Sunday Business Post | Irish Business News

Breaking News Business Ireland World Sport Weather

Navigation (Home)News News Features The Market Technology Media & Marketing Comment & Analysis Computers In Business News Buyers' Guide A-Z Guide Profile Property Motoring Agenda Letters

People In Business Done Deal Budget Forum Events / Conferences Company Reports Tools Crossword Search the archives Newsletter IMODE RSS

Text-Only

Online firm has flexible outlook
Sunday, January 18, 2009 By Dick O’Brien
A new Irish online recruitment service is aiming to capital is e on the downturn to build a presence in the market and challenge traditional operators.

Flexitimers.com is pitched at employers and professionals who are looking for short-term contracts and its founders believe that it should appeal to firms who have been forced to cut back on staff, but still need short-term workers to fill gaps. Established in 2007, the service has been online for the past two months and has already seen more than 1,800 professionals sign up to use the service, despite a relatively low key marketing campaign utilising Google Ad words and PR.

According to co-founder Joy Redmond, Flexitimers.com does not serve the traditional temp market, but instead caters for freelance, highly skilled professionals, many of whom would have 15 to 20 years’ experience in their sectors.

‘‘It is suited to companies who have had to let staff go, but still have projects that need to be completed and may want to hire someone on a three month contract,” Redmond said.

Redmond believed that the business model should appeal to companies who are tightening their belts at present, since it costs only €350 to fill a position with the service, whereas traditional recruiters can cost between €10,000 and €12,000, she claimed.

While Flexitimers.com allows employers to post notices about available positions, it also allows professionals to upload their details to the site, free of charge.

The site will automatically create matches between available positions and suitable professionals, but individuals are also allowed to apply directly for a position.

Redmond said that the automatic matching facility had already proved a useful tool for employers, as it had uncovered professionals who may not be working in the fields an employer operates in, but would have the relevant skills for the position available nonetheless. Flexitimers.com is the brainchild of Redmond and cofounder Dervla Cunningham.

Redmond is a former lecturer in e-business at DIT and a veteran of several online businesses, while Cunningham was a founder of Zartis, an ebusiness services company that was sold in 2000 for $18 million to Breakaway Solutions. The duo have funded the business themselves to date, but plan on raising investment in the next year.

While no concrete funding target has been set, Redmond said the company would probably aim to net at least

Click here for Sunday Business Post stories before this date