Hi there guys, I've not really used DP alot latley but I know this is the right place to find any particular advice. I am a youth work apprentice with a national diploma in interactive media. I recently had an idea to make a website that can help advise and inform members on getting employment. As many people now know that the recession is messing up alot of companies and many staff are being made redundant. The company I'm with helps young people mainly (but also has adult courses) to help them gain employment/experience. Everything that I've learned while on the course I hope to try and help others covering (basic CV writing, Communication, Interview preparation etc...). I informed my friend who is studying a 3 year course in web-design and he is on board with the idea. What I would like to know is what kind of competitors we would be up against as its just advice and not actually having the jobs on database, and also what kind of servers are out there to host our website on the web. The software we are going to try and use is Macromedia Dreamweaver mixed with HTML coding and CSS. I am doing what I can to research this idea as I haven't really specalised myself in the web design area as I'm more graphics and video. I know there are alot of people on DP who are experienced Web/Graphic designers and would just like any help or advice you could provide me with. Anything will be greatly appreciated, Adam.
The competition is huge because it is a huge market. Anything related to financial gain and career livelihood is going to be a steep hill to climb. However, with the internet quickly evolving, there may be opportunities in the mobile market for employment and interview resources. Perhaps you can have a blog or newsletter, or even a texting service that provides tips to the subscribers about the hiring process, interview tidbits, or ways to be confident. Your audience would have mobile access to your content, so they could technically be on your site or using your service moments before walking into an interview.
one thing your going to need is expert advise and tips. maybe recruit some recruiters or something to chime in once a week in exchange for a backlink or something. good luck!
Very much appreciated there guys, thank you. I never actually thought about the mobile idea but that is something I will definately bare in mind. May I ask what is a backlink?
a backlink is a link that goes back to your site (in this case, the contributors site). when your not paying people for contributing to your site the best thing you can offer them is a link back to their site, which helps the contributor's site get better rankings (among a slew of other factors). its all a part of seo, which wasnt really in your initial question but is something you should look into. www.seomoz.org is a great resource for beginners.
As long as you keep the site as an "advise site" and not a job-search site, the work on it should not be hard, neither should the hosting costs. A couple of ideas: Have a series of CV templates available for download. Divide the site up regionally and post local specific addresses/dates of employment agencies, job fairs etc... vocational training centers.... Maybe also divide up into skills sections. Add a forum where employers can find specific skills they are looking for.
This response is pretty sound ideas. I currently work for an employer were I know I will have a job for awhile and have never really had the need for such services so let that serve as my disclaimer. I like the second bullet especially, and in conjunction with the site content this would be neat because if I had to use such a site or service I would definitely want information on local events relevant to those needs.