Patent ID: 8249995

Claim:
A method implemented using a website on a web-based system obtaining a new job for a job seeker and generating a contingent referral fee for a job finder, comprising the steps of (a) establishing a secure social networking website, wherein the secure social networking website is hosted on a web server that includes an email system and a database that provides email and database search, query and display capabilities for the secure social networking website; (b) obtaining a job seeker and a job finder who agree to terms of use of the secure social networking website; (c) the job seeker enters into the database the job seeker's profession, professional profile, preferred job location, preferred employers and a contingent referral fee that the job seeker would pay if the job seeker started a new job at a named company within a specified period of time after an introduction to an employee of the named company, which the database stores; (d) the job finder searches the database, identifies the job seeker as a potential hire for a particular company and sends an email through the email system to the job seeker, wherein the email offers an introduction to a company insider(s), optionally the job finder himself or herself, via an offer system of the secure social networking website thereby offering a single company-exclusive contract with the job seeker, wherein the offered contract, if accepted, is stored in the secure social networking website database, which would obligate the job seeker to pay a contingent referral fee if the job seeker was introduced to a company insider by the job finder and the job seeker started a job at the named company within the period of time specified in the offered contract; (e) the job seeker responds through the offer system of the secure social networking website to accept one or more of the offers of step (d), thereby establishing a contractual obligation to pay the contingent referral fee if the job seeker is introduced, screened, interviewed and starts a job at the named company; (f) the job finder introduces the job seeker to one or more company insiders at the named company; (g) the named company screens and interviews the job seeker; (h) if the named company offers the job seeker a job, the job seeker accepts the job offer and starts the job at the named company, the offered contract of step (d) becomes a binding contract that obligates the job seeker to pay the contingent referral fee according to its terms, wherein the secure social networking website is utilized to facilitate paying the contingent referral fee if requested by the lob seeker or required by the terms of the contract; and (i) the owner of the secure social networking website is paid a use fee according to the terms of the binding contract of step (h).