New Web site offers monetary incentive to job seeker
Rewards can vary between $50 and $200 per referral
By James Irwin, senior writer
Posted on April 13, 2006

A recent entrepreneurial endeavor involving a JMU graduate could prove fruitful for future online job seekers.

JMU alumnus Anthony Venafro (’04) is a sales representative and recent co-founder of WorkGiant.com, an interactive Web site geared toward connecting employers and employees to fill job openings. WorkGiant operates on performance based recruiting, where clients only pay the network upon making a hire off the site — unlike Monster and Career Builder, both of which charge flat fees for employers to post job openings.

The idea, Venafro said, is to expose the hidden job market.

“It’s one of our big selling points,” Venafro said. “Companies can’t afford to post all of their jobs, so they only post the essentials. They’ll see this as an opportunity to post more openings.” 

The beauty, Venafro said, lies in WorkGiant’s flexible policy. Employers have no barrier to entry. They can post and search databases for free until the position has been filled. As for job seekers, WorkGiant also involves a rewards system, benefiting both the company and the individual.

“It’s mainly an incentive to the job seeker,” Venafro said. “You recommend the site to a friend and if they land a job through WorkGiant, you get a bonus.”

The cash incentives range from $50 to $200 per referral. Like employers, job seekers also join the Web site for free and maintain their referrals for life.

“This combines the best attributes of all job searches,” Venafro said. “Monster gives you the exposure but at a price. Craig’s List is free but doesn’t give you the exposure. This site will eventually give you both.”

In a top-heavy industry dominated by Monster and Career Builder, WorkGiant is attempting to gain a foothold by offering unlimited access, something co-founders Dave Medinis and Kevin Romney made a priority when they pitched the network’s theme three months ago. Thus far, the technique has been slow to catch on, but career development personnel say the logic is sound.

To succeed, WorkGiant will have to thrive off its ability to network with the newest wave of college graduates, and that’s where Venafro and other sales reps come into play. His sister Angela, a senior hospitality and tourism management major, and his fiancée Elizabeth Salamone, a senior business marketing major, jumped on-board early.

“By inviting other people to join the site, WorkGiant benefits the job seeker,” Salamone said. “I’m going to invite all my friends and they’ll do the same with their friends. Everyone is going to want a piece of the pie.”

For more information on WorkGiant, visit workgiant.com/signup.