As the rumors are flying around again, TechCrunch reports that Google is possibly looking at buying Simply Hired, a resume posting site similar to Monster.com. As the previous rumor chimed in true, we’ll see how this one plays out as it should prove to be true.
Simply Hired recently raised $13.5 million from NewsCorp on a rumored sub-$40 million post money valuation. The company has raised a total of $17.7 million. Lim says that NewsCorp cannot block a third party acquisition.
I actually used Simply Hired a few months back when posting my resume around the web, but it did not turn up much for me. I recently accepted a position with a search related company based in New York which I will be writing about next month.
So what could Simply Hired possibly do for Google? With Google’s recent acquisition of DoubleClick then the counter with Yahoo! and RealMedia, Google now has a chance to settle down in the actual staffing market. The staffing market, job market, executive search industry, or whatever you may call it, is a very lucrative industry. Thousands upon millions of dollars are made every year by large and small firms.
I have been involved in this market since I was born. My father runs his own executive search firm, but it’s quite different than the real staffing industry. Simply Hired focuses on the large spectrum of entry-level employees all the way up to head-honchos. My father’s line of work is only focused on the executive level (that’s where the real money is!)
Simply Hired would be a great asset for Google only because it would a) give them access to thousands of more resumes and people b) stretch the company in a more horizontal market structure and c) provide just another source of income.
I believe Google will give the green flag to finalize the acquisition.
