I see a lot of online resume profile sites these days. The list is endless as there must be dozens of ways to create an online profile. Plus sites like LinkedIn are good enough for showcasing yourself. Even creating your own blog is a good idea.

So when CareerScribe contacted me I was hesitant to write about yet another one. But I checked it out and it does have some nice features. I think its a little more feature rich than say, a site like VisualCV. If I had to describe it in a few words I'd say its like an 'interactive online resume'. I played with it briefly. My favorite feature is the timeline which lets you see your past work history in a new way.

I asked their founder a few questions via email.

1. Why do we need another profile site? LinkedIn already has many of these capabilities, VisualCV has a big head start on you...so why is CareerScribe different?

CareerScribe is the first of its kind, “career management” tool for individuals and is a complete talent evaluation and management solution for companies. VisualCV is merely a “better résumé” site, and LinkedIn is certainly not an efficient, easy to use career management tool or talent manager. Both are essentially trying to compete against CareerBuilder, Monster, Dice, etc. as a better database of candidates. Using better targeted career management solutions, such as CareerScribe, will prove more beneficial than LinkedIn, because no one joins LinkedIn for career management. People join LinkedIn for business networking, which frequently doesn’t lead to a job offer for the average professional. It misses the mark on many simple aspects of how professionals manage or SHOULD be managing their careers.

Most web based tools tend to fall when it comes to better databases of candidates, or applicant tracking tools that are not tied to live active/social databases. CareerScibe has also created an efficient, consistent, documented “process” for companies that include talent recruitment, evaluation and assessment after employment, or talent pipeline development. One of the most inefficient processes companies have is talent evaluation and management. After employment, companies struggle to know what their employees are accomplishing. The artifacts and details of projects and successes are frequently lost, because a system doesn’t exist to allow for documentation; the same documentation that professionals need to keep track of throughout their careers so that they can show the value of their product. These products should be made available at all times, not just when you reach that trigger point when you decide to update your resume and begin networking, which so many are experiencing now. Individuals document these successes, and the documents that support them, into a virtual, timeline based portfolio, referred to as the Career Tracker. I firmly believe the concept of a virtual, timeline based portfolio is the future of résumé. Traditional résumé preparation is long overdue to be replaced.

2. Who are the founders?

Jeff Bockelman, President & Founder

Jeff has close to twenty years of business experience with over a decade in the employment industry as an executive recruiter and business owner. He began his career with Deloitte & Touche as a CPA, and worked in corporate finance for several business headquarters in the Midwest. During his first year as an executive recruiter in 1997, with the national firm Ajilon, Jeff received recognition as being the top producer in the nation out of 110 offices. That success helped lead to the creation of Springer Danz and Bockelman, LLC in October 1998, Temporary Avenue, LLC in 2000, and That’s Good HR, Inc. in 2004. That’s Good HR, has been the recipient of numerous growth awards, including being one of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Fastest Growing Companies” for five straight years, and one of the “Growth 100” companies in the state for the same period. That’s Good HR was also recognized nationally, as an Inc 500 company in 2006. When Jeff sold his business to his partners in November of 2007, That’s Good HR had $10 million in gross revenues, with 23 employees and over 200 temporary/contract staff employees.

Craig Burton, Ph.D., Operations Chief

Sean Reiche, Technology Chief

3. How do you plan on making money?

CareerScribe is free to individuals to profile and manage their careers. Companies, agencies and recruiters pay a subscription fee which allows them to build a company profile, develop contacts and manage internal employee accomplishments, and develop talent pipelines. Additionally, companies will pay for an annual service agreement, based on the expected activity of managing searches and watching video posts by candidates in CareerScribe.

CareerScribe also has a significant opportunity with the state and federal government. State workforce development offices that are currently offering work readiness programs to youth and displaced workers, have become very sensitive to finding more progressive web based tools, which can cater to a more “white collar” customer. CareerScribe will be offered as a premium training program to those individuals needing to develop better habits and skills involving career management and documentation. Additionally, career management training utilizing CareerScribe is a tremendous outplacement tool for companies who currently offer assistance to their downsized employees. The above training and support is offered at per head cost.