New service removes barriers between job seekers and recruiters, overcoming limitations and risks of today’s dominant “who you know” platforms

WASHINGTON, D.C.—August 5, 2020—PlumeBio, the personal bio hosting service for people with a university (.edu) email, has launched, reinventing social network for job seekers. PlumeBio offers a free public bio page with a short URL for users. The service is completely free of ads and the common “engagement traps” found on the dominant networking platforms. Users, envisioned mostly as students or recent graduates looking to showcase their skills to find internships/jobs, can take advantage of a spam-protected contact form to communicate with prospective employers and other professional connections.

“The major social networking sites are failing job seekers,” said a spokesperson for PlumeBio. “I think we all know this, intuitively, but there have been few alternatives, until now. We are keeping things simple and focused on helping people network on their terms, not according to practices that maximize shareholder value at the expense of actual site users.” He added, “In the pandemic moment, we already have so many barriers between job seekers and recruiters. Our service breaks these down, enabling open, productive connections.”

Dissatisfaction with established “who you know” platforms is increasing, with users expressing frustration with relentless sales pitches and pressure to upgrade to premium memberships. Indeed, research is now revealing that such practices are counterproductive for job seekers. A recent research paper from the American Psychological Association found indications that using LinkedIn actually lowers one’s job search prospects. It noted, “an increase in job search behavior on LinkedIn was found to lead to poorer job search self-efficacy,” for example. The report also found the more individuals use LinkedIn for job search, “the more they become depleted, and the poorer their ensuing job search success.”

PlumeBio offers its users an easy-to-use template for writing a personal bio. In addition to job seeking, sample use cases include academic researchers looking to disseminate publications, people looking to connect with like-minded colleagues and people wishing to build a personal brand. Each user benefits from a contact form with advanced spam protection that is linked to their personal email address. Site visitors never see the user’s email or phone number, which mitigates the risk of abuse, spam and fraud.

Users need to submit a valid .edu email address to be permitted to use the site. PlumeBio will display that the email address has been verified. After setting up a bio page, the user can share their PlumeBio URL with others. The bios are discoverable on search engines. Users can modify their contact emails. The site also enables the use of emojis, which allows for personal style and a bit of levity in an otherwise serious context.

As of now, the service is only for individuals. Corporations are not currently able to create profiles of themselves on the site. However, employees of a business can post personal bios.

For more information, visit www.plumebio.com.

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