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Dot.com employee for sale
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November 2, 2000: 4:23 p.m. ET
Internet job hunter sells her services and expertise on eBay auction site
By Staff Writer David Kleinbard
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Call it a sign of the times in the Web industry. At a time when Web companies are laying off thousands of people each month, one victim of a dot.com downsizing is selling her services over the eBay auction site.
Florida resident Karen DiGesu was laid off in early August from Shopeasy.com, where she was the site director.
"I was shocked; it sounded like we were all geared up to go," DiGesu told CNNfn.com about the surprise layoffs of about 12 people from the site.
Now she is determined to move back to her hometown, New York City, and return to work in the industry she loves -- the Internet. When traditional job search methods failed, she took the unusual step of selling herself on eBay, with a starting price of $75,000.
"Tireless and dynamic dot.com employee -- content specialist -- for sale," her eBay listing reads. "Available for purchase by cool, progressive New York City dot.coms. Hard working and innovative -- excellent resume and stellar references. Wears many hats -- coordination, direction, management. Proven juggler with laid back personality."
As of 3 pm ET, she hadn't received any bids, but her self-auction has almost eight days to go. Alas, only one of her is for sale.
The standard eBay commission on a $75,000 sale is about $950, an amount DiGesu says she is willing to pay. She also indicated a willingness to work for any New York-based dot.com that bids the highest amount.
"I love the Internet so much. I just want to work on the Net," she said. "If I were particular about which company I wanted to work for, I wouldn't have done this."
The market will decide whether DiGesu is worth $75,000 or more, but she has 14 years of work experience to her credit. She said that her ideal job would involve a blend of the music industry and the Internet.
The outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. released a report last month saying that layoffs at Internet companies have been rising since May and could accelerate over the next three months. The report says the number of layoffs in dot.com sectors rose by 5,677 in October, marking a new single-month record. October also was the fifth consecutive month of increases in dot.com layoffs, according to the report.
While DiGesu is aiming to combine her interest in music and the Web, she might have a hard time finding an opening at MTVi, the leading network of music entertainment sites. In late September MTVi said that it is laying off 105 workers, equal to about 25 percent of its staff. 
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DiGesu's eBay listing
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