Ever hear about a job you know that you’d be perfect for, but you decide not to apply for it because you know your resume can’t get you in the door? Ever need to fill a position, but you don’t trust that any of the qualified candidates will complete the specific work that you need done? ShinyNeedle is a job posting website that hopes to eliminate such frustrations for both job seekers and hiring employers.
Shiny Needle looks to make the hiring process more interactive. Employers post a business question or problem along with each job listing. Candidates can demonstrate what they have to offer companies by responding with a solution. The idea is to put the perfect fit before the resume by giving prospective employees an opportunity to answer challenges early on. Everyone saves the time lost during unproductive interviews.
Job seekers can register and look for jobs free of charge. Running a listing for a month starts at the cost of $75. Patrick Richard, president and founder of ShinyNeedle, sat down to tell KillerStartups more about building his job posting platform.
How did you go about starting your company?
It essentially came to mind as I continued to struggle hiring key individuals for highly strategic positions. I was losing time and money on people that had solid resumes–when strategic deliverables came along they could not refocus to my specific companies’ goals. I thought there had to be a better way, and that’s when ShinyNeedle was born.
When do your best ideas come to you?
Typically in so-called “off work” hours doing something that is enjoyable. I’ve come up with many ideas on vacation just because I’m unplugged and not influenced by digital or typical, daily life distractions.
We want to know about where you spend your day! What’s on your desk right now?
I spend part of my day in any given coffee shop. I enjoy the energy, but also having a space to work at the same time. When I need to do more tactical work, I prefer my office setting that is quieter. Then I can really maximize what I need to complete.
Favorite book? Author?
Linchpin by Seth Godin, and anything from Tim Ferriss’ blog or books. The more their insight and ideas are pulled into our culture, the more true value everyone will bring with their creations.
Can you share what your latest “WOW” moment was:
The last truly impacting one was the ShinyNeedle concept.
What’s your office environment like? Is it the kind of place where everyone is bumping away to house music or is it more traditional?
It depends on the day and where I’m working. I like to move around a lot so I don’t have a defined space. If I need quite time I do have an office, but one spot all day drives me crazy.
Who or what inspires YOU? Role models? Quotes? Running? Video games? Snack food?
I would refer back to Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin from a professional perspective. I’m also inspired by any idea right now that successfully is leveraging Crowdsourcing methods. The power of people coming together to build or create something can be absolutely fascinating to witness.
Web App or site you couldn’t live without and why?
Evernote and Workflowy are my key apps that I use daily to make sure I stay focused. They are both incredibly user-friendly, and they cover almost all my needs from a conceptual and tactical perspective. They also function nicely in a multi-channel way,m so I can access them with any device at anytime.
Mobile App you’re in love with?
It’s not all that “flashy,” but Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meals is great for cooking at home when you’re time-strapped. The combination of content, imagery, and the shopping list are designed really well from a user experience perspective. As I like to say: I’m not a cook, but I’d like to play one on TV. This app helps me do just that.
Dogs or cats?
Neither.
iOS or Android?
iOS.
What would you be doing if you had one year off and $500,000 to spend?
Travel with my family, and create new things for people to use at the same time. I feel that traveling is the best way to open your mind, spend time with family and friends, and simply create.
A lot of people have big ideas. What motivates you to realize yours?
I honestly always wanted to make an impact on how people interact with each other. When I came up with ShinyNeedle, I believed in it from the second I conceived it, and I never stopped. I’m motivated by the ultimate goal of changing the way people think about hiring others for help online. If I’m not trying to do something game-changing, then I’m never going to feel challenged and satisfied. That’s my motivation.
How do you picture your company in 5 years?
I see ShinyNeedle expanding in to specific markets that fit the platform, and then growing exponentially from there. We don’t know yet because we’re new, but I believe it will end up being somewhat segmented on a large scale. Secondly, we hope to roll off unique offerings to people struggling to find their way in a given career that will plug back in to the ShinyNeedle methodology.
Where can our readers get a hold of you? Facebook? Twitter? Google+? Personal blog?
- http://twitter.com/shinyneedle
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/ShinyNeedle/118989204860978
- http://shinyneedle.com/blog
- http://www.slideshare.net/ShinyNeedle
- http://www.youtube.com/user/ShinyNeedle/videos
Photo credits
ShinyNeedle.com / SethGodin.com / EverNote.com / ShinyNeedle.com
