PasaJob, a long-chain referral-based job platform, rewards individuals who connect employers to the right candidates with referral fees. It brings companies closer to candidates who can be vouched for by professionals, allowing job seekers to find a variety of jobs, and rewarding referrers for tapping their own networks to fill available roles.
“Sabi nga namin, yung PasaJob, napaka-simple at napaka-Pinoy [PasaJob is very simple and very Pinoy],” said director and co-founder Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV at the platform’s April 21 launch. “If you know a friend, or a friend of a friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend who needs a job opening, ipasa mo sa kanya yung job opening na ‘yan. Kung siya ang makuha sa trabahong ‘yan, ikaw mismo mabibigyan ng reward para sa iyong effort [pass the job opening to them. If they get the job, you get a reward for your effort].”
More than a third of job seekers approach their relatives or friends when looking for employment and other earning opportunities, as per the Philippine Statistics Authority’s July 2020 Labor Force Survey. The platform’s co-founders discovered in 2019, moreover, that part of the reason why graduates could not find jobs is because they were unaware of the opportunities available.
“About 40% of companies in the Philippines have employee referral programs, but a lot of these are manual,” added Eddie F. Ybañez, PasaJob’s chief technology officer. “Time and resources would be put to better use if this process was automated.”
The platform is available through the web and as an app, and is free for both referrers and job seekers. A tip for referrers, or PasaMates, to be successful in the platform is to refer the right leads, and be known as someone who matches the right candidates to the right jobs. Job seekers, meanwhile, can find more success by using different iterations of a keyword (e.g., typing “marketing specialist” or “marketing intern” instead of only “marketing associate”) in their search.
FLEXIBLE PRICING
Hirers can likewise benefit from the portal by posting job openings with flexible pricing starting at P500.
“PasaJob is also for MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) and even individuals,” chief executive officer and co-founder Kristen A. Mariano told the audience at the launch. “Businesses can post a job opening from P500 [upwards]. Meron namang mga [There are] cutthroat industries that want to bid for talent.” Businesses, he said, can post jobs by paying directly with a credit card facility, or by reaching out directly to the team.
“Not all employers are techies,” Mr. Mariano added. “By reaching out to us, we can help them post jobs, and then send the bill arrangement after.”
The tech startup is initially concentrating on the National Capital Region, with future plans to scale and export its long-chain, job referral concept.
“PasaJob is very Pinoy,” said Mr. Aquino, “but it’s also very Indonesian, very Malaysian… We can scale this internationally. That’s why we named it PasaJob, for ‘pass a job.’ It’s our homegrown contribution to the world.” — Patricia B. Mirasol
