Today we have the unenviable job of sharing some sad news; Zealify will be closing down. Unfortunately, we simply couldn’t crack the market in the way we wanted and ran out of runway.
Our Zealify journey began with the intention of helping ‘undiscovered’ small to medium size companies showcase why they were great places to work. We found the job hunting narrative was dominated by the big brands and people simply didn’t know, or fully understand, what it was like to work at a startup or SME. We wanted to create a platform that would highlight the brilliance of these companies and help them create a compelling employer brand that would enable them to attract talented employees. Similarly, we wanted to enable job seekers to learn about the career opportunities and the culture of these companies to make a well informed decision about whether the company was the right place for them.
In our journey we achieved a lot and we made a significant dent in achieving our mission. We were privileged and proud to call many of the UK’s best startups our clients. Our community of ambitious candidates loved our mission and appreciated the way we created a more transparent method of searching for a great place to work.
Unfortunately, whilst we made great strides it was often difficult to communicate the value to employers of creating an employer brand and as a result we struggled to grow the business.
In hindsight, there are many things we would have done differently and, as with any startup, mistakes were made along the way. Over the coming days we’ll be publishing a post that outlines our key learnings and challenges we faced, but, for now, this post is to express our gratitude. (you can now find our learnings here)
Thank you’s
Thank you to our clients — without those of you who took a chance with your brands and gave us the opportunity to showcase your companies through Zealify, we wouldn’t have got off the ground in the first place. It was a pleasure to learn about each and every one of you and your unique cultures make for fantastic working environments for the right people.
Thank you to our investors for believing in two unproven entrepreneurs. We will be forever grateful for your support and belief in us.
To our advisors for giving up your valuable time to help mentor, coach and support us along the way.
To our candidates and users — without your fanatical support and feedback we wouldn’t have had a business case to present to employers. We’re so grateful to have met so many incredibly talented people through Zealify. For those that were able to discover and land a new job through the platform, we feel extremely privileged to have played a small part in your career journey. Thanks for letting us be a part of it.
To everyone else who has worked with, and supported, Zealify and us as individuals — we have been, and always will be, hugely grateful for your support.
What’s Happening to Zealify.com?
Whilst Zealify as a business will be ceasing to trade , the Zealify.com website will still continue to exist with some modifications. There will no longer be jobs listed on the site therefore it will no longer be possible to apply for jobs through the Zealify platform. Instead, we will now be linking out to the companies’ own careers pages on their own websites. These changes have already taken effect. We also won’t be adding any further companies to the Zealify site. Unfortunately we’ll no longer be able to offer user support or candidate enquires.
You’ll also be able to access all the blogs and any e-books or resources we’ve created.
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Our hope is that whilst Zealify will become a thing of the past, our mission, work, and movement will prove to have played a small part in creating the future.
We’re in no doubt that employer branding is crucial for talent attraction. For all the great companies out there that are building unique and exciting company cultures, please keep shouting about it and telling your story — not only does this help great ideas spread, but more importantly there are talented people out there looking for companies like yours; help them find you. Through communicating why you are unique as a company (and employer), and creating an amazing experience through your hiring process we’re more than confident you’ll reap the rewards, we proved it. For anyone about to embark on a job search we hope you don’t just look for a ‘job’; don’t settle for that, look for a great place to work.
Thanks for being part of our journey.
Lauren Hine & Andy Parker
Co-Founders at Zealify
