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Industry News and Information

New Resource for Recent College Grads & Entry Level Job Seekers

Candice A AvatarCandice A
June 2, 2009


Hi All!
There is a terrific new online service that matches Gen Y college grads with employment opportunities. This new service, ComeRecommended.com, was developed and founded by go-getter Millennial, Heather R. Huhman. And not only is this talented, savvy young woman the founder, but she also writes a popular column for entry-level job seekers on Examiner.com.
I believe in what she’s doing with this new service so much that I’m supporting her efforts by being a business sponsor. And, no, I don’t get any money for doing this, so before you believe I have ulterior motives for promoting ComeRecommended, I don’t.
Anyway, if you are a recent college grad looking for a job, or an employer seeking entry-level employees, I suggest you check out the website.
And here’s more info about all of this from a recent Q & A session with Heather:
Q: What is Come Recommended?
A: Come Recommended is an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. Unlike other exclusive recruiting networks, Come Recommended requires both candidates and employers to provide at least three recommendations to gain access to the community.


Q: Who can join Come Recommended?
A: There are two user categories–candidates and employers. Candidates must be over 18-years-old and can include current high school or college students or individuals who graduated from college up to one year before the current year. For example, right now, young professionals who graduated in 2008 will be accepted into the system. Come January 1, 2010, those who graduated in 2008 will no longer have access.
On the employer side, Come Recommended welcomes human resources professionals, staffing firms, recruiters, headhunters and anyone else charged with hiring interns and entry-level professionals.
Q: Who will benefit most from the site?
A: Both individuals seeking and those needing to fill internships and entry-level jobs will benefit extensively from using Come Recommended.
Q: Does it cost anything?
A: All of Come Recommended’s “core” features–those included in the original launch–are free to candidates and employers. Students and recent college graduates don’t have a lot of disposable income. And, with the current economic climate, organizations are changing their hiring strategies to be more streamlined and cost-effective. Come Recommended helps them achieve these new goals. Even when the economy bounces back – and it will, with time – Come Recommended’s “core” features will remain completely free. However, to help us keep our features free or low-cost, we encourage users to purchase services and products from the candidate and employer Resource Centers and click on the site’s banner ads.
Q: How does Come Recommended work?
A: First, candidates and employers register and build detailed profiles. Before being accepted into the community, all users must first be recommended by at least three individuals. For candidates, this can include current or previous employers, industry professionals, professors/teachers and other non-family members. For employers, this can include current or previous interns or entry-level professionals. References need not be registered users of Come Recommended.
After building a profile, users are able to send recommendation requests via e-mail using the site’s technology. The e-mail received by their references includes a link to a simple online form. For candidates, this form includes the most typical questions hiring managers ask during the reference check process. For employers, the form asks questions a candidate might ask a current intern or entry-level employee about the organization. All answers are automatically transmitted back to the requesting user’s profile.
Once a user has three recommendations, and these recommendations have been confirmed to follow the rules I just outlined, they are accepted into the community and can access Come Recommended’s numerous features.
Q: How do you verify that the recommendations on your site come from legitimate sources?
A: We will do this in several ways. First, recommendation requests can only be sent to “paid” e-mail domains–not free accounts such as Gmail or Hotmail. Second, because references must provide their phone numbers, Come Recommended staff will perform random checks to assure accuracy. Finally, if a user suspects a reference might not be legitimate, he or she is encouraged to contact us immediately, and we will follow-up. If, indeed, the recommendation has been falsified, the user will be permanently banned from Come Recommended.
Q: Are the forums moderated?
A: No, they are not. However, candidates and employers are encouraged to report abusive behavior by sending an e-mail to reports@comerecommended.com.
Q: Are there other Web sites like Come Recommended?
A: While there are many sites with a similar goal, Come Recommended distinguishes itself mainly through its exclusive nature. The recommendation process serves as a way for employers and candidates to gain immediate, objective feedback on each other. Most other Web sites lack any type of screening process for their users. This is very problematic for career-based sites because they become cluttered with false or misleading job ads and the résumés of unqualified candidates.
Q: With what other organizations do you have relationships? How do those relationships benefit Come Recommended users?
A: A full list of the organizations with which we have a relationship can be found on the Current Sponsors page. Prior to launching Come Recommended, we formed relationships with organizations we know provide valuable services, products and advice for our users. These organizations include:

  • Campus Calm, which empowers students and recent graduates around the world to breathe, become stress-resistant and create their own paths to purpose, prosperity and happiness.
  • CAREEREALISM.com, a leading career news and perspective site for young professionals ages 18 to 40 that was named a ‘must-read’ by Careerbuilder.com and BusinessWeek.com.
  • Glassdoor.com, a career and workplace community where anyone can find and anonymously share real-time company reviews and ratings, salary details and interview reviews and questions regarding specific jobs for specific employers — for free.
  • Intern Bridge, the nation’s largest college recruiting research firm responsible for discovering best practices by surveying over 50,000 students annually, and providing information through workshops, seminars and a series of publications.
  • InternshipRatings.com, a resource for students to rate, research and compare internships in various industries across the United States.
  • Keppie Careers, which encourages, enlightens and empowers job seekers for success.
  • The Orrell Group, lead by popular speaker, author and consultant Lisa Orrell, which improves generational dynamics and team building in the workforce and coaches Gen Y employees entering leadership roles at work.

Q: How does Come Recommended make money? Do you plan to seek investors or raise capital from advertising and other fees in the future?
A: Initially, Come Recommended will be solely supported by advertising, sponsorships, paid seminars/courses, career coaching services, cover letter and résumé review services, paid speaking engagements and other strategic business relationships.
Additionally, users will be actively polled during the first six months regarding future feature requests. After that time, they will still have the ability to submit requests and ideas via a dedicated e-mail address. Come Recommended will consider every request and plans to begin implementing new features starting May 2010, or sooner if possible. Additionally, Come Recommended will evaluate new features on a case-by-case basis to determine whether and how much to charge users for each.
As far as seeking investors in the future, we have not ruled out that possibility.
Q: Who can advertise on Come Recommended? Can employers advertise jobs?
A: There are several different types of advertising, as outlined on the Advertising & Sponsorship Packages page. Come Recommended reserves the right to reject any advertising that we determine, in our sole judgment, is not in keeping with our mission. For example, Come Recommended will not accept advertising for the sale or provision of goods or services relating to tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, pornography or other such matters that would, in our opinion, be inappropriate for our users, some of whom may be under the age of eighteen.
And yes, employers may advertise jobs through either targeted e-mails to candidates or banner/square advertisements on the site itself.
Q: Do you plan to extend this service beyond intern and entry-level jobs in the future?
A: Perhaps, but only time will tell. I’ve always felt those just launching their careers have a tougher time finding and landing jobs because these skills are among the few things not taught in school. While this may sound like Come Recommended is very one-sided in favor of candidates, employers actually have just as much to gain from candidates educated about what it takes to qualify and apply for their open positions.
So, there’s all the scoop! One more way you can possibly find a job or find a great candidate!
Bye for now.
Lisa Orell.jpgArticle by Lisa Orrell, Millennial & Generation Relations Expert and courtesy of Lisa’s Generation Relations Blog

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