DUMA: Getting jobs through networking now automated

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Are you a fresh graduate, someone planning to quit the current job or just recently fired? Are you one of those who have sent hundreds to thousands of applications to as many potential employers but no feedback? Or if there is any feedback then they are in the lines of “sorry, the position we intended to fill does not fit your profile”?

One possible reason for your lack of success could be on your method of job hunt. Majority of those seeking for jobs do so via the formal means of going through News Paper and Online job ads and sending applications accordingly. But job hunting experts know better; 60-90% of all job placements are from informal “I know you-you get the job” or better known as the networking method.

Listen, “My father ended up in a conversation on an airplane with someone who was looking for an aeronautical engineering job. My dad happened to be in the same field and ended up assisting the person in getting a new job “, writes Alison Doyle in About.com. As an advice to the thousands and millions of job seekers, Ms Doyle suggests that job seekers should, “try job search networking, it really does work. At at least 60%…of all jobs are found by networking”.

Further she offers some steps that can be taken to perfect job search via networking including developing contacts i.e. friends, family, neighbors, college alumni, people in associations – anyone who might help generate information and job leads etc.She advises that job seekers should have phone call schedules e.g. number of calls you can make per day, emails to be sent, and constantly but cleverly bringing up your job search issue when in gatherings with friends or acquaintances.

But let’s be honest. How many of us would really want to make phone calls one after another, send emails that only have one sure reply, “I’ll look into it”, and continue mentioning your job search desperation to all of your friends, neighbors and the rest who hardly help? I wouldn’t blame you if you gave up after two days of trial; and I guess that’s the reason most people prefer to search for jobs using the formal means; even if the formal means success rate is less than 40%.

To sort out this big problem, a group of young people led by two ladies have come up with an intelligent solution to help you search for jobs “informally”. Imagine if you could trust one of your friends to search for available jobs that suits your skills within your friendship network. That would be great as you would leave the tasks of calling, emailing and talking to this friend. Good news, the friend is here and she is called DUMA.

Truth is that that vacancy available at Safaricom or EABL or Uniliver that was advertised, you applied for but you didn’t get feedback, is known by someone who knows someone who knows you. This someone who knows about the job can help you at least get the interview. Since you don’t know this person directly, neither does he/she, DUMA wants to connect the two of you, very easily.

This is how DUMA promises to help you:

You join DUMA either through their website at www.dumaworks.com or via text message sent to 0701 060 302. Once you join either as a job seeker or employer and follow the simple registration steps, DUMA will allow you to create your profile. In the profile you will be able to state your Names, area of residence, and qualifications for various fields.

The second step you should do is to create your contacts or basically build your social network. Here you are supposed to create contacts (or friendship network) that you know are well versed in the job market. They may or may not have vacancies, but given their pedigree or work experience they are very likely to know someone with a vacancy that fits you or fits one of those in your social network. After your contacts have been contacted to join DUMA and they do join, they will also be asked to build their social networks which means as the social networks grow, some of those joining will join as employers, with a possibility that their vacancies suits your skills.

You have now joined Dumaworks.com, created a list of contacts that you are sure should know about job vacancies, and they too have done the same. Some of those who have joined DUMA, previously or after you, join as employers who have vacancies in various sectors. According to the qualifications you listed, including expectations on salary, DUMA matches you to the available vacancies and for every vacancy, DUMA sends to the potential employer a list of top three candidates that matches the vacancy for interviews with preference given to the social network. Don’t panic though, if your set of skills and demographic information suits the employer and the employer doesn’t mind that you are not linked to him/her via the social network, DUMA will still give out your details to the employer.

By now you could feeling that the whole process is tedious. No, it is as simple as creating a Facebook profile and adding friends. You could also be feeling that getting a job through DUMA will take ages as building a social network won’t be as easy as preparing instant coffee, but it is still faster than searching for jobs using the formal means. I know of friends who have job hunted for years, some for over 6 years, and are yet to be successful. If you build your social network fast enough, then you could be only three months way from getting your dream job through DUMA.

And for your information DUMA Inc, registered in Delaware United States and DUMA Limited, registered in Kenya, is not a child’s play. Recently they were among the top five best startup companies at the DEMO where startups sought to impress investors with their ground breaking inventions. They have also the Rockefeller Foundation “2013 Centennial Innovation Challenge”. They are also a winners of the Google Innovation Awards, and winners Social Equity and Poverty Reduction Award. In addition, they were featured on Forbes Magazine “5 Things You Need to Know as Young Changemaker” and “5 Most Exciting Kairos Companies”. Other achievements including being the semifinalists at mtvU/Ashoka Youth Venture Team.

Since their incorporation in Kenya in September 2012, they have recruited 3750 job seekers ,  85 employers and have done 1915 job matches. 

As opposed to other recruiting agencies that DUMA is somehow part of (strictly speaking they are not a recruiting agency but a job-matching agency), they don’t charge the job seeker for their services. So other than the 1 bob you would spend on text if you opt to use their services via text, there is no money they will require from you as a job seeker. But employers also don’t need to worry. Again as opposed to the recruiting agencies that charge for the services they offer upfront, DUMA charges employers only if you successfully recruit from their services according to price level you want to pay for their services.

So if you are job hunting, or you know someone who is, then be assured that DUMA is the best place to perfect your job hunting skills.

In dumaworks.com there are these industries listed under which there are sub-sectors and required qualifications that members can select to build their qualification portfolio. According to me, a number of industries are not included especially those related to Agriculture, Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Food Science and Technology among many others. I wanted to select my qualifications as Food Technologist, Chemical Engineer, and Research Specialist but I could not find these or related qualification in the Industries listed. So DUMA should expand the industries or provide the option of “Other Industry” where users can describe their unique qualifications.

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