What if Companies Paid to Interview You?

Every time a new job board springs up, the release inevitably begins with the line “the problem with all other job sites is ___” and fills in the blank with anything from a lack of feedback, that they don’t reach people who aren’t actively looking or don’t meet the candidates where they are.

Add another one to the list: the best candidates don’t put their resumes up on them, and–what else–a new job site hopes to address this, but in a completely unusual way. NotchUp makes companies pay to interview you.

Before you go and set your price at one gazillion-million dollars and–surprisingly–get no interview offers, the site also provides a calculator that takes into account your current salary, title and experience and comes up with a suggested number.

So why would a company pay to interview you? Because you’re awesome, of course. But NotchUp is also banking on the idea that employers who post openings on job boards are flooded with applicants from unemployed, desperate workers and are willing to pay a little extra for candidates that are better matches.

The concept harkens back to what recruiters call the “passive majority” which is the holy grail of recruiting. The best employees often don’t want to leave their jobs because they are content where they are; they’re content where they are because their jobs know how valuable they are and are willing to go to great lengths to keep them in the house. What’s a recruiter to do?

Says NotchUp: pay you for your time. And, hey, perhaps that extra $20 in your pocket might make you feel better if you don’t ultimately get the job.