We are absolutely thrilled about what the new year holds for Zumeo. The economy has been crazy lately but our spirits are high. We have been actively networking with strategic partners to develop innovative job match and recruiting solutions. Our mission in 2009 is to take the headache out of online job and candidate search. We are working on some "secret" innovations that, we believe, will change the face of both Zumeo.com and online college recruiting for good. It may be quiet on the Zumeo front during December, but it just means we are working hard. So enjoy the holidays with your family! If you don't have family this year then find someone you can be a family to, and remember to always give back.

 

God Bless!

 

The Zumeo Team

 

Jennifer Saba’s morning post on EditorAndPublisher.com entitled Most Major Papers Continue Circ Decline, read like a roll-call of the living dead.

 

 

This report comes on the heels of last week’s announcement by the New York Times that its ad revenue had decreased a massive 16 percent. Their own headline read, Drop in Ad Revenue Raises Tough Questions for Newspapers.

 

The resulting buzz (especially amongst us online sort) has been to pronounce the death of print, but I just don’t believe it.

 

I love reading tangible, touchable media like magazines, books and even the paper. Printed materials will absolutely have their place in 21st century media, but it will be niche and much smaller.

 

What I find most telling about the fate of newsprint is the state of classified advertising. Really, does anyone read those? It’s a huge portion of revenue that is going, or has already gone out the door. On occasion I scan the paper's front page, world, business or sports section but never, never the classifieds. With Craigslist there’s just no need.

 

This reality is great news for businesses like ours. Print is an increasingly bad way to find a job or recruit top talent, and soon it won’t be an option at all. Be sure of this, companies like Zumeo.com will happily fill the void left by newsprint as it begins its journey across The River Styx.

 

You no longer need to drop a buck-fifty on the Sunday paper. Heck, it’s like we’re paying you to use Zumeo.

 

 

You know what company is just amazing? Rackspace... that's who. They surprise me each and every time I contact them. I have a question, and you know who I call? The direct line of my personal representative. Now, you may ask, how long did I wait on hold? NO TIME AT ALL. Jenni, my rep, picked up, answered my questions, and is going to send me a proposal tonight.

 

Sharp. Very sharp.

A September study sponsored by a top online job board showed that One-in-Five Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Research Job Candidates. Of the recruiters using social networking, "one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration".

 

On the flip-side, full 24 percent of recruiters reported finding information on social sites that influenced them positively, helping the candidate solidify a position. The study showed the top factors influencing hiring decisions are:

 

* 48% - candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job

* 43% - candidate had great communication skills

* 40% - candidate was a good fit for the company’s culture

* 36% - candidate’s site conveyed a professional image

* 31% - candidate had great references posted about them by others

* 30% - candidate showed a wide range of interests

* 29% - candidate received awards and accolades

* 24% - candidate’s profile was creative

 

Many of the stories and comments stemming from these findings focused on its negative elements, chastising GenY for the use of MySpace and Facebook or questioning recruiters' ethics for searching social networks. At Zumeo we stand in defense of both.

 

Recruiters are tasked with finding best-fit talent and social networks provide information recruiters need to increase their chances that a potential candidate will excel, not simply succeeding in specific requirements/duties but also thriving in a company's culture, team dynamic and departmental work style.

 

Unlike previous generations, GenY is completely comfortable broadcasting their lives. Maybe it's youthful vitality mixed with ignorance of the "real world" but, the fact is, they are not likely to change just because "boomers" question the use of new communication styles. Yes, I expect the MySpace Generation to start using some commonsense and increased discretion as they move through their twenties but social broadcasting is too ingrained in the fabric of our generation to go away.

 

We are encouraging job seekers to make their Myspace/Facebook profiles private, and to promote their professional person with tools like a digital Live Resumé on professional networks and social recruiting sites like Zumeo.com.

 

GenY is a great group. They are technologically talented, independent minded and fun. With baby boomers retiring and at three times the size of GenX, they truly are the future face of all organizations.

 

  Look at this savvy motivated team! Now that's the embodiment of passion. I only have one question. Where's Jerry? 

