“eHarmony” for Jobseekers

A recent New York Times article, “It Works for Dating, Why Not for Jobs?”, discussed how a jobseeker’s actual skills profile can be used to locate compatible jobs — which is similar to the thinking behind dating/matchmaking software.

The story pointed out how New York resident Danielle Lazzaro had become frustrated after fruitless months of job searching and was excited to hear about the NY Dept of Labor’s new job matchmaking service. To her disappointment, the system only located two matches. Given the state of the economy, it’s not really that surprising to see so few jobs.

So we decided to conduct a little thought experiment to see how we could help Danielle. EMSI has actually developed a web-based tool for jobseekers that uses skills, labor market information, and current job postings to help jobseekers find compatible careers within a fixed radius.

The results of our exploration are a bit different and potentially more encouraging — check it out: Jobseeker report (pdf)

Let’s first assume, since Danielle has training in marketing and communications, that she is a marketing manager. We can use that information to build her skills profile, which will be used to find the best, most compatible options.

Here is the typical job description for a marketing manager:
Determine the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm’s profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm’s customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

The typical hourly wage for people with this occupation in this area is $54. In our example we said that the person would be willing to make $45 (given the recession a lot of people are willing to make a little less than average).

Now, here is a list of the jobs that we found for Danielle based on her skills profile. As you can see from this much broader list, there are many more areas that she can focus on.

First, we found that there are about 9 annual projected openings and 1,632 job listings for the marketing manager occupation.

We also found these other compatible occupations based on a proprietary skills matching that we have developed.

Training and Development Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization.
Projected Openings: 6
Wages: $46.36/hr
Compatibility: Very compatible
Current Job Listings: 138
Training: Available

Compensation and Benefits Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities and staff of an organization.
Projected Openings: 22
Wages: $45.90/hr
Compatibility: Very compatible
Current Job Listings: 127
Training: Available

Human Resources Managers
Plan, direct, and coordinate human resource management activities of an organization to maximize the strategic use of human resources and maintain functions such as employee compensation, recruitment, personnel policies, and regulatory compliance.
Projected Openings: 37
Wages $45.72/hr
Compatibility: Very compatible
Current Job Listings: 425
Training: Unknown

Advertising and Promotions Managers
Plan and direct advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or give-aways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.
Projected Openings: 40
Wages: $50.91/hr
Compatibility: Compatible
Current Job Listings: 218
Training: Available

Storage and Distribution Managers
Plan, direct, and coordinate the storage and distribution operations within an organization or the activities of organizations that are engaged in storing and distributing materials and products.
Projected Openings: 21
Wages: $48.94/hr
Compatibility: Compatible
Current Job Listings: 136
Training: Available

Medical and Health Services Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate medicine and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
Projected Openings: 483
Wages: $45.86/hr
Compatibility: Compatible
Current Job Listings: 855
Training: Available

Transportation Managers
Plan, direct, and coordinate the transportation operations within an organization or the activities of organizations that provide transportation services.
Projected Openings: 21
Wages: $48.94/hr
Compatibility: Compatible
Current Job Listings: 136
Training: Available

Public Relations Managers
Plan and direct public relations programs designed to create and maintain a favorable public image for employer or client; or if engaged in fundraising, plan and direct activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects and nonprofit organizations.
Projected Openings: 118
Wages: $46.68/hr
Compatibility: Compatible
Current Job Listings: 405
Training: Available

Industrial Production Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
Projected Openings: 9
Wages: $53.87/hr
Compatibility: Somewhat compatible
Current Job Listings: 450
Training: Available

If you would like more information on how Job Finder can help you, please contact us.