As founder and chief executive officer of Jobing.com and, now, Recruiting.com, Aaron Matos is devoted to helping companies hire the best people in the most timely and cost-efficient ways possible. “I went into human resources early in my career, and found out that most people didn’t really enjoy what they were doing at work,” Matos says. Along the way, he found a passion for recruiting.
Through his position as a corporate director of human resources for a publishing and media company based in Arizona, Matos saw first-hand the importance of recruiting local job candidates as quickly as possible. He launched a local job board network called Jobing.com in 1999 as a division of his employer’s organization. “In 1999, the Internet was booming globally, and I thought it would be a good way to connect people with jobs.”
In 2001, Jobing.com, L.L.C. was formed. The company, which was one of the first online local job boards, has always had a special focus on recruiting and top-notch customer service. Over the years, Matos has been a pioneer in innovative ways to link employers with employees, including using videos to help with the recruiting process. The company has helped to produce more than 20,000 employer videos alone.
As Jobing.com grew in popularity, Matos realized the Internet was growing right along with it. The constantly growing and changing Internet was challenging at times for Matos, who quickly learned that in order to succeed, he had to adapt to these changes. “The Internet evolved incredibly rapidly, and changes in technology are so fast,” he says. “Things that worked for us in 2000 didn’t work for long.”
Staying on top of the latest advancements and incorporating them into his business has been key to staying technologically current and successful overall. “It is really important to stay flexible and adapt, and never rest on your laurels. There have been lots of innovations in technology along the way.”
Another challenge that Matos faced was the downturn in the economy. Jobing.com did quite well through the recession of 2001, he says, but the second, more recent recession was very hard for the company. Helping to recruit candidates for jobs was difficult, he explains, when a lot of the jobs just weren’t there anymore. “We get paid when employers hire people, so it was definitely a challenge dealing with the bad economy. It was hard for all of the companies in the industry as unemployment rates rose to 10–12 percent.”
As the economy continued to struggle, Matos realized a lot of companies were trying to save money on their websites. This observation helped inspire him to offer cloud-based “candidate relationship management” software to help with recruiting and website development. Matos launched the new technological services in 2010, and in 2012 rebranded Jobing.com to Recruiting.com. In addition to providing next generation technology that will help companies recruit and hire great employees, the company still features the local, regional and niche job boards.
Matos says his style of leadership has allowed for the adaptability that has been necessary for his company to grow and thrive over the years. “I want people in our organization because they want to build something. I’m never afraid to ask people to work hard, and to roll up their sleeves.”
On the Job and Beyond
- Aaron Matos earned his undergraduate degree at Arizona State University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
- Matos is a board member of the Dean’s Council of 100, a national group of top executives who advise Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business.
- He has served on the executive committee for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and has held a position on the board of governors for the International Association of Employment Websites.
- In 2008, Matos was named Business Leader of the Year by the Arizona Business Leadership Association.
- Matos’s first job was working as a bike mechanic.
- He enjoys cycling and triathlons and is a three-time Ironman finisher. He says he appreciates the dedication that is required of these pursuits.
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