 

                           

 

This week Zumeo moves into the "Eagles Nest". With views of Roxianne, Table Rock, and Mt Ashland the new Zumeo "perch" proves to be an stellar dwelling for the team. High above downtown grounds and a block away from Deli Down we sit in a prime location. Here are some killer shots! By the way the Art is brought to you by Ryan McMullen. (Thanks Bro!)

 

 

 

 

Since this article was posted, things at Zumeo have been rocking! We recently brought Mat Rudisill on board and, within a week, he hooked this up. We call him the "Praying Matus". We realize that to be successful it's going to take all of us being passionate about our ultimate vision, which is to 'actively and intelligently connect Gen Y to relevant jobs'. We are absolutely committed to growing with the Zumeo community and to providing you with a fresh and effective tool to expand your professional footprint. We want to thank Greg Stiles at the Mail Tribune for the quality journalism, and thank our users for your participation and enthusiasm.

 

We are colorfully celebrating our Beta Launch with a special edition logo. Why the funkiness? For one, we think it looks good—More importantly multiple colors represent the array of Live Resumes that can be created on Zumeo. Simple but beautiful, Live Resumes are customizable to convey your professional persona in a clean and elegant presentation. Upload videos or images, blog about recent successes at work, network with others in your professional circles and research companies and jobs.

 

After many months of working behind the scenes, I’ve stepped away from my advertising agency job to join Zumeo as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. I am now officially Zumeo’s biggest bragger, fondest fan and most vocal evangelist.

 

Getting to play an early part in shaping and growing Zumeo has been a huge joy, but in truth, the fun is just getting started. In the coming week we will role out our official public beta. Generation Y professionals will start connecting via our engaging, impacting and useful professional development network, while businesses will promote not only jobs but their culture, work environment and team dynamic.

 

Stay tuned, you’ll be hearing a lot about Zumeo in the coming months.

 Hello Zumeo Community. We want to thank you for your support and your feedback. Zumeo Version 4 goes beta. We have been listening intently to all of your input and suggestions and have added many of the features you wanted. We will continue to add features that enhance your experience on Zumeo, so keep the input coming! Again we want to thank you for joining with us on this journey.

 

Hello All,

We just returned from an amazing trip to Seattle. Zumeo was showcased at "Web 2.0 and Beyond", an event put on by the Washington Technology Industry Association.It of course centered around the ubiquitous "Web 2.0". Look here to find more info on the key players! We received incredible advice from Mark Briton the CEO at Avvo.com and met some great people. Special thanks to Scott Ware and Ed Kimm for hooking Zumeo up. We also want to thank Ken Myer, CEO at WTIA, for the great reception. He invited my wife and I to join him at the head table, it was great!

 

The team included Myself, my wife Alisha, Adam, Philip Carmichael and Mat Rudisill. We want to give Philip a shout out for making the effort to show. We also want to thank CDS for the publications. Thanks Steve!

 

Everywhere Adam and I go we are talking about the vision of Zumeo. We love it! So in one respect there is no separation of business and personal, but we were able to enjoy Seattle. The first three days were spent on Lake Sammamish. It was beautiful, and free! Thanks Philip. On our way out we spent the day in downtown Seattle getting fish thrown at us. I posted some pic's. Overall it was an amazing trip. Thanks for the support.

 

~Jared

 

We want to welcome Philip Carmichael to Zumeo’s advisory board. We are thrilled to have Philip as an Advisor to the Zumeo team. Philip has a tremendous amount of expertise and wisdom in the Web 2.0 space. He is currently responsible for the overall architecture of Twango.com, part of Nokia OVI. He also manages the software development group. Here is his story:

 

 

Welcome Philip!

 

Zumeo is heading to Seattle to showcase at the "Web 2.0 and Beyond" conference in Bellevue, WA. The confrence is put on by the Washington Technology Industry Association. My good friend Scott Ware at Robert Half International is helping orchestrate the event. Among the guests are:

Zumeo is thrilled to be a part of this event and invite all of you to come. More info here.

As a young start up it might seem ostentatious of us to use Rackspace. But we have never been more pleased with the quality and speed of our dedicated servers.

 

Three really good things about Rackspace:

The cost is high but its worth the money.

 

We are very pleased with the solutions they have provided for us.

 

Here’s what I mean about support. Response to this post from Rackspace within 30 min. of posting: