June 9, 2017 at 8:04 p.m.
Site seeks to be matchmaker
Site seeks to be matchmaker
Websites like Monster, Indeed and ZipRecruiter offer job postings from across the nation.
Local officials wanted to give businesses and potential employees a more focused way to connect.
Following the example of Hometown Opportunity across the state line, economic development groups in Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties last month launched Hoosier Opportunity — http://hoosieropportunity.com.
“I like to refer to this website really as a matchmaker service, for matching people who have jobs with people who want a job,” said Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley, noting that it is free to use. “That’s what we’re trying to do, on a local level.”
The main features of the site are areas for local companies and job seekers to post jobs and resumes, respectively. Since launching in May, there are about 71 jobs currently listed on the site, including from Jay School Corporation, Jay County Hospital, Pennville Custom Cabinetry, Ardagh, Fort Recovery Industries, POET Biorefining, FCC and Meridian Health Services. About 20 resumes have been posted thus far.
Bradley is hopeful that those numbers will go up once a radio, newspaper and billboard advertising campaign kicks off in the coming weeks. Hometown Opportunity, a partnership between Mercer, Auglaize, Darke and Shelby counties in Ohio that launched several years ago, has nearly 500 jobs listed.
There were initial discussions about Jay County and Randolph counties partnering with Hometown Opportunity, but that group was not interested in extending its efforts into Indiana. Jay County also approached its neighbors to the north — Adams and Wells counties — but they did not want to be part of the project.
That led to the partnership between Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties, all of which agreed to a three-year commitment, to focus on the U.S. 27 corridor in east-central Indiana.
“We found a real necessity to help connect job seekers with jobs that are available in the area,” said Bradley.
JCDC approved plans to begin fundraising for the site in April 2016, with start-up costs at $33,600 followed by monthly maintenance fees of about $2,000 to be split between the three counties. Each county also committed to contributing $10,000 annually for marketing.
Jay County’s portion of the project is currently being funded through the $924,500 Skill Up Indiana! grant the Jay-Blackford Manufacturing Council was awarded in October.
In addition to the job postings and resumes, the site also includes industry profiles, information about local communities, listings of education opportunities and other resources. Two video profiles about local industries have been posted, with others set to follow.
Bradley and his economic development counterparts in Randolph and Wayne counties also plan to visit local high schools in an effort to have seniors post their resumes.
Local officials wanted to give businesses and potential employees a more focused way to connect.
Following the example of Hometown Opportunity across the state line, economic development groups in Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties last month launched Hoosier Opportunity — http://hoosieropportunity.com.
“I like to refer to this website really as a matchmaker service, for matching people who have jobs with people who want a job,” said Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley, noting that it is free to use. “That’s what we’re trying to do, on a local level.”
The main features of the site are areas for local companies and job seekers to post jobs and resumes, respectively. Since launching in May, there are about 71 jobs currently listed on the site, including from Jay School Corporation, Jay County Hospital, Pennville Custom Cabinetry, Ardagh, Fort Recovery Industries, POET Biorefining, FCC and Meridian Health Services. About 20 resumes have been posted thus far.
Bradley is hopeful that those numbers will go up once a radio, newspaper and billboard advertising campaign kicks off in the coming weeks. Hometown Opportunity, a partnership between Mercer, Auglaize, Darke and Shelby counties in Ohio that launched several years ago, has nearly 500 jobs listed.
There were initial discussions about Jay County and Randolph counties partnering with Hometown Opportunity, but that group was not interested in extending its efforts into Indiana. Jay County also approached its neighbors to the north — Adams and Wells counties — but they did not want to be part of the project.
That led to the partnership between Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties, all of which agreed to a three-year commitment, to focus on the U.S. 27 corridor in east-central Indiana.
“We found a real necessity to help connect job seekers with jobs that are available in the area,” said Bradley.
JCDC approved plans to begin fundraising for the site in April 2016, with start-up costs at $33,600 followed by monthly maintenance fees of about $2,000 to be split between the three counties. Each county also committed to contributing $10,000 annually for marketing.
Jay County’s portion of the project is currently being funded through the $924,500 Skill Up Indiana! grant the Jay-Blackford Manufacturing Council was awarded in October.
In addition to the job postings and resumes, the site also includes industry profiles, information about local communities, listings of education opportunities and other resources. Two video profiles about local industries have been posted, with others set to follow.
Bradley and his economic development counterparts in Randolph and Wayne counties also plan to visit local high schools in an effort to have seniors post their resumes.
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