegitimate work opportunity. (Refunds will be issued for deleted listings.)
And there’s one more thing that separates this niche job site from the others: A proven history of connecting qualified candidates with superb job opportunities.
Consider Andy Beeching of Double Eye, the first person to land a job nearly a year ago through a listing on my site (and consequently won an iPod nano for doing so):
Out of over a hundred applicants to the role, I was the only one to apply through your site, and one of only three to gain an interview. I believe my application was immediately given more weight due to the fact it came via your job board, and I got the position!
Or how about Matthew Schwartz of Matthew Schwartz Design Studio, who received only one application from his listing, but it ended up proving invaluable:
I got one response from my listing, and he was our final hire. He’s been here several months now; he’s a great asset.
Read other testimonials, or you might just cut to the chase and post a job or begin looking for one.
A few small things the geek in all of us might enjoy:
- Each job listing includes a stripped-down print version — print off a few, review offline later at your leisure.
- hCards (microformat) are used for the testimonials page; I’d like to explore using them elsewhere, such as the job listings themselves of course, but haven’t figured out the best way to do so yet. I’m open to feedback.
Lastly, this announcement wouldn’t be complete without recognizing those who helped with the development of the site: Jon Linczak did the backend and payment integration wizardry, and Michael Christopherson turned my design into markup magic.
Go. Hire, and be hired.
31 Comments
Veer: Visual Elements for Creatives.Stock photography, type, and killer tees. Genuinely recommended by Authentic Boredom.
I went in and applied for each job twice, I hope that helps…
Very nicely done, Cameron!
Um, yeah, that’ll, er, help Greg… :)
Excellent. I will be bookmarking this. I enjoyed hearing you speak in Dallas.
What a great resource. Thanks!
You forgot the final comparative difference: gorgeous layout and typography. Compared to the other boards - here’s looking straight at you, Crunchboard - this is a standout on visuals alone.
Thanks, Geof.
This is awesome Cameron. I totally agree that the huge job boards such as monster and career builder often times really only welcome less qualified candidates. Sure you get a huge response from these sources but maybe 1 or 2 in several hundred have the potential to be contacted back. So it’s nice to see a more specialized place for employers and job seekers to look.
You know I’ll be sure to pass on the word to students and others in the industry here in Orlando. Besides, if they’re reading your site you know they have the drive and desire to be in the design & web industry - you always keep things interesting for us here at your “authentic boredom”. And as always, it looks awesome!
I’m so glad to see that the site was NOT developed with Ruby on Rails but rather PHP
http://www.authenticjobs.com/?=PHPB8B5F2A0-3C92-11d3-A3A9-4C7B08C10000
I’m so sick of hearing about Rails.
PHP powers major site on the Internet (Yahoo, Digg etc..).
Good choice Cameron!
I can’t wait to see job postings on there that say:
Interface Designer, Google
Interface Designer, eBay
Interface Designer, Wells Fargo
Then maybe someone with sweet skills can redeem those struggling sites.
Good work, Cameron.
@Clifton
In case you were not aware, Google recently hired Douglas Bowman of stopdesign.com
For what it’s worth, I accidentially mistyped the URL as:
http://ww.authenticjobs.com/
And received an unexpected web page.
I love the site. It’s so beautiful yet functional.
Amanda - Students are certainly ones to be looking for jobs, no?
Rick - Yeah, not worried about the alternate domain you stumbled on. That’s where I host most of my dev stuff. This site is on the same server.
I was just looking for something like this, thanks!
…freakin gorgeous.
Fantastic, much needed site! Great job. One request: any chance you could put a “date posted” field in there?
Zack - That’s down below, small print… too small?
…or you mean on the home page?
Gorgeous… as I expected, but also incredibly useful! A rarity these days. Lets see some UK jobs on there now…
Yes please!
Absolutely Cameron. I’m confident our students will be frequenting this site when it comes time for them look for a job in the design industry.
I’ve certainly noticed an increase in demand for qualified candidates from local employers!
Cameron, I was referring to the home page.
I’m wondering what happens if you get, like, fifty or a hundred jobs listed? Does the page just keep growing or will it paginate?
Zack - I considered that (dates on home page), and will continue to consider it, but wanted to keep the UI as lean as possible.
Matt - Yes, we’ve got plans for that, but let’s get our first 20 and then we’ll cross that bridge.
I am getting tired of 37signals!
http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/launching_soon_gig_board.php
Without a doubt, Jason posted this as a reaction to Cameron’s great work on AuthenticJobs.com (which already has the ability of “gigs”)
Just my 2 cents.
Nice site Cameron. Also, great presentation at the Dallas Web Master Jam Session; That first story about your child was priceless…. just keep him away from those sharp objects please ;)
Ha, thanks Brian.
Cameron,
Very nicely done! I keep a long list of job boards that I frequent, and this tops them all. I was at your presentation in Dallas and very much enjoyed your thoughts. I will for sure be a regular!
Thanks for you hard work!
P.S. You mentioned you had 3 or 4 boys in your presentation. I have 4 girls! Gotta love the kids!
4 boys. I’d say we’ve got a few dates to look forward to…
Is there anyway to display the date the posting was listed? That way you know you’re not replying to a listing that’s 6 months old.
Down below on each listing, Chris. Small print.
Authentic Boredom is the platitudinous web home of Cameron Moll, freelance new media designer, author, and speaker. More…
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- Dyson ad: Text as more than just words
- Setting sail for Europe
- Review: Sumo Omni bean bag chair
- Dashboard widget for Authentic Jobs
- Limited-time offer: $99 listings
- Nine skills that separate good and great designers
- Fire sale
- Introducing AuthenticJobs.com
CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standard Solutions A solid round-up of indispensable CSS design techniques by Andy Budd, Simon Collison, and Cameron Moll.
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Blinksale Dive in and enjoy shamelessly easy invoicing from Firewheel Design.
Basecamp My preferred web app for internal and client project collaboration.
HOW Conference Austin, June 24–27. Pentagram, Adobe, P&G, et al.
Web Design World Seattle, July 20–22. Practical sessions on web design.
Stimulate Salt Lake City, September 2009. Entrepreneurship and design conference.
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1 Nathan Pitman ~ 26 September 2006 at 06:54 AM
Nice job. :)