MountainCareers.com is here to remedy the age-old ski-bum’s dilemma: How do I find a “real job” in a mountain town. To that end, a Vail-based recruiter has launched a new concept in job-search websites. Aryn Schlichting, founder and sole proprietor and a 14-year resident of the Vail Valley, has all of the credentials and experience required. As a mountain recruiter, she’s seen this problem from both ends.
It’s a Catch-22: Employers pay big fees to post job ads in newspapers, while job seekers struggle, wading through a sea of middling seasonal and service-industry jobs that are all-to typical of mountain towns and resorts. So goes the cycle, and Schlichting has seen friends end up with no other choice than to move to the Front Range where professional jobs are more plentiful—but this move just further dilutes the chance for professional business to make it here. The talent is not lacking: 47.5 percent of Eagle-county residents have Bachelor’s Degrees or higher, compared to the 28.5 nationally.
In response, Aryn came up with the concept of the MountainCareers.com professional job board. With support from a local investment group, 8150 High Altitude Entrepreneurs, along with a team of web developers her vision is now live and proving its worth. Employers pay $79 per job posting, per month, which is far more affordable than most other options. All positions posted to the board are thoroughly vetted, such that only professional opportunities and employers are published, which minimizes job-seekers’ search times.
One employer who uses Mountain Careers said, “In the two latest positions I posted, 12 out of 14 applicants referenced that the job posting was from Mountain Careers.” Furthermore, the user said, “I have used it to post for three separate positions. I was able to fill one position and am in the final stages of filling the other two. All through the Mountain Careers offering.”
To date, over 50 employers have posted over 200 year-round professional jobs in the Vail Valley, Summit County and Aspen areas, all since launch just a few weeks ago. Striving to break the age-old, stereotypical image of a ski-bum, Schlichting believes that you can have it all by living someplace with access to world-class outdoor activities all while pursuing a professional career track. She now plans to expand west into Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Park City, Utah. Pack your laptop.
—Andrew Zimmerman
