Marketing professionals in the metro Grand Rapids area have a new way to search for a job through an innovative and free on-line service called GR Marketing Match.
Launched a few weeks ago by Craig Clark, owner of the Grand Rapids public relations firm Clark Communications, the service is aimed at helping job hunters and hiring managers connect with each other.
Unlike other employment sites, GR Marketing Match is aimed solely at local marketing and marketing communications professionals. Resumes of job hunters are e-mailed every other Friday to participating human resources personnel. They in turn are encouraged to forward them to appropriate colleagues who may be interested in hiring that individual.
"Many of these marcom jobs are not widely advertised, so you might not even hear of these opportunities," says Clark, who has had personal experience as a downsized victim. "Employers may not be seeing all of the best candidates. I just want to keep it focused on people helping people."
Clark is hoping GR Marketing Match levels the playing field so that marketing professionals who might not be "in the inner circles" of company contacts may have a better opportunity to showcase their talents. "It's not meant to replace Monster.com or Linked In," he says. "It's really meant to help connect people who are looking for a job to those who are hiring. Everyone that's signed up is dedicated to helping people because if this (loss of job) has not happened to them in the past, they know that it could very well happen in the future."
So far, about 60 hiring managers and 30 job hunters have agreed to participate in the service, Clark says. "We're averaging about two to three new subscribers (job hunters) a week."
Source: Craig Clark, Clark Communications
Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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