We all know that networking is the best job search method. At least, readers of this blog should know that by now.
But this weekend, I saw an article on CNN/Money that reminded me of a novel strategy:
Jacob Share, 33, started an email chain by sending his resume and job search objective to his family and friends. He asked them to send it on to others and offered a monetary prize in the amount of $150 to the person who led him to a job as a Web development manager.
“The process went quickly after I sent my initial mailing to almost everyone I knew,” he said. “It only took one friend’s forward beyond that initial mailing to get a referral that lead to the ultimate job offer.”
Now, I’m not saying I thought of this idea of offering a bounty to people in your network to help you find jobs. But during my startup days in 2004-2005, I did play around very seriously with the idea of starting a website that would help people offer a bounty to everyone in their network to help them land a job. My idea was even to slice and dice the bounty so that while the person finally giving you the job lead got the majority of the bounty, everyone down the “chain” of referrals would get a piece as well.
I never went anywhere with it ultimately, and startups to this day are playing with the idea of paying bounties for job search.
But this article reminded me of the idea of creating a human job search referral chain, and it made me think, hey, these are desperate times; there are crazier things I could be suggesting!
After all, number one, I’ve told you before, if you’re in a job search, you should be telling anyone and everyone you know about it. You should be shameless and not at all embarassed. Everyone you meet or talk to in the course of every day should be aware you’re looking for a new job. There’s no telling who will end up helping you out.
So maybe greasing the wheels a bit with the promise of a monetary reward will get people’s attention.
And number two, there’s nothing stopping you from emulating exactly what the guy in this article did. It just might work. Just do a mass emailing to your address book. Doing so is a bit forward, but it’s less aggressive than the annoying people who send mass Obama joke emails. And I’m willing to bet that in these times, most people would understand.
And in this era of Facebook, it’s probably easier to do than ever. Update your status ever day to let people know you’re offering… I dunno… $200 to the person who can refer you to a new job. Suggest they let their friends know about this too. Pass the word along. Maybe do something like up the bounty by $10 every day or every week or so.
Crazier things have been done.
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25 responses so far ↓
1 smoni // Jan 19, 2009 at 1:18 am
I love this and I am doing it.
2 Find a New Job by Offering a Bounty [Jobs] | My Blog Channel // Jan 19, 2009 at 10:21 pm
[...] weblog offers some radical advice for landing a job in tough economic times: Offer a reward to the friend or colleague who helps you land a real job. It’s an extreme measure, and it might require some tactful maneuvering on your part, [...]
3 McColley.net » Blog Archive » Find a New Job by Offering a Bounty [Jobs] // Jan 19, 2009 at 11:30 pm
[...] admin TheJobBored weblog offers some radical advice for landing a job in tough economic times: Offer a reward to the friend or colleague who helps you land a real job. It’s an extreme measure, and it might require some tactful maneuvering on your part, [...]
4 CK // Jan 20, 2009 at 7:19 am
I can offer a large paper-towel bundle for cheap! Bounty paper towels at that!
5 Jacob Share from JobMob // Jan 20, 2009 at 9:58 am
Hi Brian
Funny but not surprising – when I saw how my job search bounty worked, it was natural to think of setting up a site as well. At the time it wasn’t possible, but the opportunity came a few years later and I created JobMob at http://jobmob.co.il/ as a result. The site isn’t specific to helping with bounties, it’s more general- I focus more on job search advice and humor.
Glad you liked the tip.
6 CK // Jan 21, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Bounty – the bigger picker-upper!
7 Kim Avery, Certified Career Coach // Jan 24, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Wow – what a great strategy. It reminds me of the MBA graduate who stood at a busy intersection in New York City with a billboard, saying “Motivated MBA – looking for work.”
He was hired by the end of the day.
Initiative works!
8 Brisco County | Dinhternet // Jan 26, 2009 at 2:31 am
[...] job front, things still aren’t looking too good. So I’m going to use the idea I read here and offer a job bounty. If you can hook me up with a job, I’ll give you $100 from my first [...]
9 CK // Jan 26, 2009 at 8:02 am
Kim – That MBA grad was lucky! We have people like that now! On local TV a lawyer sits on the courthouse steps looking for work (clients) while another person (Business Grad) is standing on the street corner with a posterboard looking for work.
Currently our state is running an unemployment rate of 8.1%
10 January 27th : Mental Refreshment // Jan 27, 2009 at 5:00 pm
[...] – Can’t find a job, offer a bounty Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
11 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job [Lifehacker Top 10] | My Blog Channel // Feb 21, 2009 at 1:21 pm
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
12 McColley.net » Blog Archive » Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job [Lifehacker Top 10] // Feb 21, 2009 at 1:30 pm
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
13 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job - Softsaurus.org // Feb 21, 2009 at 2:53 pm
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
14 [The Far Edge] » Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job [Lifehacker Top 10] // Feb 21, 2009 at 6:00 pm
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
15 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job [Lifehacker Top 10] | HackerLife // Feb 22, 2009 at 9:25 am
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
16 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job « SNX Consulting: blogspot // Feb 23, 2009 at 5:52 am
[...] 7. Leave without burning any bridges If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
17 CV Tips and Job Hunting Tips | Bayt.com Blog // Mar 2, 2009 at 1:57 am
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
18 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job - Knowledgepedia // Mar 7, 2009 at 4:53 pm
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
19 Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job [Lifehacker Top 10] « AccessTech News // Apr 10, 2009 at 10:46 am
[...] If you have a great estimate of exactly how many seconds are left until you can leave, it can be really tempting to email all@youroldcompany.com with exactly how liberated you feel. But if your dream job doesn’t turn out quite so ethereal, or you ever find yourself needing a tip, lead, reference, or maybe even someone to hire at your new digs, you’ll wish you’d kept things civil. To fake it until you make it, crib from eMurse’s sample resignation letters, read from wikiHow’s guide to resigning gracefully, and keep in touch over social networks like Facebook with the co-workers in the same realm you find yourself in. You never know when one of them might hear about a sudden job opening; alternately, you can ditch the civility and think about offering cold, hard cash rewards for job leads. [...]
20 Payam // Jun 27, 2009 at 9:43 am
Request job IT(networks administrator,etc) for me
Thank you
Payam
Email : qdojvs@Gmail.com
21 93 Most Popular Articles of Top Job Search and Career Blogs | JobMob // Oct 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] A Radical Job Search Strategy – Offering Bounties from The Job Bored [...]
22 Some job seekers offer a bounty for a winning lead : Writing Wolf // Nov 3, 2009 at 12:45 am
[...] bounty to anyone who could get him hired as a Web developer. One job search blog says that’s not a bad idea to emulate. That seems too gimmicky, but I like the TheJobBoard’s suggestion of updating your [...]
23 HRM Today - Blog Archive » 93 Most Linked To Articles of Top Job Search and Career Blogs // Nov 10, 2009 at 7:54 pm
[...] A Radical Job Search Strategy – Offering Bounties from The Job Bored [...]
24 93 Must Read Job/Career related articles for your New York Survival // Nov 22, 2009 at 12:35 pm
[...] A Radical Job Search Strategy – Offering Bounties from The Job Bored [...]
25 Career Outlook // Aug 15, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Awesome post, These days I have been looking for job and I am glad that I have found your site which is full of useful information
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