Are they for real?

Get paid for a job interview! Order products for free! They sound like spam subject lines, but they’re actually mold-breaking online businesses.

NotchUp.com is a new job site for jobseekers who aren’t looking. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, it ain’t the only one – Notchup’s nifty calculator asks what you do and how long you’ve been doing it and computes a suggested per interview rate, though candidates can demand whatever they choose. (I tried the calculator and was surprised to find out what an hour of my time is worth — try it to find out yours!) 

For frustrated jobseekers who have contemplated bribing the HR staff for a foot in the door, this must look like Never-Neverland, but the point is to tap the pool of satisfied workers who aren’t actively trying to find a new job, but who might be lureable to something even better. What kind of crazy company would pay for job interviews? Google, among others.

And then there’s CostZero.com (briefly launched as FreeOverstock.com, the name was changed to avoid potential confusion with another online retailer), a site where consumers can order products for free, plus a shipping charge. For those wondering how this business model can possibly pay for itself — and there must be a lot of them: “How does CostsZero.com make a profit?” is third in the company’s Frequently Asked Questions list — apparently retailers pay the company to get rid of their overstock. The site is soliciting more retailers, though you have to contact the company to find out rates.

CostZero is both a potential resource for virtual merchants and a competitor, while Notchup is a potential source of talented employees, but even if you’re not in the market for either, they can be an inspiration. What cool new concept could you build if you took a basic assumption of how your business works and threw it away? — Meredith Schwartz