It works like this: visit the website, upload a document version of your resume and let the service’s robust algorithm review it, evaluating word choice, layout, experience and more. No registration required: it’s sleek and just might offer you the kind of advice you’re seeking during your job hunt.

No direct competition in the instant resume grading for consumers exists to date, though LiveCareer is due to launch a competing product, Weinberg, 26, said, and products like LinkedIn, Klout and Grader.com are near enough to keep Rezscore growing.

Those growth plans include introducing industry specific algorithms, noting that a resume for a professor’s gig might need to look different than that for a graphic designer.

Still, Weinberg and fellow co-founder and CEO Gerrit Hall say they already have a rarity among online startups: a service that can actually help its users.

From L to R: CEO Gerrit Hall, COO Sean Weinberg and summer intern Nick Mazzetti

Rezscore launched at the end of 2010 with an early Lifehacker review, fully launching January 2011.

Hall and Weinberg had worked together on a smaller project before and hit it off.

“We both noticed very clear trends in what worked on resumes that seemed to be agnostic to region, experience level, industry and job title. There’s a way people market themselves that is successful across all boundaries,” Weinberg said. “So we set out to science it.”

The pair built a backend system where recruiters, HR people and hiring managers could go in and rate resumes on over a dozen different metrics, fine tuning the questions they asked all along.

“After a few months of harassing everyone we knew to grade resumes and then compiling the data, we discovered very clear trend lines that for the most part — although not entirely — backed up our assumptions about resume quality,” Weinberg said. “Then we built an algorithm to mimic our human reviewers thought processes in aggregate.”

They had a prototype by August 2010, tweaking before their launch late that year.

The startup is already bringing in some revenue, by way of resume editing and writing using data not included in its algorithm, affiliate links and some cost per application jobs matching, in addition to licensing its technology.

Rezscore is based in the Northern Liberties headquarters of the Adapt Technical Group, though CEO Hall lives in Brooklyn and Weinberg is in Cherry Hill.

For now, the service has only been funded by a friends and family round. The pair discuss other investment possibilities but nothing has fit quite yet, Weinberg said.

Weinberg has the resume background. He was a recruiter right out of college, launched a professional resume writing service in early 2009 before starting law school at Rutgers-Camden that fall. In early summer 2010, he started working on Rezscore and is currently on leave from law school to pursue the venture.

Weinberg, who was born in St. Louis but grew up in Manhattan and attended Yeshiva University for undergrad.

Gerrit, 29, has the startup chops. He worked at Spoken Hub and Sonic Boom Games and was a co-founder of Groupable. He is a regular contributor to the startup advice site Bootstrapper, hosts the “Vital Topics” panel of the Road2Shambala podcast and spearheaded the 2log competitive blogging platform. The native of Seattle has dual degrees in physics and religion from Swarthmore.

So why does the startup have roots in Philadelphia?

“Initially it was just because I was in law school in the region. I was working from home in Cherry Hill but going out to a lot of the Philly events,” said Weinberg, noting that Rezscore was included in the first Open Angel Forum here and demoed at the Philly Tech Meetup. “We thought that actually having a physical presence here would make a difference towards us having a conceptual home in the community. I love how open the Philly tech community is while still being a relatively small/ tight knit group.”

The following is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods Program, the capstone class for the Temple Journalism Department.

The Greater Philadelphia area is home to the offices of technical industry giants such as Comcast, SAP AG, Unisys Corporation and Sungard Data Systems, among others, which hold the bulk of some 12,510 information technology jobs throughout the City of Philadelphia, according to 2010 American Community Survey data.

As U.S. Census data continues to be released, shaping funding and legislative redistricting, a new decade is always an opportunity to look to see just what a community looks like. Philadelphia’s tech community leaders are often considered entrepreneurs and freelancers but, truth be told, most of the IT jobs here are with the region’s big employers.

Below, more lessons to be had:

