I am frequently reminded we are on this earth for a relatively short time.  While we are here, it is in our best interest to create an abundance of outgoing goodness and love, and to simultaneously limit the amount of hate, anger, and sorrow that comes into our lives.  Indeed this can be much of the struggle of human existence.

At times it seems the more good we attempt to put out into the world, and the more people we try to reach, the more the world challenges us by creating new obstacles.  These obstacles actually serve to make us stronger and ultimately assist us in reaching our goals.

The key is not to give up despite the difficulty. Telling job seekers that perseverance is key is, in my view, the best piece of career advice anyone can offer.

I recently had a thought regarding some of the employment sites to which I dedicate myself seven days a week, 14 hours a day–specifically, the job sites Hound.com and EmploymentCrossing.com.  Both of these sites are dedicated to consolidating all available job opportunities within specific industries, by gathering information from a vast multitude of employment websites.  For some time, I have been developing and watching over these sites.  My career in the employment industry is a mission of good, one that helps people find jobs or advance their careers.

I also believe the business model our sites follow is the correct one.  For example, as with a site like Google, our goal is to consolidate and organize the world’s information.  In our particular case, we are organizing job-related information.  Giving democratic access to this information is my prime motivator. Providing access to organized job opportunity information is no different from building libraries in different cities.  It is no different from providing Internet terminals or wireless Internet access to retail establishments.  Essentially, our companies are assisting people by providing information so they can make empowered decisions about their careers. After all, instructing a job seeker to search for all opportunity and information available is always regarded as good career advice.

Sometimes people misunderstand our service mission.  While I hate to be negative, recently I’ve discovered some of this misunderstanding has impacted our business in a surprising way.

Some time ago a landlord with whom we were to lease an office found a website posting that claimed our company “steals” jobs from employer websites and resells the information.  The person criticizing us had started a long message thread about how what we were doing was wrong.  Incredibly, the landlord did not want to rent to us because of what he had read.  I was completely taken aback by the news.

Organizing information is as old as the hills.  Libraries consolidate and organize books and reference materials.  Google does this as well with all the content it indexes on the Internet. EmploymentCrossing.com organizes job listings on the Internet, while Hound organizes employer jobs on the Internet.

I believe giving people access to information is a good thing and provides a much needed service.  I also believe a career is one of the most important things in people’s lives because it provides a sense of identity and purpose.  Career choices can seriously influence the quality of one’s life.

I love what I do, and I hope to influence as many people as possible.  I know the more I push, the more I, and the companies I work for, will come under attack. That’s fine. I am ready for the challenge.

Our websites are unique.  We do not accept advertising, nor do we charge employers to post job openings. Therefore, our only priority is showing our members every job we can possibly find, in the most democratic and unbiased way.

I understand that with the democracy of the Internet it is easy for people to post their opinions, positive or negative. But we must understand they are just that: other people’s opinions, not necessarily fact.  I encourage everyone to be thorough in their research.  Weigh your options not only with word of mouth or Internet posts, but with actual fact.  I’ve built my businesses on thorough research and I’m happy to know it has enriched thousands of lives.

THE LESSON

Giving access to a lot of information and providing a platform for research and analysis immensely helps people to make the right choices in life. You must offer people a strong platform through your work to help them make the best choices for themselves, and you yourself will ultimately benefit due to the good you do for the world.