Aassia Haroon Haq is the founder and CEO of ALUMRISE- an online marketplace for employers and job seekers. She started the company in pursuit of personal fulfillment from a life that could accommodate the joys of parenthood along with her professional goals building on almost a decade of experience with a Fortune 100 company. This pursuit is remarkable because it not only relates to her personally, but also to the many others who have sacrificed their professional ambitions to stay home to raise their children -- or due to a variety of other personal motivations. ALUMRISE is a solution for those who aspire to make their lives and their work fit together.
A native of Karachi, Pakistan, Aassia completed high school at the Karachi Grammar School, after which she earned her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth. Before starting ALUMRISE, Aassia spent over ten years managing global public affairs, brand marketing and new product development. She is also a freelance opinion writer and journalist. Be sure to check out Aassia’s monthly blogs on www.blog.alumrise.com.
After living in Chicago and New York for about 8 years, Aassia now lives in Plano, Texas, from where she runs her business and cares for her family.
Q. Your website www.Alumrise.com describes itself as being “an online, global, talent marketplace for people outside the workforce, due to choice, circumstance or life stage.” Please tell us a little about what inspired the creation of ALUMRISE.
The inspiration was personal – I found myself considering a hiatus from work to stay at home with my daughter, who was then 1. It didn’t seem logical that a small hiatus could equal a full stop to a long and productive career. I looked around and saw that many others across life stages were facing the same issues of striking a balance between life stage and a need to remain a productive workforce contributor. ALUMRISE is a solution.
Q. How long did it take you to create this “marketplace”? What were some of the challenges you encountered when working on this?
ALUMRISE officially launched out of an enterprise private Beta in November of 2008. We evolved the business model carefully over time, by engaging privately with leaders at a series of Fortune 500 organizations and validating their approach to our products and revenue model. As a result, an idea formed into a fully fledged business model, based on market and customer feedback and careful evolution on the user side. It’s an ongoing process.
Q. Have you been pleased with the response and feedback?
We are pleased with the response to date, but will consider ourselves only fully launched this summer. So far, our soft launch has helped us to confirm customer interest in the model and product line, to engage members in a limited way, and to improve and develop the member user experience. 
Q. What does ALUMRISE mean to you?
It means finding a better fit between an individual and an employer so both can get work done without worrying about traditional paradigms. One person’s job could be another person’s project. ALUMRISE simply enables a better fit – whatever the situation.
Q. How is the Alumrise business model different from any other online recruiting company?
ALUMRISE is a marketplace that connects any size of employer with talented and skilled individuals seeking opportunity. It is not a job market, recruitment or employment agency or a networking site. It’s a transaction-based universe that enables members to be searched, found and offered a variety of positions. We’ve been called the eBay of employment.
Q. How does Alumrise manage to meet the needs of job seekers who have a variety of backgrounds and expertise? For instance, you might be working with a full time homemaker who has limited corporate experience or with someone who has considerable past experience but limited time to devote to a job. How does Alumrise meet each individual’s needs?
We fulfill our mission of finding the better fit using our proprietary profile and search process, which highlights the unique competencies, life stage needs and goals of a variety of members clearly and simply. It serves each by signaling the right formula to equal an employer fit. And we’re adding tools and resources to speak to our unique audiences, to improve their odds of finding a position that works.
Q. How do you keep up with the latest trends in the marketplace?
We review marketplace developments, and consult with developers and product teams. I travel regularly to meet corporations, partners and consultants. But at the end of the day, like everyone else, we use the Web to stay connected.
Q. Has the growth of Alumrise been impacted by the economic downturn?
It creates a bigger market of talent we can serve. We’re ready to welcome them.
Q. Given the declining job market, how does Alumrise manage to stay relevant?
The need for talent hasn’t changed. The job market is a limiting term. A start up seeking help is looking for a body and won’t be pushing out a full time job posting. A charitable organization seeking capacity is looking for a consultant, not a career contributor. A company seeking skills may be looking for the right person first, and will then worry about how to hire and engage them later whether that be directly, via a third party organization or on a retainer. ALUMRISE recognized early the market for employment is changing from fixed to flexible. We’re there to help make that transition easier for both professionals and employers.
I would say that today jobs are more relevant than ever. It’s an area of high interest for those who visit the web and probably is the most talked about topic at a dinner party today!
Q. Where do you see Alumrise/yourself in the future? What are your long term goals?
Our goals are to succeed in helping more and more members find the right fit, seal the deal and get work done, whatever the life stage and whatever the terms.
Q. What advice do you have for stay at home moms who are unclear about their professional goals down the road?
Start with self-evaluation (we’ll be adding these tools to ALUMRISE soon – so do become a member so you can avail of them). When you understand your goals you can target specifically and in a limited way rather than generalize your search. You may want to ask moms to read this post, tailored especially for them. We heard it was helpful to the mom job seeker. http://blog.alumrise.com/from-one-mom-to-another-some-non-traditional-tips-for-finding-your-next-opportunity/
Q. What advice do you have for others who are interested in forming a business of their own?
Differentiate yourself/your product offering from others and make your idea relevant in today’s market. Understand that it is a tricky process, the road is long, and the journey uncertain. But if you are up for the challenge, find your window of opportunity and try. I don’t believe there’s a downside if you are ethical, firm about your goals, think hard about possible reasons your idea won’t succeed, and course-correct to find the perfect opportunity in the marketplace.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself or about Alumrise?
I think we covered it. Thanks!
Thank you for your time Aassia. I'm sure there are quite a few of our readers who will be checking out Alumrise. We wish you the very best of luck!
Till next time,
Sarwat Husain
The interviewer, Sarwat Husain can be reached at sarwat@pakusonline.com