InBetweenJobs: Relevant Startup from TC Distrupt

New Startup ‘InBetweenJobs’

‘

Like most people my age, I’ve frequently found myself “in between jobs”. As job security becomes a sweet old-fashioned concept like white gloves and monogrammed notepaper, we’re all spending more and more of our time looking for our new project.

TechCrunch Disrupt’s startup InBetweenJobs knows this feeling. Their new site is part gameified LinkedIn, part massive career Coursera. Currently in beta, the program combines all the things we do when we’re out of work — writing and polishing cover letters, updating resumes, improving your skills, researching companies and trends in your field — and puts it in one connected, social and gameified place.

Users earn points for participating in activities, and while I’ve snarked before about meaningless points and empty badges as companies leap on the gameification bandwagon, it really works for InBetweenJobs’ mission. First, points earned can be redeemed for real-world rewards, with a promise that the rewards are to help users with their transitional state. When one is between jobs, a free coffee or free MetroCard ride is a really valuable reward.

Second, being out of work is so depressing. If you’ve never lost a job, just trust me that it’s usually like a breakup with LOTS of free time to dwell on unpleasant things and think about how you are never ever going to work again. (And also, I hate you a little.) It can be a real slog to keep sending upbeat cover letters and keep turning up to interview to explain why you’d be the greatest candidate ever. Watching points accumulate as you search for a new position would give immediate satisfaction and show clear progress, which would definitely improve a job-seeker’s mood.

InBetweenJobs will also offer skill building and professional development. Users will be able to get job points credit for online classes or for training tutorials, and will even be able to find relevant professional development opportunities through the site. InBetweenJobs describe this approach to job-seeking as Learn (new skills, or brush up on existing skills), Earn (gameified job seeker points) and Advance (into a great new position!).

Check out the introductory video here:

[vimeo 65003053 w=400 h=300]

Sadly, you can’t join the InBetweenJobs community just yet, but you can sign up to be alerted when it opens.