There has been a lot of buzz recently about NotchUp, the new "social-networking" site that offers a financial reward for simply attending interviews. In theory, it is a great idea. I rant often about companies needing to differentiate themselves in the competitive war for talent.
But there are numerous issues that need to be considered if you are to either utilize this service as an employer or interviewee.
I have received a number of emails from my trusted connections on LinkedIn to participate in the site, but have been hesitant to do so. Based on what I have read about the NotchUp Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, I would suggest that you be careful as well. How often do we all just click on that button just to move on?
NotchUp basically uploads your LinkedIn profile and prospective employers get the opportunity to log on, view your confidential profile and offer you a chance to interview with their company. You would then be compensated for your time at the interview by the employer. Up to thousands of dollars! Sounds great, right?
Well my dad always told me that you never get something for nothing. And NotchUp makes no guarantee that you will be paid. That is between you and the employer. I would also be very aware of the Terms of Use policy I mentioned above. It is very different from LinkedIn's and, while I am not an attorney, it appears as though you are leaving yourself wide open to spam attacks.
But one of my biggest arguments with the service is with its self-proclaimed 'value-add' that you can save money in the long run by not having to use recruiters to locate talent. In other words, the cost of paying for a few interviews is much less than what you would have to pay an Executive Search firm for the same service. And while that is certainly possible, that presupposes that all we do as professional recruiters is email resumes to our candidates. I'm not going to go into a long explanation (Executive Search 101) of what my value-add is for my clients and candidates, but it certainly extends far beyond resume shuffling.
So while I certainly applaud the concept of driving qualified candidates to great companies like Google and Yahoo as advertised on NotchUp's website, I would be very wary of this service until it is fully vetted. And, in the meantime, consider the value-add of an experienced Executive Search firm when trying to locate exceptional talent.
