Site development almost there.

It's funny how quickly time moves. It's been 11 days since my last post. In that time civiside has been moving toward a new site and business model. We are about 2-3 weeks from getting there, but I promise it will be worth the wait. We have listened to feedback from users and incorporated as much as we could within the limits of our resources. I think that you will be very happy with what we are developing.

I think back to just a little under two months ago and how we were on the edge of disaster. We had lost our developer, were getting some pretty negative feedback on our site design in a Globe and Mail article, and had no money to fix either problem. The money situation hasn't changed much, but the solution just required perseverance and ingenuity. I'm happy to say that we are getting closer to our goal of providing Reservists a service that gives Reservists an advantage in gaining employment with the best companies in Canada. In the meantime, if you have any ideas on how we can better serve your needs in finding employment let me know.

1% there!

I just looked at the Google Analytics for civiside and realized that we have hit the 1% mark of all Reservists now visiting the site monthly. This is good news because we are starting to gain traction with more employers using the service. Over the next month we should be unveiling a new component of civiside that will allow the user to browse Reserve-Friendly employers and see, and apply, for jobs they are offering.

I have also been working on a sponsorship deal with a major corporation that could see some really fun promotional events being run for Reservists. If they go well the events could be spread further out across the country and done on an annual basis.

I guess I can safely say that I am about 1% done now. Hopefully the next 99% goes alot quicker and without as many hiccups.

CAE is hiring.

I just read this news release that CAE was awarded a huge defence contract and will be hiring 330 people over the next few years: http://tinyurl.com/b3uamw

In case you are wondering what positions they will be hiring for, check out this visual that they provided on their website: http://tinyurl.com/b2kugt

Anyhow, I will get in touch with them tomorrow. See if we can help them fill their positions with qualified Reservists.

Thales Canada job

Received a request from Thales Canada to fill some technical jobs, two in Kingston, two in Petewawa. They are very interesting because they require the person to deploy to Kandahar Airfield for four months to teach some equipment and troubleshoot. A good opportunity for a Navy person who might not otherwise have the chance to get over. It's also well paid and tax free when deployed.

On an unrelated note, I had lunch yesterday with a recently retired Lt. Col. of a Reserve Infantry unit in Toronto. We chatted about the purpose of civiside and he gave suggestions as to some things I could do to improve the service and get the word out. I will definitely incorporate them into the mix.

Off to have a late breakfast with a rep. from Molson Canada.

Traction

Once again I have been slow in posting to the blog. However, it not for lack of progress. This week has been a busy one following up on leads from the HRPA tradeshow. Some fantastic employers are either posting on civiside, or will be shortly. The tradeshow was such an amazing learning experience, it helped focus who on, and how civiside would direct it's efforts. I now have a much clearer view of how to bring it all together.

I look back on the past year and am amazed by how much I have learned. I am even more excited for the next six months as the traction of civiside grows and the utility we can offer to CF members increases. The vision of creating a service that connects Reservists with Reserve-friendly employers has almost come to fruition. Look for some big announcement in the next few months.