Dating and finding a new job in many ways are very similar activities. When you are involved in that process as a business in a sense you’re playing “match-maker”. It’s not surprising then to find a job hunting site with a model that takes off of eHarmony’s.

Meet eHarmony
Founded in 1997 eHarmony is an online dating site whose approach is to do more than just serving up categorized dating opportunities. They try and stand out by delivering a better product through a “patented Compatibility Matching System®”. The value they are offering is twofold: less time spent shuffling through postings, and a more successful outcome (dates).

Another key feature they offer is what’s referred to as a “guided communication” which is used as a way of furthering communication between prospective couples by providing questions. Acting as a ice-breaker, or a way to get to know each other better, this process is supposed to enable for the best match possible before a date is actually initiated.

Additionally the focus of eHarmony has focused on the institution as marriage. This adds as a secondary filter in addition to the compatibility matching system as most of the clientele have a focus in line with the branding.

Meet Jobfox
Launched in 2005 Jobfox joined the crowded job placement and search marketplace. They try and stand out by delivering a better result through their “patent pending Mutual Suitability System™” (sounds familiar). They’re offering value much like eHarmony: less time spent sorting through postings, and creating more aligned meetings (job interviews).

Another key feature they offer is the ability to be introduced to the decision makers. I’m guessing this is similar to eHarmony’s guided communication but as it is only available to premium members (and not explained in their about section) I couldn’t gather any more information about it.

Lifting Successful Business Models
This is a great example of taking a successful business model in this case “guided matchmaking” and applying it to a new marketplace. The benefits of doing this are that it is a proven model, its one people are familiar with,  and allows you to focus on other aspects of the service or monetization.

It looks like Jobfox has done more than just recreate a similar guided service, they’ve also created a tiered membership service which also reminded me of eHarmony.

The Verdict
I’ve never used eHarmony but I have had friends that have used it and appreciated its value. From how its described I found it to be remarkably similar to Jobfox.  Given my current employment situation, I was actively utilizing Jobfox. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the service as the amount of information I had to enter (see time investment) was substantial. In the end though when I started looking at the matches they presented to me I was rather pleased with these results (as I’m sure most people on eHarmony are).

Conclusion
When outlining your monetization or what your service offering should be you really should explore existing models or similar goods. By doing so you can better understand competitive landscapes, your own unique offer, as well as be given blueprints for success.

I’m not sure if Jobfox is revenue neutral, or even turning a profit, but given my experience I think it has a good chance at success.