Seattle, WA – The first sentence of weboostu’s website says it all: “What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what gets posted on the Web is here for everyone to see forever.” With competition for jobs at an all-time high due to the slow economy and ever-climbing unemployment rate, human resource departments and recruiters are using Web searches more and more to qualify potential candidates. And what they are finding isn’t always pretty.
“The job market is tight, but companies still are hiring,” says weboostu co-founder Kaurik Raj. “The Web has become a valuable qualifying tool, especially since so much personal information is available on popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and blogs.” While social media encourage ongoing communication with friends and family, they also make members’ personal lives more transparent. “Depending on what you post and what’s posted about you – blogs, comments and pictures – you may be unknowingly exposing a side you don’t want the world to see,” says Raj’s business partner and co-founder Jon Sumple. “The social media boom allows anyone who’s interested the opportunity to search your name and get to know you a little more intimately than you probably think.”
As little as five years ago, recruiters and HR departments relied more on candidate references when qualifying prospects. Not anymore. “When you think about it,” says Sumple, “references are always from people who are going to share nothing but positives. They’re not a complete measurement of character because they’re often biased. Simple Web searches of a candidate allow HR pros a chance to uncover the negative stuff, too.”
While several reputation management companies promise to eliminate damaging statements – often a costly legal process – they usually focus their efforts on corporate entities and high-level executives. Raj says weboostu was developed solely with the little guy in mind. “Many people aren’t aware that posted comments and pictures can come back to haunt them,” says Raj. “It doesn’t even cross their minds. That’s why we’re here – we help them overcome mistakes by showcasing their positive attributes.”
Raj and Sumple have developed an online reputation management service that allows clients to tell their stories in a better light. Instead of eliminating the negative search content, weboostu develops a custom content campaign for each client. “We’ve done the research, and we know how deep most recruiting professionals search a candidate,” says Raj. “We develop Web content that is ethical and credible, and we push it higher into a search.”
The service is completely custom. After visiting www.weboostu.com to fill out profiles, candidates receive one-on-one counseling and personal Elevation Plans (EP) unique to their situation. “It’s not a cookie-cutter service,” says Sumple. “We’re big on listening first, then listening a little more before recommending an EP. It’s all about creating images that truly represent the positive attributes of our clients.”
To learn more about weboostu and its services, visit http://www.weboostu.com.
Media Contacts: Kaurik Raj 425.372.8146 kaurik@
