NOTCHUP: WHAT DO WE CALL THIS? PPI? PAY PER INTERVIEW?

One of the most maligned areas of business is HR. Many people view HR as an expense -- actually expense pit -- and that has to be tough on people who are, by definition, drawn to the field because of a passion for people.

Me, I have never held that view. Often, my favorite people in past employers have been in HR -- they tend to be fun, caring, and polite. And those three qualities are enough to make anyone a fast friend for me.

I also think that people outside of HR have NO IDEA how hard the job can be. First, there are the people who must navigate the unbelievably complex state-by-state rules around employment. It can take months to get rid of -- I was going to say dead wood, but that's not half the issue. Even the stinkiest wood can be a pain in the neck to separate from a firm.

But lets talk about the ginormous problem of recruiting in certain industries. Try to find a digital media salesperson willing to work for a wage that reflects their sales value and you'll soon realize that "it's not brain surgery" should be replaced by "it's not sales recruiting in the Bay Area."

And then there are the perks that are necessary to find people. Daycare -- that is actually a benefit that I think pays huge dividends in terms of employee loyalty. But there are companies now providing free doggie day care -- that's the kind of recruiting environment we are in. As a doggie daycare customer, such a benefit would make me happy, though I will be the first to point out how absurd it is to expect a company to pay private nursery school fees for my $130 pound pup. I can choose to do so, but my employer shouldn't be expected to.

So imagine you are a recruiter trying to fill a senior level post in sales or marketing or tech or really wherever. You post on Monster and Craigslist and the niche sites for the specific business area. And you get 1745 resumes in nine minutes. 1371 are from unemployed people. And I am NOT saying the unemployed are not worth consideration. Especially in tech. Stuff happens and awesome people end up outa work all the time. But some people are unemployed for good reason. Then another couple hundred are from people trying to do job switches. Then there are scores of resumes from people who are too junior or senior, then 7 from current employees too stupid to look at the company name making the post. One resume has a horrible virus that infects the entire company network.

You COULD call a headhunter, and you might be wise to do so. A great headhunter can really shake the trees to find someone exactly right for a firm. Of course, that'll cost ya. Might be worth it though. But lots of companies have a huge aversion to headhunters.

Doesn't leave too many good candidates. In fact, one of the refrains of people I know in HR is that the people they want aren't looking for jobs. So how do you get them to interview?

Well, this is America, and no one ever overestimated the value of the dollar in our country.

Which is what NotchUp is all about. This site matches employers to quality employees willing to entertain the possibility of interviewing for a job for the right price. The way it works is you apply to join. And if they think you are an exceptional candidate, you do a profile, set an asking price, and wait to get bids from companies to interview. Companies get a bunch of data about your background, what you are (not) looking for, what seems to be your interview price, etc. The companies don't get your name until you accept. And you can prevent your listing from showing up on your company's searches.

A company can try to get you to meet for less than your asking price, but you could also counteroffer.

As you interview, the companies you talk to get to provide feedback on you, and that becomes part of the profile. Presumably this is a way for them to eliminate liars, and serial interviewers just looking for the interview fees. As if people have the time to do that.

So what do we you and I think about this. Well, I see positives and negatives from the perspectives of the companies:

Positives

1. You get to interview people not actively looking, though presumably a candidate has to be at least a little open to a new position if they bother to join.
2. You talk only to people you want.
3. It's pay for performance.
4. IF your HR team has a decent close rate, it could be cheaper than a headhunter. Though again, a headhunter worth his or her salt does more than fill the pipe with possibles -- they really try to match your firm to the right sort of person. Though there are of course lots of headhunters not worth their salt, and this service makes quick work of their careers.

NEGATIVES

1. All things being equal, it would be nice if a person actually wanted to work for your company rather than just be willing to talk to you for the Benjamins. But again, we live in tough times HR-wise, so willing may be enough for lots of outfits.
2. No more posting boards.
3. No more trawling competitor phone lists.

I think this model is going to work in some particularly challenging fields. Which is what it is all about, of course -- I don't expect that they think McDonald's in Decatur is going to use it to find fryguys or burgergals. But then, it may be darned tough to find restaurant workers in Central Illinois. What do I know?

Anyway, that's NotchUp. It's an interesting thing for people who think that maybe there's a position out there that will make them happier than their current slot. And being happy is a reasonable expectation for everyone to have.

Thanks for reading, and don;t forget to write.