Online Matchmaking Platform Focuses on Skilled Trades

Back when I was single (about a decade ago), I never would have considered meeting women on the Internet. Online matchmaking services were just coming into their own at that time, and not only did I not trust them, I thought they were, well, weird. Oh, how wrong I was. Since that time, I’ve seen online dating work—that is, I’ve seen long-term relationships blossom—for almost every friend and acquaintance who have tried it.

I’ve never considered that manufacturers and their employees might benefit from similar technology, but why not? That is, if algorithms can match potential mates based on information they enter about themselves, why can’t the same thing be done to connect manufacturing job seekers with increasingly desperate employers? That’s the idea behind CraftForce, an online matchmaking platform dedicated specifically to the skilled trades, including manufacturing. 

Job seekers enter basic information about themselves and their qualifications into online forms, and the site automatically generates a downloadable and printable resume in PDF format that can be sent to any employer of their choosing. To narrow down options, the site enables users to filter employers based on how far they’re willing to travel, their expected salary and other preferences, and it’s complete with a geographic map of prospective opportunities and real-time alerts when a match is made. Employers, meanwhile, can easily and immediately verify whether a potential employee is a good fit based on experience, skills and certifications.

I heard about the platform on my local National Public Radio (NPR) station here in Cincinnati. In that interview, CEO Dustin Grutza said the company plans for the service to be national. Although he emphasizes that it’s particularly useful for quickly finding hands for seasonal or temporary jobs, I see plenty of advantages for machining companies in a platform dedicated specifically to the skilled trades, as opposed to generic job-search sites that make it difficult to find a good match.

Would you consider using something like CraftForce? Why, or why not? Do you know of any similar platforms, or are you taking advantage of one already? If so, leave a comment below, I’d love to hear about it.