

RescueTime Launches Introductions, A Carfax Report For Top Job Candidates - aresant
http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/13/rescuetime-launches-introductions-a-carfax-report-for-top-job-candidates/

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mattj
And this is why I'm glad I never use RescueTime. This can't possibly help a
job seeker - at best, you confirm that you're looking at the right things. At
worst, it's an easy reason for a recruiter to pass you over.

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bfioca
Totally understand your concern here. I can assure you recruiters will never
see the data you don't show them yourself. It's part of our core values for
this project. Hell, I wouldn't want to show recruiters my data without
removing some things or highlighting others. That's why we launched with the
ability to create your own profile. That's the only thing anyone can ever see
of your data, and you have full control over it.

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bfioca
Hey guys, I just wanted to say that we really did consider the HN crowd when
we made this. PG and I had a conversation where it became clear that the core
of this project needs to be don't offend HN. Check out the bottom of this
page: <http://rescuetime.com/intros> and our faq:
<http://rescuetime.com/profiles/faq>

We realize that the whole point of this breaks down if it ventures into the
creepy side. We'd rather do something creatively useful and beneficial for our
users with their data they're trusting us with.

-B

~~~
patio11
Quoth PG: "After all these years of moderating Hacker News, I understand it
very well, and it is going to _hate_ this project unless the entire design
spec is “don’t offend HN.”"

That's prescient feedback. I want you to succeed, I really do. I understand
the vision for the product. But tell me: which part, specifically, of "We
automatically developed a CarFax report on Patrick McKenzie for distribution
to recruiters" is supposed to convey value to me?

I thought I had forgotten CarFax's value proposition, so I Googled them:
"Don't run the risk of buying a used car with costly hidden problems." Nope,
looks like I remembered accurately. That sounds catastrophically against my
interests.

How about this? "We automatically discover what you're great at by comparing
you to other people who are great at it, and optionally introduce companies
looking for great people to you. It's like having a resume which updates
automatically and comprehensively matches all the buzzword bingo without you
having to do any work you're not already doing."

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bfioca
Yeah, I admit, the carfax analogy is not the best one. We don't really use it
anywhere on our site - mostly because it's not really accurate. Your wording
is much better and truer to what we're building. Can I use it? :)

~~~
patio11
Please, use it or anything else that suggests you are not using Oceanian
MiniPax/Google levels of insight into my activities to tell prospective
employers that I spend too much time on HN.

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brandnewlow
Yeesh. A future in which you can't get a job without sharing your browsing
history is a scary one.

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bfioca
Yipes, agreed! That's a pretty long way from what we're doing though,
thankfully.

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lurker19
Free idea for YC W12: RescueTime Introductions Manipulatr.ly Extend he
TrackMeNot to generate a fictitious browsing history modelled after the
employee an HR department thinks it wants.

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tptacek
This announcement seems likely to make RescueTime's individual offering seem
radioactive. They must be doing well with Team Edition.

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kirubakaran
I predicted a long time ago that this is the direction the product would take.

It is an opt-in thing for now. But if they become really successful, it will
become the norm that if you are not willing to share your browsing/app usage
statistics with your potential employer you are automatically assumed to have
something you wish to hide. Kind of like how absence of credit history puts
you in the high-risk bin.

~~~
bfioca
In fact, the opposite is true. Every single employer we talked to wanted their
concerns address that they would be perceived as invading people's privacy by
having them introduced through us. In the end, employers are recruiting you.
If you're turned off by the way they're doing it, they lose.

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ianferrel
Creepy as hell.

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jasonlgrimes
Hey guys,

We sincerely appreciate the feedback. You guys are a tough crowd, but I'd
expect nothing less from HN readers. RescueTime users are our bread and butter
and that likely will not change. We need our users to power any model that we
setup. We appreciate the comments and feedback - keep it coming. Thanks for
reading this far down - for more info go to www.rescuetime.com/intros or
blog.rescuetime.com.

If you have any further questions do not hesitate to email me at jason [at]
rescuetime [dot] com.

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joezydeco
Time to invest in a portable Wimax hotspot.

