Since Professor C.K. Prahalad's Bottom of the Pyramid strategy has caught on, we see newer examples of products for the poor of the world every day.
Babajob.com is a new job site based in India which features lower income job seekers who often work as maids, helpers, office assistants, household workers, and "day laborers". Since most of the clients of the website have no knowledge of English and using computers, their data is fed by "Mentors" - people who volunteer to create listings, including uploading snapshots of the candidate. According to CEO Sean Blagsvedt, Babajob is the "village LinkedIn."
Babajob gives every job seeker their own page where their photo, details and preferences, Google-mapped location, references, and contacts are listed.
This is a sample resume:
Position: Cook (Part Time)
Employer: Mrs. Rani
Job Category: Cook
Time Period: Aug, 2003 to Oct, 2007
This person is looking for a job as a:Cook
This person is looking for a job and prefers to work: Fulltime
She has digitally scanned references; her purpose statement is terse:
"I have 4 years experience in cooking . I can cook all types of foods and I can work from morning 8am - 11pm."
To those seeking household and office help in the rapidly urbanizing Bangalore, the city to which the job site is limited in its beta stage, Babajob offers the comfort of recruiting and hiring candidates right from the desktop. Successful hiring through the site is rewarded with a refund on the employee search fee, payable by the employer. The "connector" - or the person who refers the employee, gets a simple cash reward.
There is even a sample employment contract specifying the expectations, job role, and salaries, hopefully that will end some of the slavery that domestic and office helpers suffer in the region!
Bravo!
Photo credit: Omkareshwar by hagit @ stock.xchng
Personalized Websites For Low Income Job Seekers
Babajob India
Trend Themes
1. Personalized Job Websites - Develop personalized job websites that cater to the unique needs of low-income job seekers, providing them with opportunities for employment and growth.
2. Localization for Job Platforms - Utilize localization strategies to create job platforms that are tailored to specific regions and languages, offering support to job seekers who may have limited knowledge of English or computer skills.
3. Referral-based Hiring - Implement referral-based hiring systems that reward connectors for successfully referring employees, encouraging the recruitment of high-quality candidates and fostering community engagement.
Industry Implications
1. Job Recruitment - Develop innovative job recruitment platforms that address the unique needs of low-income job seekers, providing them with accessible and tailored opportunities for employment.
2. Technology and Localization - Combine technology and localization strategies to create job platforms that overcome language and technology barriers, connecting low-income job seekers with potential employers.
3. Human Resources - Introduce referral-based hiring systems into the field of human resources, leveraging the power of networks and communities to identify and recruit top talent from marginalized groups.