Until recently most on-line job listings used one of two approaches. First, there was the classified version that works like the traditional classified ads or the more modern Craig’s List. In this case there is a linear listing. It is passive and you have to be there at the right time to make a good connection with a job opening. Timing is everything. Then there is key word technology. Resumes and job profiles are uploaded and indexed. Job seekers and prospective employers type in key words in to a search box like Google or other key word search engines. Now taxonomy is the challenge. Faced with a blank search box what do you put in? What different terms do you use to uncover your dream job? It may take a number of tries to get it right and you still won’t know what jobs or candidates you missed because your taxonomies were not aligned.

RealMatch is now offering a third way, profile matching. Recently, I spoke with Rafael Cosentino, VP of Business Development, at RealMatch who explained what they are doing. In a way it is like profile matching found on dating services like Match.com but they have taken it a significant step further. To facilitate the profile matching process RealMatch did research and to date came up with 65,000 job titles which encompasss over 300,000 related skills. They have three taxonomists working on this effort. So if you are looking to become a driver, for example, you are asked to select from about 30 skills a driver might have. Are you experienced and bonded to drive an armored car or a school bus or just your grandmother? What types of vehicles can you operate? You can add as many skills as you want. What type of nurse or IT specialist do you want? Job seekers have the same options. Here is a sample input screen.

Now instead of facing a blank search box or a going through a linear list with many false hits, you get matches that are rated (e.g. 96%) and prioritized. Both job seekers and employers can post their offerings for free. The employer can then request a match. Employers see Candidate matches prioritized as well as the details except the name and contact information, still for free. Employers can also choose to pay to get the contact information of the candidates that interest them. You can also receive email alerts as a job seeker or employer and receive them in real-time as new opportunities or people enter the system. Here is a sample result screen.

They are taking their approach a step further. At the moment there are over 50,000 unconnected job boards so job seekers and employers face the task of choosing which ones and potentially working with isolated job boards. RealMatch has also launched a new Career Portal Network (CPN), a private-labeled career channel using their platform technology. The CPN allows any Web site to offer its own co-branded career portal with no upfront costs and they do revenue sharing with RealMatch. This approach expands the reach of participating job boards since the boards are now interconnected. Matches for job seekers and employers can now be made cross hundreds of sites in the network.

RealMatch is already partnering with over a thousand job sites in this manner, including MIT’s Technologyreview.com, McGraw Hill’s Accessmedicine.com, Medicalnewstoday.com and Scientificblogging.com. Rafael said that their partners range from market verticals to general-interest business and lifestyle sites. I like the fact that they are leveraging the possibilities of the web to break down silos. It looks like a disruptive technology and approach to me. Here is the co-branded site with MIT Technology Review.