As owner of a 12-person online mortgage financing site in Chicago, Mark Pickett has to compete with tech titans like Google and Oracle for skilled techies. "Talent is everywhere, you just have to be able to get to it," he said.
So when an employee told Pickett about an online "reverse job application" posted by an out-of-work college grad, he had to check it out. Instead of simply listing credentials, Andrew Horner's reverse job application inverts the application process by stating his criteria for a potential employer, requesting that recruiters submit an employer application form, and asking prospects to answer questions such as, 'What job are you offering me?'
Horner said the idea for a "reverse job application" came to him after sending out countless resumes to no avail. "I started thinking about what I could do to turn the situation around and the first thing that came to mind was, instead of applying for a job, have companies apply to hire me," he said.
After posting the reverse application form on Reddit, a social news site, it immediately went viral. "I went to sleep and woke up the next day and my inbox was full of people who had submitted applications using the form," said Horner.
In total, 250 completed applications came pouring in, 44 of which contained legitimate job offers, including one from Pickett. Horner accepted but the reverse job application remains online "for posterity's sake."
Starbucks has raised more than $7 million with its 'Create Jobs for USA' program and expects it to generate 2,300 jobs.
