How BrainTrust, Inc. Works

Whether new to BrainTrust, Inc. or a long time member, we know you will have questions from time to time about how to navigate the site or about our services and procedures. Please use this page as your reference guide as you get better acquainted with BrainTrust, Inc. and how it works. If you find you still have questions, please feel free to contact us.

What is BrainTrust, Inc.?
How do I use BrainTrust, Inc.?
How do I navigate the site?
How do I post a project?
How do I post a profile?
How do I search?
What is Quick Search?
What Areas of Expertise does BrainTrust, Inc. currently list?
Can I edit my information?
What is The BrainTrust?
What other services does BrainTrust, Inc. offer to members?
Is there a fee for using BrainTrust, Inc.?
Why a posting fee versus advertising?
What are Featured Projects and Featured Candidates?
How do I have confidence in who I am hiring or being hired by?
Once I have found a project or have found the amazing professional I was looking for, why does it makes sense to keep my membership on BrainTrust, Inc.?
Why does BrainTrust, Inc. collect so much information and what does it do with it?
How do I cancel my membership?
What happens if I want to hire a person I found on BrainTrust, Inc. for a full time position?

• What is BrainTrust, Inc.? BrainTrust, Inc. connects highly qualified professionals with projects and part time roles in the best companies. There are many supporting services we offer, but our core mission is to enable businesses to tap the top talent they need, just when they need it, while helping high level professionals find engaging work in their area of expertise.


• How do I use BrainTrust, Inc.? To gain access to our database of top talent and high quality project opportunities, you will first post your profile if you are looking for work or post your project if you are looking for people. Once you have initiated a membership, you have access to all of BrainTrust, Inc.'s resources and services.


• How do I navigate the site? We refer to all professionals looking for work on the site as "Candidates" and we refer to the firms and organizations looking to hire as "Companies." If you are a candidate, you will find all the services and resources for candidates when you click on Candidate Services on the home page of the site. If you are a company, you will find all the services and resources for companies when you click on Company Services on the home page of the site. Once you are a member, you can log in directly from the home page and you will be recognized and taken to the appropriate page, candidate or company, which will include your personalized tools for managing your search and projects. For more about BrainTrust, Inc., our privacy policy, press coverage or how to contact us, you will find links on every interior page.


• How do I post a project? To post a project, click on the Company Services box on the home page. You will be able to fill out a brief form with all of the necessary project information, initiate your membership, and create your username and password. That is it! Your project will be visible to our candidates as they search for work and you are free to begin searching for - and finding - the top talent you need.


• How do I post a profile? To post a profile, click on the Candidate Services box on the home page. You will be able to fill out a brief profile, attach a resume or portfolio if you like (resumes and portfolios may be uploaded at any time in the following formats: Text, Word, PDF or PowerPoint), initiate your membership, and create your username and password. That is it! Your profile will be visible to companies searching your area of expertise and geography and you are ready to begin looking for the perfect work scenario by searching our listed projects!


• How do I search? BrainTrust, Inc. is built to be searchable by area of expertise or by geography. Once you are logged in, you can select from our listed categories -- Areas of Expertise -- or enter a zip code to find what you are looking for.


• What is Quick Search? We at BrainTrust, Inc. like the idea of "try before you buy." If you want to be certain there are relevant results for your search before you become a member, Quick Search allows you an opportunity to see sample results for your search criteria. If you see something you are interested in and would like to have the contact information, or you want to see more results, you can then become a member, and have access to all BrainTrust, Inc. has to offer.


• What Areas of Expertise does BrainTrust, Inc. currently list? Many Candidates on the site include more than one area of expertise on their profile to best capture their skills and experience. The specific areas we currently list are: Accounting, Architecture & Engineering, Audio, Video & Multimedia, Business Consulting, Business Development, Development & Fundraising, Editing, Education & Technical Training, Finance & Management, Government Relations, Graphic Art & Design, Healthcare, Human Resources, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Legal, Market Research, Marketing, Medicine, Not For Profit, PR & Media Relations, Pro Bono, Sales, Science, Software & Technology, Translation, Website Design & Development, and Writing.
  
  If you would like to suggest an area we do not currently list, please Click Here.


• Can I edit my information? Once you are a member with a posted profile or project, you may edit your information anytime by logging in, and going to your Candidate or Company page and clicking on "Edit my Profile/Project."


• What is The BrainTrust? The BrainTrust is a resource, facilitated by a community-driven blog structure, where all members can ask their tough business questions, query for industry best practices and share their novel approaches. The BrainTrust community can share knowledge, expand networks, and benefit from the experience of the community. Once you have found the person or the project and work is underway, The BrainTrust is there to help ensure your success start to finish. You must be a member to use this feature.


