There is something insanely positive about Jamie Cid. When I ask her to give a brief introduction to herself for our readers she cheekily answers,“It’s hard to say anything brief about me anymore! I have had many lives, from working in technology to having my own skincare line in my early 20’s as well as branding and marketing aviation software in the global market and helping others launch their own ideas and brand. What I can say is that whatever I do it’s based on a passion and desire to make a difference and I think that life and anything you do is about that.”
Jamie Cid is the brain behind MobiHires-(Founder and CEO)- the next generation hiring app for recruiters and job seekers. MobiHires aims to put an end to the old, time-consuming ways to hire or seek jobs, doing away with the world of paper or digital resumes and large databases.
Sounds interesting, right? A firm believer in the SHEROES support of circle, let us know more about Jamie’s ambitious project, MobiHires which she is set to revolutionize the jobs market.
The birth of MobiHires
“MobiHires was conceived in 2013, But it wasn’t until Feb of 2015 after returning from a trip to India that it started. Finally, in the Nov of 2016, I had the team to start working on it. Some things take longer and I believe it’s for the better, by the time I found a team I also realized audio, time, location and an instant in-app call video feature would help us be different.
The seed though was really planted from my own experience of hiring salespeople for my skincare line.
When I ran a team of recruiters, I kept seeing how they would work 24/7 on finding candidates, then trying to call and track them to then finalizing an interview, and getting the big disappointing news that the candidate was not a match; personality wise or just good on paper! I also noticed that the candidates they sometimes pushed for an interview who were underdogs did better because they had a great personality, showed interest in learning new experiences they didn’t share on paper which qualified them.
These candidates simply did better in person in terms of communication and also matched the team dynamics which is more important today for companies and teams.
So, it struck me that video and audio resumes would make it easier, the same goes for job post-hiring managers have a hard time writing JDs. Creating a video and an audio job post solves a few things, candidates can see the corporate and team culture while also learning directly from the hiring manager what they really want.
And finally, the idea of just calling or video interviewing directly saves time and energy. It was really about filling the position with the right candidates fast but also helping candidates stop fussing over a resume and focus more on what really matters to them in a role and what they are looking for. I have a keen interest in seeing our solution become a catalyst in India to help decrease unemployment where we hope candidates in Tier 2 and 3 cities now get access and showcase themselves.
We are the first to combine audio and video, we have filed a patent for this and other combinations we will be releasing in the coming months. There are companies already incorporating AI and video resumes, we know it’s the trend. The issue is people are still shy, so providing them different tools and combinations to make their video and audio resume effective is the need of the hour.
Challenges that were pulling me back
MobiHires Tech Team-India (Chennai)
The biggest challenge for any entrepreneur is to stay motivated and true to their idea. I have a good group of optimistic friends but then I have my realist and I guess it keeps me balanced. You just have to know inside yourself you're doing something you believe in, something you love and something you're willing to risk everything for, that’s when you know you have something!
A good video resume is all about planning, or is it?
Lighting, decent makeup but not too much, and write your pitch first with your main points and just be genuine. If you over-plan it, it may look fake, so really just write your key points and create your video with a focus on your role. We also added the audio feature for those who may be shy and want to say more via the audio. So, candidates can use both the options or just one until they find their comfort zone.
For now, what I am getting emails from people are wanting to upload catchy presentations and adding the audio feature. We will have to see what works.
Million Dollar question: Will It Really Work?
I think the Indian market is one of the best markets, I will tell you why:
There are so many candidates in India, but only a few get chosen. They post resumes all over and don’t get a call, more importantly, they focus on their resume which sometimes is over-embellished.
The job seeker in India is ready for video and audio resumes, smartphones are used primarily for video and most importantly for us, the app allows tier 2 and 3 city candidates to be able to connect and be seen by companies looking to hire them. I really think we can make a difference here in India.
How much is too much information?
Focus on a little of who are you, what role you're looking for and where you want to work for the video. For the audio, focus on your skills and experience, you can add personal achievements you feel are important for the role but don’t overdo it. Frankly, to me, a resume more than 1.5 pages is too much! So just keep your video and audios simple.
Paper resumes vs Video/Audio resumes
Too many platforms today are focused on databases and resumes, due to that there is so much data that isn't updated and more importantly just sitting there with hiring managers and recruiters wasting time going through them to find who is active vs a passive candidate.
We are changing that, our platform does not keep candidates in the systems after 30 days if they are no longer active and no more than 60 days if they are looking. You can say we are snapshotting that way, we have limits as to how long a video/audio candidate post is up and the same goes for jobs. We just want real people looking for work and real companies looking to hire.
Taking it forward - I see an app that will be used by many people engaging in finding a job and companies lowering attrition because they find better fits. We are not meant to be entertainment and in the process, we will focus and incorporate tools to help people find the right job and companies showcase themselves and jobs better. We are an evolving platform."
We wish all the best to Jamie who is one of the delegates at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held In Hyderabad. Selected by the US State Department to represent the USA a the GES2017 conference, India is hosting this year’s conference.
Let us know your thoughts on video resumes, do you give it a thumbs up or are there any concerns or doubts regarding it?