1 min. with a Superhero: Joubert and Francois Botha from JobVine
by Fred Roed on 22/01/10 at 8:47 am
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This morning we’re chatting to Joubert and Francois Botha from JobVine, a brand new online recruitment site using a fresh alternative to the traditional, childishly expensive model that most jobs platforms utilise. Okay guys, tell us about your business. What is JobVine and why should we use it?
Joubert: JobVine is a free platform that unites businesses, recruiters and job seekers. Since its launch a few months ago JobVine.co.za is arguably the fastest growing online recruitment platform in South Africa. Our site offers businesses and recruiters an added alternative to the conventional and more expensive job posting websites. We’ve been absolutely delighted by the rate at which recruiters adopted our offering. We have focused our efforts on only the core value-added features. Posting a vacancy can literally be achieved in a couple of minutes. We promote our recruitment partners; provide them with maximum exposure and the means to attract high quality candidates.
But isn’t this a risky business – are you not competing with Career Junction, IOLjobs and all the other platforms around? How are you going to differentiate your offering in a very competitive sector online?
Joubert: To be honest, we are competing with all of them – Career Junction probably the most obvious one to mention because they have been around for so long. Taking in consideration that we are currently in the middle of an economical downturn, companies are adapting their approach to curb expenses, and rightly so. I’m not saying the more established job portals are abusing their position in charging extortionate amounts to post a vacancy, but this might well count against them during these tough economical times. It’s clear that JobVine has continuously evolved while most of our established competitors have had negative growth. The positive feedback received from recruiters certainly shows us we’re on the right track and we undoubtedly hope to build on that reputation in 2010.
Technology is rapidly changing and businesses should adapt accordingly or suffer from long-tem growth. The recruitment industry has changed significantly in the last decade, with social media arguably the most notable addition having an effect on this industry. Companies that are not continually re-inventing itself will definitely run the risk of losing market share in the fast-moving environment of the internet.
Francois: We are constantly researching new features and re-engineering certain functionality to streamline the online experience for our users. New features – including requests from our partners are deployed on a weekly basis. Having recently received our second round funding, our team has been working hard on new features for 2010 – including the ability for recruiters to search our candidate profiles, recruiter reviews and many more.
What is the job market like in South Africa at the moment?
Joubert: According to StatsSA more than 267 000 jobs were lost during the first and second quarter of 2009, with more than a million jobs lost in total for 2009 according to a recent report. Now, some might ask: “Does that not forecast a dismal 2010?” Well, not really. With the economy showing signs of recovery in line with the rise in global and national economic activity and the 2010 Soccer World Cup around the corner I would like to differ. The government has also highlighted job creation as one of their key priorities, and we would like to think we can play a pivotal part in this process as the leading free online recruitment portal in South Africa to get the country working.
Do you agree that small business is the most important focus for employment in South Africa?
Joubert: I agree with you 100%. In South Africa it is small businesses that play a vital role in grassroots development contributing to a more equitable growth. According to a report I read early this year, small businesses in South Africa contribute only 30 percent to the country’s GDP. Now, this can be attributed to poor education levels, lack of work skills, lack of access to working capital etc… Small businesses are the means to power South Africa’s economy by providing employment opportunities to the masses to serve as providers for larger industries. Small businesses can contribute significantly to export earnings and create an enormous change in South Africa’s embattled economy.
What is the best tip you have for job seekers right now?
Joubert: The fundamental starting point is always a well presented, professional looking CV – this is the first impression you make on your recruiter. Secondly, make use of online recruitment portals like JobVine.co.za to generate your online profile which allows recruiters to discover you based on their skills requirement. It’s very important that you keep this profile up to date and use all the tools available to you. Email Job alerts, Twitter and RSS feeds are a good way to stay informed of all the latest jobs posted, so make sure you subscribe to those. Avoid anonymous job adverts and lastly, but by no means the least important – prepare well for your interview!
Francois: We also have a Career Advice section on our website that includes some tips that you might find useful. We update these on a regular basis to assist our candidates. You can find information on how to create the perfect CV, interview tips and general career advice.
Joubert, Francois – thanks a bunch for your time. Ideate is excited by your business as it signifies the trend of cocky young upstarts challenging conventional business using smart models and innovative technology. Keep it up, and let us know how it goes. Ideate readers, go to JobVine.co.za right now – and tell your friends!
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.
Tags: jobs, recruitment
