‘Chet’ is a new business social network that helps users connect with like-minded people by sharing their favorite books, podcasts, events, courses, & development activities. ‘Go beyond the resume’ is its tagline. So is chet just another social network or does it have the pop to be different? In this article, Founder & CEO Chris Pisarski explains why he developed chet, & what sets it apart from the pack.
One search on Monster or Indeed or Medium will make any casual Internet browser question whether he has been pursuing the right career. With ads like “Find A Job You Love” & “5 Ways To Get The Job You Want” & “Elevate Your Career” sprinkled between the “Post A Resume” & “Company Profile” sections on Monster, it’s hard to imagine spending a lifetime pursuing a unfulfilling job when that perfectly aligned job with an Opportunity For Growth seems so readily available. Is networking the answer? How do I meet the right people at the right time? Where do you start? What about offline learning? There are so many resources, but where do I start and do they actually help me get to where I want to go…?
“I can’t believe nothing like this exists…” is a line we often hear from people after we describe chet to them. For those that don’t know, chet is very simply a new business social network. Think of the sharing of Instagram/reddit with the networking & development of LinkedIn circa 2008. Users are encouraged to share specific categories of professional development activities & items — a favorite self-development book, podcast, course, event, or lecture. These items (not boring resume bullet points) populate your newsfeed & provide us an opportunity to connect you with professionals who share the same interests.
If you’re that mid-career professional who’s looking to move from non-profit to communications, or the freelancing artist who simply wants to learn more about streaming royalties, chet provides you a network of professionals who hope to do the same. We’re about connecting you with the right activities & people at the right time by considering a holistic view of where you are & where you want to go.
Chris Pisarski
Chet is the culmination of a few disparate ideas. First & foremost: my family, friends, & I would often share random things we were doing via text & in person. I noticed a pattern: many of these talking points were repeated & they often revolved around a song of the moment, a book someone was reading, a new podcast, the Netflix show someone was binging on, or the movie one just saw. People loved sharing these items, solicited or not. We wanted to develop a platform where people felt encouraged to share their interests not just in a social context, but in a professional context. As we kept reiterating, we realized that not only did people want to connect with others over mutual interests, people wanted to learn. There are platforms dedicated to learning & there are ones dedicated to networking & career development. To us, these activities go hand in hand.
Additionally, we thought we could improve the networking & career development side of things by focusing on creating an environment that encourages creating & maintaining connections over platforms that serve as a glorified contact book. So, we thought, why not share what you do to develop yourself professionally & learn what others are doing to improve themselves?
The overwhelming fact is that people are doing so much learning & self-development outside of what would appear on their resume. The popularity of Goodreads, Coursera, Meetup, & Tumblr show us how communities form around Content they consume. It has shown that people are craving a reliable, non-stigma inducing platform to share items that are important to them. And why isn’t there one where people feel comfortable & encouraged to share career development items & activities – things that are very important & a large part of many peoples’ lives? Look at books, audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube, Online course platforms, the proliferation of events, etc. People are using a combination of these items & good old fashioned discipline & hard work to change their lives. Why is there nowhere to share it, to inspire others, to get inspiration, & to get credit for all the hard work?
Now, how do we create a network where professional networking is rooted in those same values? Why is there no platform that focuses on self-development in a professional context? Why is there no easy way to find real experts on items — & verify them? Why is there no way to signal to your managers & recruiters of all the learning & hard work you’ve done outside of the office? Why is there no way to easily connect with other professionals over like-minded interests & activities?! We want to answer all these questions & we’re trying to do it with chet. All this + No. More. Junk. How? Pretty simple — there’s no option to post junk. You’ll have to pick a category (book, podcast, etc.) & post within an image search. There will be no option to post a political rant, or a picture of your latte from Starbucks, or a double-spaced business anecdote, & there’s certainly no option to post about a way to earn bitcoin for 4 hours/work a month. We want to create a real community with real items & activities being shared.
Chet’s focus is helping you get to where you want to go in a professional sense.
Individuals are taking professional & personal development into their own hands more than ever– why not use that proven success data to personalize upward paths for people to follow. We’re focused on using info like your real time professional objective, preferences, development related activities, & past professional experiences to recommend the right people, books, courses, events, etc. that is in line with where you are in your path to a goal.
http://www.chet.world
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