Why is DirectEmployers/JobCentral non-profit?
I have had many people ask why DirectEmployers/JobCentral is a non-profit organization.
As a former corporate hr-type and former president of a leading commercial job board, I can attest to the power of companies working together to accomplish a task. I can also attest to the pressures of Wall Street and the effects it can have on business decision-making.
By working together, an immediate, cohesive group of leading U.S. employers was available to federal agencies for a fast response to the Katrina disaster. Likewise, employers can now work together to create a fast, low-cost alternative to America’s Job Bank (AJB) which the U.S. Department of Labor has announced will be phased out in mid-2007. A cooperative of employers can also provide a low-cost employment site where all employers, regardless of size, can participate. All difficult to do in a for-profit environment.
Is non-profit better?
Absolutely not!
It’s just different.
There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both non-profit and for-profit employment sites. There is a definite need and place for both.
Hi Bill, I have been a long time watcher of Direct Employers. Do you feel that when companies come together in the way you suggest, the results would be greater if all the companies were in a specific market niche or does it really not make a difference.
Would the marketing and promotion of a collection of companies working together be easier if all of them were in the same industry? Do you know of any cooperative organization that are for profit that are built around an niche specific industry?
I look forward to hearing your response.
Thanks
Jason
My approach is to first bring all employers together and then group them by industry after you reach a critical mass. If you try to be industry-specific when you start, you will typically find that you are trying to operate in a relatively small market – both from an employer and job seeker standpoint. Our next step is to build industry groups within JobCentral though I would have never started that way.
The only for-profit cooperative organizations I know of are your standard trade associations. The organizations are typically organized for purposes other than employment.
Thanks