First off, this is not an April Fools joke.  Just thought I should put that out there to dispel any confusion :-) 

I just wanted to let you know I need to make some changes at ShovelBums and I want to give you a bit of background on the why and how I have needed to come to this choice.  Feel free to drop me any comments, positive or negative, that you have.

Background:  In February, eight months after my 3rd child was born my wife lost her job of sixteen years.  She has been a loyal and exemplary employee with an exceptional performance record, but sometimes factors beyond our control are at play.  Ok, that sucks enough in its own right, but when insurance came up our only viable option was COBRA, which is $1k a month for two adults and three kids.  Factor in mortgage, student loans, every day bills, food (so overrated, but I caved), etc... and it was clear that I can not support my family on ShovelBums, and in this economy I can't always count on Kristy having a job, so I have decided to make some changes to how much it costs to post a job on ShovelBums.

Current:  These changes are not being made in a vacuum.  I have been toying with this idea for some time and I have publicly discussed it on Acra-L,  Facebook and talked directly with a number of the employers using ShovelBums and the response has been supportive.  Part of my rational (other than seriously needing cash) is that ShovelBums, for what it offers, is laughably cheap at $25 a posting/job class.  Seriously!  If you check out Monster to get equivalent exposure you are talking about $395 (temporarily $356 for a job) for a single listing for 60 days (Wooo Hoo! If you buy in bulk and post 3 jobs it drops to $375 a job, such a deal! :-).  My local newspaper which subs the work to Monster is $345 for 60 days.

Soooooo with that in mind I need to change the rates on ShovelBums to $100 a posting/job class advertised.  Seriously (again) this is dirt (pun intended) cheap when you look at your bang/buck ratio.  "Cattle Calls" (i.e. "we need a bunch of archs of all levels for a bunch of jobs in a bunch of states this summer") will be priced on a case by case basis - just remember I am always fair and invoice in your favor.  But it helps us all when you post a job with a clear subject as to what you are looking for (i.e. Two PI's, One Crew Chief, 20 Archaeology Field Technicians, etc...) instead of a cattle call.    It is my goal to make ShovelBums work for you: that means both the "ShovelBums", from newbie out of school to seasoned PI's, and the employer.  This is a small pool of jobs, employees and employers that we all swim in.  We are all in this together and I want ShovelBums to be there for you and fill your needs.  I want you to be gainfully employed, to understand where the jobs are happing right now and what the skills in demand, and to find the quality employees you need in the shortest amount of your limited time.

ShovelBums is rapidly closing in on it's 12th anniversary and I have asked for little and strived to be there for you over these years and I hope you will support me in this necessary business move.  What I would like to ask of you is for you to be there to support ShovelBums to your HR department as this new fee structure goes into place.  I know times are tight, but that is also where ShovelBums really comes into play.  ShovelBums is a time/resource saver and a tool that allows you to reach a large targeted audience quickly.

I know there are still some firms out there whose HR department will not use ShovelBums because of the fee's.  Feel free to put me in contact with them if you need my help in selling them on why ShovelBums is a useful tool to help you do your job.  And of course if your HR throws an absolute snit-fit about using pay services there is always my peer Jennifer's www.archaeologyfieldwork.com which allows you to advertise jobs for free (though I think we should all encourage Jennifer to charge too (I have been!) :-) she also busts her ass at helping you and has a full house to care for too!).

Thanks for your time and your support for all of these years.

Best,

R. Joe