• Making up nearly two percent of all city jobs, IT industry positions have a median income of around $74,979 as of 2009—slightly more than double the median Philadelphia household income of $36,669.
• Most IT jobs in the city are in management and professional positions, though positions in sales, maintenance and repairs also claim a good share of industry workers. These positions include software engineers, support specialists, customer service representatives, system and network administrators, equipment installers and repair specialists.
• Of those positions, a great majority of industry employment — around 81 percent — comes from private companies. However, federal and state government offices also maintain a noticeable presence in the IT employment scene, claiming about nine percent of the city’s IT workers.
• Self-employment in the city’s IT industry is relatively low at less than two percent.
• In terms of gender, employment in the IT industry in Philadelphia is nearly equal for males and females at 51.1 percent and 48.9 percent, respectively. This proportioning is somewhat disparate from the city’s gender makeup, which as of 2009 consisted of 48.6 percent males and 53.2 percent females.
• Philadelphia’s IT job scene is somewhat small in comparison to other large U.S. cities like Washington, D.C. and behemoth New York City, with 19,102 and 126,976 information technology jobs as tabulated in 2009, respectively.
• The city still fosters a vibrant sector of up-and-coming technology companies, putting it among the nation’s 10 largest. However, the divide between big and biggest is extreme: in 2010, the region saw $431 million in VC deals (up from $79.6 million in 2006, but down from dot-com-infused 2000), compared to $8.5 billion in Silicon Valley and $2.5 billion in New England.
• Unemployment in the IT industry stands at 8.1 percent, which is somewhat lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.2 percent and significantly lower than Philadelphia’s 11.2 percent unemployment rate.
• In 2000, the year of the infamous dot-com bubble burst, IT jobs in the city totaled 18,491 positions. Industry jobs have slowly moved from the city or dissolved altogether since then, ultimately netting a 3.8 percent loss of IT positions.
• The 1990s was an even more vibrant decade for Philadelphia’s IT industry, with over 21,000 industry jobs that made up nearly 3 percent of the city’s career opportunities during that time period, though a movement toward more creative-based positions is clear.

Updated 2/9/11 @ 12:51 p.m.: In an earlier version of this story, an editor chose an inaccurate headline, though the reporting was correct. Women account for roughly 49 percent of city IT jobs.

Allan Frank

City of Philadelphia Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank is leaving government life, a press release announced and Frank confirmed Wednesday night.

As recent as this month, Frank spoke at a government employees meet up group about his forthcoming plans for the city’s IT direction. Frank will maintain some ties, serving as chair of the newly formed Mayor’s Advisory Board on Technology, in which he will remain involved in these projects.

“In actuality, there is no perfect time to leave,” Frank told Technically Philly. “I am confident in the new DOT leadership and talent I have attracted to continue the momentum.”

His last day, before returning to the private sector, will be Feb. 1, 2011 and, pending a national search for his replacement, Tommy Jones, the city’s first Deputy Chief Information Officer, will serve as interim CTO.

Jones became Deputy CIO after two years in a comparable role with the Washington D.C. city government.

Frank first joined city government in July 2008 as Mayor Nutter’s Chief Information Officer. A year later, in July 2009, Frank was officially made the city’s first Chief Technology Officer, consolidating IT from 33 city agencies.

Frank says he will return to management consulting “in the short run to pay the bills,” but he plans to build another technology company — following AnswerThink, a consultancy he founded and led from 1997 t0 March 2006.

“Stay tuned,” he said.

In the official release, Frank is credited with four major accomplishments in nearly two and a half years of service:

• City of Philadelphia chosen for inaugural Code for America team of developers — May 2010
• Part of ‘unprecedented’ $120 million IT budget — March 2010
• Led push to ultimately receive citywide $18 million of IT-related federal stimulus funding — September 2009
• Consolidated all IT infrastructure across city government into single Division of Technology — July 2009

Thomas Jones

Of course, there were also shortcomings:

• In March 2010, Frank started an abortive push for Google’s experimental ‘super ultra-highspeed broadband.’
• In April 2010, Frank announced the city would release the following month a 311 smartphone application. That never happened, though it seems like a part of the Code for America team’s focus.

Frank also mentioned that he promised his family that his tenure would be no more than two to three years, having taken a “large pay cut” and moved with his wife and son inside city limits to fulfill residency requirements.

Frank was the city’s second-highest paid employee, at $209,000 annually, reports the Inquirer. The city’s chief medical officer, Sam Gulino, is paid $239,200.

“I took a turn into public service… It’s now about an ongoing strategy execution,” he said. “As for why now? It’s best to have leadership through the next stage of the journey. I pointed the way to the promised land, so to speak. It’s a new year soon. Why not now?

More than $300,000 in state grants and matched local funding is being divvied out to training programs for tech support, Web design, programming, networking and a variety of IT vocations.

The grants and matching funds are a part of a larger investment of $760,000 in grants and $510,000 in matched funding for a total impact of $1.25 million, according to an announcement made last week by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board.

The funds are being distributed to improve industry competitiveness and to address workforce needs in the region in logistics and transportation, advanced manufacturing, higher education and the allied health fields.

The most significant IT investments include Cheney University, with grants equaling $73,875, Pierce College, with $69,000 and Lincoln Tech, with $58,642.

“We know only 30 percent of the jobs in Philadelphia are unskilled, so this investment will play an integral role in keeping people employed and helping businesses to improve productivity,” Investment Board CEO Sallie A. Glickman said in a statement.

According to the organization, 70,000 workers have participated in the program since 2005, resulting in a 6.6 percent average wage increase.