• What other services does BrainTrust, Inc. offer to members? Once you log in as a member, in addition to your search options and access to The BrainTrust, you will find a powerful array of tools designed to help you manage your search process and your projects (both ongoing and completed). You can keep a list of "potentials" that you are considering, keep a log of projects that are in progress, as well as documentation of projects that are completed and archived. You also have a link to your profile or project postings, as well as your basic membership information, so that you may edit them at any time. You will find information on interviewing, hiring, and resume writing. Also available are links to relevant books, articles and other business services.


• Is there a fee for using BrainTrust, Inc.? In light of the current economic environment, we have recently changed our fee structure. We will no longer be charging monthly membership fees to Candidates or Companies. Membership will be free for all Candidates.
  
  Companies will no longer pay a monthly membership fee and will only be charged a $50 fee for each project they post. It is our hope that this will allow even more talented Candidates to access our services and be connected to an ever growing number of terrific Companies and the projects and part-time roles they are looking to fill.


• Why does BrainTrust, Inc. charge a fee? Conversations with professionals and companies have guided, and continue to guide, the design of this site. The posting fees, along with your valuable feedback, allow us to constantly expand and upgrade our services to increase it's value to you and your colleagues. Please see the fee schedule above for more details.


• Why a posting fee versus advertising? Our business is connecting talented professionals looking for part-time roles or project-based work with the companies that need them. Given the profile of our members, attracting advertisers could be an easy way to support the site and its services. However, our early work with professionals and companies indicated they prefer a focused and professional environment with no compromise on confidentiality.


• What are Featured Projects and Featured Candidates? Each member Company and Candidate has maximum visibility on the site. All posted projects and all posted profiles are displayed in short form on the homepage in the areas called Featured Projects and Featured Candidates (in addition to being searchable by logged in members). The projects and profiles rotate in sequential order, at five second intervals. I you do not wish to be featured, once you are logged in, go to View/Edit Your Profile (candidates) or View/Edit Current Projects (companies) and click the box to choose not to be featured at the top of the page.


• How do I have confidence in who I am hiring or being hired by? Like hiring or being hired in any scenario, there is no substitute for thoughtful interviews and thorough reference checks. In addition to your own process, BrainTrust, Inc. works in two key ways to support our members as they make these decisions (though ultimately, responsibility for how successful an arrangement is resides with the candidate and the company). Specifically for companies, BrainTrust, Inc. provides a link to the National Student Clearinghouse, a service that can verify a candidate's degree(s) online. This can be found on the Company Services page. For our candidates, BrainTrust, Inc. has a link to the Better Business Bureau, which allows candidates to check the standing of a listed company. This can be found on the Candidate Services page. As we grow, BrainTrust, Inc. is hoping to incorporate an online reputation system to augment the data given on posting forms.


• Once I have found a project or have found the amazing professional I was looking for, why does it makes sense to keep my membership on BrainTrust, Inc.?


• For companies and candidates, access to the indispensable resource of The BrainTrust throughout your project helps ensure success start to finish. Ask any question, find your answers.


• For candidates seeking continuity and predictability to their workflow, it will allow you to keep your resume in the mix so you can prioritize opportunities and line up your next project in advance.


• For all members, access to our services that allow you to manage your project and contact information -- from your "favorites" list, projects in progress, and your completed and archived projects -- helps keep the process organized and efficient.


• Access to additional resources for tax tips, hiring and interviewing suggestions, resume advice, relevant books and articles, and other useful links.


• Why does BrainTrust, Inc. collect so much information and what does it do with it? We at BrainTrust, Inc. like our privacy and assume you like yours too. For this reason we provide a detailed privacy policy and work to ensure your privacy in every way we can. Please peruse our privacy policy for more in depth information on this topic. We must collect enough information from our members to encourage highly accurate search results and well-informed decisions. However, we do not share any of this information in any context other than our database, searchable by members. On the profile or project posting forms, we make it clear that most of the information on that page will be visible to other logged in members searching the site. And by becoming a member, you are implying that you are comfortable sharing the information you have agreed to post with other members of BrainTrust, Inc..


• How do I cancel my membership? BrainTrust, Inc. is new and growing. We are working hard to increase the number of candidates as well as the number and types of opportunities posted on the site. We endeavor to make the site a useful resource for your search, a resource you return to time and again. If you find we are not meeting your needs, we hope you will let us know what we can do to improve the service. If for any reason you would no longer like to be a member of the site, cancelling is easy to do:
  • Log in and go to your Candidate or Company Services page (It should say Candidate or Company Services for Your First Name and Last Initial)
  • Click on View/Edit Profile
  • Scroll to bottom of form and check the box that indicates you'd like to cancel your membership
  • Click submit, and it's done!


• What happens if I want to hire a person I found on BrainTrust, Inc. for a full time position? Though it goes against industry practice, BrainTrust, Inc. does not assess a finder's fee or buyout charge when this occurs. We believe this is the sign of a well-made connection and we embrace these events as successes. We wish both parties well and all we ask is that you spread the good word about BrainTrust, Inc. in return.

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