JobSerf :: FAQ

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JobSerf (FAQs)

	What is JobSerf?
	How was it created?
	What exactly do we ‘do’ for our Customers?
	What is the ‘value’ and how do we justify the cost?
	Why should I sign-up?
	How do I start the Process?
	What is a CI (Customer Interface)? What is a Serf or JobSerf? What do they do?
	Should I be worried about identity theft and privacy?

How was it created?

At the start of 2004, our Chairman was working in Pune, India, an industrial city four hours outside of Mumbai (Bombay) for a large New York City-based holding company. At the end of this project, he knew he would have to find his next assignment. While in India, he was analyzing costs for employment and services, and realized just how large the gap was between Indian labor rates and Western wages. His own search process was very highly structured, and he realized that someone else, with the right amount of information, could actually do it for him. This thought, along with the knowledge of the wage disparity, was also combined with idea of being able to send emails from one PC and making them look as if they came from someone else’s. One of the advisors had previously demonstrated the use of this to him a few years ago. These concepts came together in the form of the concept of JobSerf. Upon his return from India, he discussed the concept with the other founders, and they agreed that JobSerf was an excellent idea worth developing. A very lengthy patent application was filed a few months later, and the Proof-of-Concept with Betas was demonstrated at the start of the Fall of 2004. The Team has been working at refining the process, putting in quality controls & measures and also developing a web-based tool which would permit the complete management of this process for the Customers and the JobSerf staff.

What is the ‘value’ and how do we justify the cost?

Job Seekers get new jobs sooner with our assistance primarily because of two factors. First, we find and apply to jobs that you would not have. Our professionals search for positions everyday and are experts at finding the jobs you want. There are in excess of 40,000 job boards and career websites on the net, and your time could be spent figuring out which ones have jobs or just applying to the same positions all your ‘competition’ is. JobSerf finds the jobs you wouldn’t, while also preventing wasted effort. Second, our service allows you to ‘buy back your time’ to network, prepare for interviews, make phone contacts or pursue other activities which enable you to get back to work sooner, all for as little as $2-3 per hour out of pocket. With JobSerf, you can recover the time that you would have had to spend searching and applying online, but for far less then your time is worth. Our equivalent hourly rate is approximately $5 per hour, but with tax deductibility and scale advantages (multiple JobSerf employees searching and sharing leads), expertise and knowledge of job board quality, your end costs are expected to get down into the $2-3 range per hour of your time. Our Chairman puts it this way: given the choice between spending a whole day online searching and applying, if you could give a $20 bill to ‘get that day back’, it would truly be a huge bargain for most people. This, combined with eliminating the need to become an expert at net searching, the resulting stress, along with the possibility of getting a better job faster, make JobSerf an exciting value.

Why should I sign-up?

In the quest for employment, what JobSerf does is not a good use of your time. The average cost of being unemployed for an American white-collar worker is in excess of $1000 per week, or $200 per work-day. JobSerf makes sense if you want to get back to work as soon as possible and need to do an online search. A cost savings example: if with our assistance you were able to get a job just three days sooner, the average person would save $600 in addition to whatever value they received by freeing up their own time. With JobSerf working on your behalf, you are more likely to find/apply to jobs you would not have seen, and therefore could also wind up getting a better one. By freeing up your time, you can do more networking, research companies and better prepare for interviews – all of which help you land your next job faster. If you lack time or have other commitments while you need to be searching and applying (example, a full-time job or consulting engagement), JobSerf permits the work to be done for you at a low cost while you focus on higher value or income generating activities. JobSerf is ideal for people who are busy working but are motivated to make a change. Though our service completes your searching and applying online, you are able to use JobSerf as an assistant and also do it yourself in other areas to get better penetration into the market and speed in re-entering the workforce (or changing jobs). The bottom line: a faster, cheaper job search, and possibly better quality of a final job - if you are searching for a job online and can afford to ‘buy back your time’ for as little as $2-3 out of pocket, then JobSerf is for you.

How do I start the Process?

Please feel free to email any questions or issues on this subject to sign-up@jobserf.com.

1) Save the 'Download Before Signing-up!' file from the home page to your computer.

2) Click on one of the Sign-up or New Client links on the site. You will be taken to a page with a Service Option or introductory special with pricing.

3) Read and select a Service Option by checking the appropriate box, and then select the Continue button. On the next page we ask you to fill in your contact information.

4) The following page will have your total charges and also the Disclaimer. Select ‘I Accept’ to proceed. This will enter you into the secure VeriSign billing site to process your credit card.

5) After confirmation of your credit card information, you will enter the information input pages which were detailed in the file you downloaded. Our process is very thorough, and once you have completed the sign up, you may log-off and return (using the password you provided) if you require more time to plan how to focus our efforts.

Welcome to JobSerf, and thank you for your support!

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What is a CI (Customer Interface)? What is a Serf or JobSerf? What do they do?

The two major interfaces from JobSerf with our Customers are the CI (Customer Interface) and the JobSerf, also referred to as Serf. The CI is a higher skilled employee who guides you through the initial phases of the JobSerf process. This includes the data transfer/input and the design of the search for your Serf. For economic and quality reasons, the process requires someone with different and far higher skills for the CI tasks then the Serf tasks. The CI training and expertise focus on areas such as understanding which job boards are of value to which type of seeker, designing Agents & Searches and ensuring that the data and files from our Customers are complete, correct and in the proper format. The design of the search program for the Serfs to execute is a very complex task, requiring knowledge and skills in multiple disciplines.

The Serf executes your Search & Apply process and also reports back to you on the status of your search. This includes what websites they have posted your resume on, what jobs they have found and applied to and in addition, other jobs that they did not apply to but they wanted you to review for interest (for jobs where the site requires much more detailed information then we request or when they are not sure if it is a fit but want to mention it, they record the job information and links for you to see along with those jobs where they did send your information into). They also work with the CI to make adjustments to your search in light of feedback provided by you. For each position applied for, the process has a method to score them as to your level of interest and also a method for feedback as to why.

Should I be worried about identity theft and privacy?

JobSerf is specifically structured to avoid these problems. We do not ask you for sensitive information. We require 8 character alphanumeric passwords in part to prevent our Customers from using their secretive ones they would normally use for banking. Though some job sites we apply to ask for your Mother’s maiden name, your birthday and other information, we encourage you to create filler information for these questions or we can do it for you. There is no need for these sites to obtain any of this information, other then to use it for your access to their services. In addition, JobSerf maintains rigid security and information management policies to ensure the privacy of our Customers. This process was designed to accommodate the needs and concerns of the passive job seeker who is concerned about their existing employer discovering their job search.

We provide the means to prevent your resume being made public if you prefer it not be. JobSerf also allows you to inform our staff about companies you specifically wish to avoid applying to. One of the selections during the process is for ‘Search Only’, where our staff finds the leads for you, but leaves the actual submission of resumes to your discretion, thereby eliminating the risk and leaving you in control. We greatly appreciate and respect the concerns of our Customers, and continue to take every precaution possible to protect their information in these critical areas.

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