RealMatch, the job ad network that distributes ads for free charging only for candidates you want, has scored two big coups. The Israeli firm announced today that it has gotten $4.7 million in funding from VC Carmel Ventures, with Baytech Ventures participating.
It also announced that Marcel LeGrand, a former top executive with Monster, joined the company as its CEO. LeGrand, who took on the RealMatch job last month, was a long-time Monster employee, joining the company in 1991 when it was still TMP, a Yellow Pages marketing firm.
Over the ensuing years, LeGrand attracted the attention of then owner and CEO Andrew McKelvey, who described him in an interview as “a bright, analytical guy.” LeGrand rose to senior vice president, heading product development and, later, strategy and corporate development.
LeGrand left Monster late in 2006 to head Blackfin Capital, an investment firm started by him and McKelvey. He also co-founded Vertical Knowledge about the same time. The firm does customized aggregation and structuring of data for financial, media and marketing companies.
RealMatch was founded in 2007 by Gal Almog, CEO and founder of Redmatch. The one-time job board and recruitment-matching service today is a provider of recruitment solutions for industry, government, staffing firms, and for the newspapers who were once its primary focus. Redmatch’s technology was lauded last year by Gartner for its “strong search and matching capabilities.”
LeGrand takes the helm of a rapidly growing job distribution network. Employers can post a job across the 1,200-partner network for no charge. RealMatch uses the Redmatch technology to match and rank candidates in its database and those who apply to the job posting. Employers get a summary look at the candidates, paying only for those they want.
The RealMatch Real-Time Job Matching relies on employers and job seekers defining themselves, their needs, and their preferences from a taxonomy of titles and skills.
In the announcement of the funding and his appointment, LeGrand said, “RealMatch has a breakthrough offering that can really change the e-recruitment industry. Our disruptive solution offers a much better user experience, wider reach and better results that save a lot of time and money to both job seekers and employers.”