Putting mums back in the workforce

by Rebecca Burn-Callander - Thursday, 12th June 2008 -

Gillian Nissim’s online job network Workingmums.co.uk has over 21,000 candidates on its books. This is no knitting circle; most of these women have over seven years business experience.

Nissim launched Workingmums.co.uk in April 2006. Her business model is simple: advertisers post jobs, offers and services on the site for a small fee. Mums register free, post profiles, and browse the content.

These mums are career women with kids who are after a bit more flexibility in their working lives. “Over 80 per cent of our candidates have seven years or more work experience,” says Nissim. “That’s a wealth of skills and contacts. And, being mums, they also have fantastic multi-tasking and negotiating skills!”

Over 1,400 employers have clocked on to this valuable resource. No wonder: fees on the site are extremely reasonable. It costs £100 for a month-long job ad. “This covers the ad space,” says Nissim. “But advertisers also get to view all our candidate profiles and access their contact details.”

It’s a bit like internet dating. Advertisers register for free and take a wander round the site, checking out the talent on offer. When they pay their money, they can contact these candidates and also get access to the whole network for mailshots. “They get two bites of the cherry, so to speak,” says Nissim.

Workingmums.co.uk is not an agency; it doesn’t screen candidates. Mums apply direct to the employer. When asked if she gets many bad apples, Nissim shakes her head, “Most of the mums are referrals,” she says. “We take care with our image and branding so that we attract the right kind of candidate.”

She’s doing something right. Repeat business is extremely high and the site will turn over £500,000 this year. A figure that’s set to triple in 2009.

And for the record, it’s not just mums on the site. There are working dads and carers on the site, all after flexible hours. In fact, Nissim’s already bought the Workingdads.co.uk domain name. So watch this space.

Picture source

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