July 5, 09
By Charley Hannagan, Staff writer
Fayetteville-based job-coaching site tunes into live video
Kearney Egerton did all the things experts say newly minted college grads should do in preparation for getting a job. She visited her college career center, wrote a resume and did practice interviews.
But that wasn't enough for the 21-year-old Fayetteville woman who graduated from Smith College in May with a degree in government and Middle East studies.
She wanted an edge in a job market that is the most competitive in years. Egerton said she received that boost from 360jobinterview.com.
"The two interviews I had, the people I spoke with both gave me excellent leads," Egerton said during a break between classes at a summer Arab language immersion program she is attending in Oakland, Calif. "They said here is where you should be applying directly."
One asked if she would be interested in working with his company, Egerton said.
360 is the brainchild of Jeffrey Garber and partner Dan Fedrizzi, both of Fayetteville, who launched the service in May.
"We provide personalized one-on-one coaching services for career counseling, preparation of job interviews and resume building conducted live via Skype," an Internet video conferencing service, said Garber, the founder and chief executive.
The service, using webcams, connects clients to more than 300 human resource professionals who are specialists in 55 job categories that range from accounting to Web site development.
Coaches are paid on a per-client basis, and clients chose their coach from a list of resumes posted on the Web site.
Coach and client connect via Skype for a half-hour or more of career coaching, mock interview sessions or resume building.
With videoconferencing, the coach can give clients immediate feedback on how they dressed for the interview, their body language during the interview and how better to answer questions, Garber said. And since they are specialists in their categories, coaches also know what kinds of questions interviewers will ask during a real interview, he said.
Fees for the service range from $69 for a half-hour of career coaching up to $325 for a package that includes career coaching and resume preparation.
The difference between 360jobinterview.com and similar services is that it doesn't rely on more general, impersonal methods, such as DVDs, telephone interviews or Internet chats, Garber said.
The stakes for finding a job are so much higher now, and with so many people applying for the same position, appli-
cants need to have a competitive edge to stand out, he said.
"The whole landscape has changed. A year ago, when people made a job change, it was to better themselves. If they blew their interview, it was OK. They went back to their job," Garber said.
"Now you're talking about people who are one week away from missing their mortgage payment," he said.
The recession has been indiscriminate in its job losses, with companies laying off even their best and brightest talent, making the competition for the remaining jobs fiercer, Garber said.
"So you have to be at your best game and have the best resume," he said.
Because its HR professionals are spread across the United States, 360job- interview.com offers a breadth and depth of information that is not limited by geography, Garber said.
"We can have the brightest and best people and not be geography-bound. I think that's the next wave of business," he said.
After her experience with the coaches, Egerton said, she feels more reassured and confident that she'll get a job. "I feel like this made me more competitive," she said.
You can contact Charley Hannagan at channagan@syracuse.com or 470-2161.
