On Friday, Mayor Parker delivered the State of the City 2013. Her address was heavy on accomplishments from the past year – there are a lot of them, and there is an election coming up – but there were also announcements of new things to come. One is Tweet My Jobs Houston, and I’ll refer you to the press release for the details.
Mayor Annise Parker announced the launch of a new citywide online jobs platform to help Houstonians find work during her State of the City address. “Tweet My Jobs, Houston” uses innovative technology to combine the popularity of social media and the convenience of a smart phone application. The free service already has more than 150,000 Houston job postings from entry level to senior level corporate positions.
“Houston is the biggest economic success story in America, but the best can always get better,” said Mayor Parker. “This free and user-friendly online tool is the new way to find a job and hire in Houston. Job seekers will have instant and direct access to thousands of jobs via Facebook, Twitter, email or their mobile phone. Starting today, you can walk down the street and view on your smart phone all the jobs available in your immediate proximity. Likewise, this will greatly simplify the hiring process, providing any employer, regardless of size, with the same fast and free access to the best and brightest recruits available. This is truly a game-changer for Houston.”
Tweet My Jobs, Houston is available at www.houston.tweetmyjobs.com or in the application store for your mobile device. Just push a button to find jobs or to post a job listing to every corner of the digital landscape. The unique integration with Twitter and Facebook allows job seekers to receive job notifications via text message, email or through social media. It’s also possible to see if Facebook friends are connected with the hiring company.
The online platform will allow the city to track the number of residents pursuing job opportunities, the type of positions being sought, the level of position and the industries in which job seekers want to work. It will also be able to show the number of jobs employers are posting over time as well as the type, industry and location of available opportunities.
“TweetMyJobs has launched in other cities throughout the U.S. and we have seen firsthand what our mobile platform can do to bolster job growth and economic development,” said Robin D. Richards, Chairman and CEO of TweetMyJobs. “We are excited to bring this unique tool to the 4th largest city in America and we commend Mayor Parker for her proactive approach and desire to adopt the latest recruitment technology available to support her initiatives for job creation in Houston.”
Tweet My Jobs, Houston is being funded through a $300,000 grant from the Houston Housing Finance Corporation. It will be administered by the City’s Office of Business Opportunity (OBO). “The Office of Business Opportunity, through its Houston Business Solutions Center, provides a suite of services to help small and medium businesses get started, sustain and grow,” said OBO Director Carlecia Wright. “Tweet My Jobs, Houston will expand the network of candidates available for hiring, while reducing recruitment costs. This platform is directly aligned with the Mayor’s priority to create and sustain jobs, right here in Houston.”
Mayor Parker’s State of the City speech also included an announcement about a business plan competition to engage individuals seeking to start a new business utilizing resources available at the Houston Public Library and OBO. Participants will be provided with the resources and mentoring to research, develop and present their business plans. They will receive more than $1,000 in in-kind services. There will be three cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 for the top finalists.
See here and here for more about Tweet My Jobs., and here for more about the business plan competition. I confess that I’m not terribly up to date on job-hunting methodology, and I tend to do my networking in person. Needless to say, there are limits to that, and one can never be sure when job hunting will need to move up the priority list, so having tools like this available and customized for your area is a very good thing, especially with the inclusion of openings from smaller businesses. Texas Leftist and Nancy Sims, who was at the State of the City address, have more.