(March 29, 2005) - Every year at this time, the vendors, new and old, line themselves up for the annual trade show endurance contest. Between the end of March and the end of June, field teams lug exhibits from town to town. The warriors pledge themselves to a grueling contest of weight gain, attempted alcoholism and sleepless nights in bad hotels. In this digital age, it's a surprise that anyone will still volunteer for the duty.

Part of the tradition is the "fair haired child". More often than not (and this is our twelfth season), one vendor emerges as the momentum player of the moment. They are at the heart of the buzz that surrounds the shows. Their offerings are discussed and debated. Old school players are required to explain why their offering does or doesn't include the same functionality.

By the fall shows, everybody in the game speaks the language of the fair haired child. In spite of the fact that their software does nothing of the kind, the vendors reposition key marketing phrases and dilute. By Christmas, all of the product literature has regained its seamless, bland quality. Most often, the ideas of the fair haired child are swallowed whole.

This year's winner is a company called "Jobster". We are sure that Jobster will easily walk away with all of the "Best New Product" awards, industry buzz and influence associated with being the Fair Haired Child. The company is well equipped for the run with solid venture financing, a staff of industry veterans, a well oiled sales team, a good idea and a strong CEO.

It's a really good idea.

Jobster is really a set of approaches to things. Beginning with their core employee referral system, the company offers a toolset that enables a company to optimize the effectiveness of brand based recruitment. By automating existing relationships, the service builds a high quality core in a company talent pool.

The idea is not new. But, divorced from the useless hype about social networks and the baggage of applicant tracking, Jobster provides a solid alternative to standard recruitment advertising. This is a high quality sourcing toolset.

For years, we've been 'soap-boxing' about the fact that companies are becoming their own media outlets and advertising services. The pioneering work at Hire.com, the surging growth of corporate blogs and recruiting blogs and, now, the introduction of Jobster are all signs of the new era.

A talent pool is not a set of email lists to be bombarded with refined spam variations. It is a set of relationships with a variety of motives and commitments. The new Jobster service will help turn the pool into a higher quality workforce.

Early success is a bittersweet thing. Jobster has managed to position itself so that its launch (tomorrow) will simply be the first in a set of rightly timed tactical victories. We'll keep you posted on the process.

John Sumser

Take a quick look at Industry News, read the Bugler.

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