Job Searches Through MySpace

By Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2006-06-13

MySpace is, without question, the dominant social networking site on the Web. That could soon change, however.

Not because some upstart is catching up with the more established corporation, but because MySpace is breaking out of its "social" constraints.

On Monday, MySpace launched a search engine for online job listings called MySpace Careers.

This was accomplished with the help of Simply Hired, a search company that combs through job boards, newspapers, and company websites. News Corp., which owns MySpace, invested $3.5 million in the business, which Gautam Godhwani, chief executive officer of Simply Hired, says gave them a "substantial" stake.

"Fox Interactive Media's growth strategy is to strategically partner or acquire category leaders and technology innovators that broaden or enrich our users' experience," said Ross Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media. "Our investment in Simply Hired underscores that approach and we look forward to working with them to power job search for a variety of properties on our network."

The job search engine, which can filter results by location and keyword, will access more than five million listings nationwide.

"This launch represents the first step in the execution of an ambitious vision, and we believe that MySpace will drive substantial change in the way that people land their dream jobs," Godhwani said.

He thinks MySpace has a "tremendous opportunity to help its users tap the power of their social networks to find work that excites and engages them."

At last count (according to Nielsen/NetRatings), MySpace had 38.4 million unique users. With such a large audience, MySpace Careers is likely to get a lot of use.

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