JAM magazine launches jobokplease.com

JAM magazine launches jobokplease.com

With summer around the corner, summer jobs are what every young person is seeking. This summer, the search will be that much easier and choices wider because of www.jobokplease.com – India’s first job portal for students and freshers. The site has been launched by JAM, India’s largest youth magazine.

In less than 3 weeks since its launch Jobokplease.com has attracted over 50 companies and 1500 young job seekers. The USP is that Jobokplease is exclusively featuring jobs in categories like part-time jobs, freelance jobs, projects, vacation jobs and also ‘first jobs’ for fresh grads.

“Every young person out there could do with a little extra pocket money – as well as the exposure to the working world. Companies too are looking for young talent but don’t know where or how to find it. So there is definitely a need out there, from both employers and jobseekers,” says Yatin Bansal, CEO, JAM magazine.

Job listings by companies are currently free of cost. The variety of jobs on offer ranges from an internship with Money Life magazine to working as a ‘mystery shopper’ – a form of market research where you are employed to rate multiplexes, malls and stores. NGOs, software companies, media houses and start ups are all offering unique and interesting opportunities for youth looking for gainful employment.

“Jobs for young people aren’t just about working at call centres,” says Rashmi Bansal, youth trends consultant and editor of JAM. “Jobokplease.com is attracting both quality and quantity jobs. Working is about gaining both relevant experience and earning money.”

JAM magazine has in fact been a pioneer in the summer jobs space. Since 1996, JAM has been running a summer internships program where bright young people were placed in excellent companies. These were the kind of exciting jobs which were generally not open to undergraduate students.

Companies JAM tied up with for summer internships included Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG, TV18, Sony Music, rediff.com and Hindustan Lever.

The JAM internships program was hugely successful – it attracted some of the best young minds. For some it was actually a life-changing experience.
An engineering student, for example, shifted to journalism while a young man doing hotel management joined advertising instead.

With time, summer jobs have become the ‘done thing’ and Jobokplease.com thus provides an ideal platform for both jobseekers and employers in search of youth talent. Jobokplease.com is being promoted extensively on campuses and at college festivals. There are also cross-promotions on the JAM website (www.jammag.com), whose 60,000 odd members can register on the site using their existing JAM id and password. ‘Hot jobs’
will also be listed in every issue of JAM’s print edition.

“By the end of 2007 we expect to see 500 employers, 3500 jobs and 15,000 registered jobseekers,” says Yatin Bansal. Revenues will be targeted once Jobokplease achieves a critical mass. “For a small publication without a dedicated classified department an internet job site with a payment gateway is the most economical method of attracting employment advertising.”

As for the competiton – JAM feels that the job site market is reaching a more mature stage and there is room now for niche brands like Jobokplease.com. “There is a tried and tested business model – we are only creating a new vertical within it which is in sync with the audience we have been catering to through JAM magazine and jammag.com – the youth aged 16-24,” adds Yatin Bansal.