This Startup Lets You 'Date' Prospective New Employers Anonymously For $1000+ A Week

For most of us, a job offer is an all or nothing thing. You do a few interviews and the company either offers you the job or not. You accept it, forsaking all others, or you don't.

But a startup called GroupTalent that finds jobs for programmers (Android, Python, Ruby developers to be precise), is turning that on its head.

Its recruitment platform supports something called a "try out" period that lets employers and employees work together for a few days, or maybe a couple of weeks, on a freelance basis for an ample weekly salary. $1,000 - $3,000 a week is typical, though GroupTalent says some folks can make as much as $7,000 a week.

The programmer is hired by a company to jump in and build something useful. If it's a fit, the two can then get permanently hitched. This is a little different than a typical freelance gig, because these companies are looking for a long-term relationship, not just a series of short-term gigs.

And here's the best part: GroupTalent will hide your Try It from your current employer. If it's not a fit, there's no harm done. "By telling us who your current employer is, we can make sure they don’t see your profile," the company promises.

The company operates in New York and San Francisco so far, and currently hosts almost 600 jobs. It has plans to add jobs in Seattle, Boston, Austin, San Diego and Los Angeles, it says.

Today the GroupTalent website added some new improved search features, too, so it's easier to browse the freelance jobs to see if something sparks your interest.

GroupTalent is a TechStars startup that's raised about $1 million so far. Its cofounder and CEO, Manuel Medina, cut his teeth at Microsoft wooing developers into writing apps for Microsoft Game Studios. He also helped convince developers to write apps for Windows Phone. Cofounder Gordon Hempton is also an ex-Microsoft developer. He worked on Microsoft's SQL Server.