Mobilizedtv

Job Hunting in the Mobile Industry

The mobile industry is growing, not just in the U.S., but in territories where it’s more mature and established. One of the people who’s tracking that quite closely is Andrew Nicholls, the guy behind DigiMobJobs. He got his start working for a start-up recruitment company where he rose through the ranks from junior researcher to setting up and heading up divisions such as interim search. In 2004, he set up a search & selection company in the U.K. , he said, and since have recruited “hundreds of people in the U.K., Spain, France, U.S., Japan, Germany, and Switzerland.”

“I have worked with companies ranging from start-up aggregators, content management and distribution companies through to owners such as Sony BMG, Warner Bros, BBC, Disney, News Corp, Skype, AOL and so on,” he says. “I have a network in the mobile space reaching out to over 15,000 people. I have always been passionate about technology and mobile most certainly brings out my ‘geeky’ side.”

DigiMobJobs got its start, says Nicholls, because he “always believed there was a need for what I would describe as a Monster for mobile, a recognized central portal for employers and job seekers to meet.” “The main reasons I decided to set the site up now was because ARN Consulting, my U.K. search business has been receiving huge numbers of resume’s recently, mainly due to current economic conditions,” he says. “We are unable to service every single person, however I felt it my duty to see how I could help these people out looking for new jobs. Additionally, out of the three main emerging industries–digital, bio-science and environmental–there are highly skilled individuals from other sectors looking to move into these growth areas. But where do they look for the jobs and where do employers look for them?”

Because companies currently want to keep costs down, a low-cost job site also seemed like an obvious need. Start-ups can’t afford headhunting fees, which explains why they either use their limited network and/or put the jobs on their own sites. “But the majority of job seekers, both active and passive haven’t  heard of these companies,” notes Nicholls. “And therefore they are unlikely to be able to find their sites or their jobs. A branded portal would help them market their business as well as their jobs.”

Nicholls also points out that there aren’t many jobs-only sites serving the mobile industry. “It’s simply a job site, nothing more, nothing less, no bells or whistles,” he says. “You are able to upload your resume as a job seeker and allow employers to find you and review your background online. Within the next month, you will also be able to add video of yourself allowing your softer skills to be shown and promoted. We will also be adding online video conferencing allowing clients to actually interview via a webcam and, ultimately, via a 3G handset.”

DigiMobJobs is actually focused mainly on the U.S. market. “We are looking at launching and growing it stateside and in the U.K.,” says Nicholls. “However, since its launch five weeks ago, we have received hits and applications from 59 countries. This to me, just goes to prove the need for such a site, not only in the U.K. and U.S., but globally.”

What kinds of jobs are most common on the site? “The types of jobs we are seeing posted and a general overview through my traditional headhunting company, ARN Consulting in the U.K., is a need for back-end technical staff with cross platform experience,” he says. “Notably many of the roles coming through are for iPhone/Android developers. In addition, companies are looking for strong business development/sales backgrounds. Not necessarily name droppers, but proven revenue generators. There are many roles out there in this uncertain market within this industry.”

Many clients are looking for ‘cross platform’ skills.  “Mobile just being one string to the bow,” says Nicholls. “Developers and commercial candidates with strong relationships with distributors/operators and a strong knowledge of the ecosystem will be of benefit.”

Though the economy is general has been fairly dismal for many in Hollywood as well as the mobile and Internet industries, Nicholls is bullish about future prospects.

“The future for people seeking careers in the mobile industry are vast,” says Nicholls. “Mobile is getting bigger. Having been involved in the industry for five years, we have seen many developments, successes and failures. With the help of the iPhone, the application of mobile to the mass consumer market is now at tipping point. Personally I see this as the beginning of its growth. The infrastructures, business models and basic products and services are in place. It is now marketing which will feed the growth through to the consumer. If predictions are right and 60 percent of Internet usage will soon be via a mobile device, then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put the potential figures in place.”

Tags: 3G handset, aggregators, Android developers, AOL, BBC, branded portal, DigiMobJobs, Disney, emerging industries, headhunting, iPhone developers, job hunting, jobs in mobile, mobile industry, Monster, News Corp., recruitment, Skype, Sony BMG, start-up, Warner Bros.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under Home Feature, Monetizing Mobile.