Kensington-based solar startup Solar States fuses education with a unique business plan. Photos courtesy of Solar States.

The growth generation of the region’s solar-tech work force is going to be trained in Northern Liberties, if solar startup Solar States has anything to do about it.

This Saturday is the first of a four-session training course called “Green by Example” held in the NoLibs Community Center by Solar States. The $350 class, taught by LEED For Homes expert Sam Klein, will give participants the shot at learning the latest in solar technology and weatherization. Guest speakers from top green building companies will join the party, too.

It’s the education arm of a fully-fledged solar business.

See, Solar States Solar States aims to become an independent solar power producer by 2010, and the plan is to do so with the help of Philadelphia high school graduates and others who might want the work but don’t have the training.

Saturday’s beginning of the adult vocation course is another step in that mission of developing this city’s sustainable workforce.

But the company is more than education. Its founders say what they’re developing will help shape the solar energy industry for the better.

Solar States is going to undercut PECO. That’s their business plan, and their clients will help them.

Last week, Solar States applied for a state grant after having an approval accepted for a solar array on the Crane Arts Building, a century-old converted artist community space on American Street just above Girard Avenue. If approved, the 83 kilowatt system could be operational as soon as August.

Solar States would fund the installation — which will be handled by King of Prussia solar startup Aztec Solar Power — own the solar array and sell the electricity to Crane Arts at a lower rate than the city’s energy company at a time of much debate about looming statewide rate hikes. For putting up the array, offering reduced costs to Crane and other considerations, Solar States gets itself a free 25-year lease on the artist space roof and a client contracted to buy their solar-powered electricity.

Watch a Solar States promotional video

Solar States, which is based in Kensington, first won widespread attention for launching a pilot program at the Science Leadership Academy, at 22nd and JFK Blvd., in which students were taught the science behind and how to install and maintain sustainable energies.

“A lot of people want to have solar panels on their houses but just don’t have the technical skills,” Gold-Markel told CBS3 last November.

Watch Solar States on Energy Watch from CBS3

Some have said green tech jobs could replace some of what has been lost in the great loss of industrialization in U.S. urban centers. And the jobs can be varied. Government at the federal, state and municipal level are increasingly joining that dialogue. Earlier this month, as the Inqy reported, the state’s long awaited rebate program for solar energy systems is operational. Still, the city’s unemployment rate is nearing 10 percent.

Gold-Markel, a Web designer and former teacher who launched Solar States last August and grew up in West Philly’s Powelton Village, says he’s hoping to capitalize on the times: building a sustainable-energy distributor and putting people to work through training. The company could become one in a crush of a new standard — your neighborhood solar energy distributor.

The next step just happens to be with a class in Northern Liberties.

If interested in joining the four-week course that begins this Saturday, June 6, sign up here.

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly�s tech scene, but aren�t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Update 9:23 p.m. 5/19/09

Philadelphia is one of the 10 best cities in the country to find a tech job, according to PC World.

Add this to the heaping pile of other ways cities are ordered, grouped and ranked by magazines seeking attention.

This tech list, which doesn’t put the 10 in order, includes tech mainstays like the Silicon Valley and Seattle. Other major cultural cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston were also on the list.

Of course, it ain’t the first time one of these lists breezed by.

• In 2000, Men’s Fitness ranked Philadelphia as the fattest city in the nation.
• The American Obesity Association put the cradle of liberty among the ten plumpest towns every year from 2000 to 2005.
• In October 2005, National Geographic labeled Philadelphia the “Next Great City.“
• In June 2007, Food and Wine magazine recanted its criticism of Philly’s food culture and, after a revisit with respected Inquirer food critic Craig Laban, labeled this city one of the nation’s best dining stops. (Scientists have long found correlations between good food and big tummies).
• In October 2007, Travel and Leisure Magazine, with the help of CNN Headline News (the hardest-hitting journalism cable news has done in some time), ranked 25 American cities by a host of criteria in eight categories — which grabbed attention for putting Philly’s looks among the worst.
• In March 2008, Philadelphia’s rank as No. 10 best city for singles plummeted to No. 22.
• In January, Mr. Met edged out the Phillies Phanatic as the best mascot in professional baseball, according to click-obsessed Forbes.
• This month, Philly was called the second best city for recent graduates — behind Indianapolis, yes, the one in Indiana.

So tack this tech list onto that list.

Our city is credited for its “historical landmarks,” because, um, techies like history. The list puts Philly’s tech job population at 1,500 — seems narrow — with an average salary above $51,000.

We can give PC World credit for not forcing us to click nine time, like all those inane Forbes lists do.

Philadelphia was also recently ranked second behind only Boston for the vibrancy of its life-sciences industry, although that ranking, based on a study from the Milken Institute, has bit more research based to it.

Digg and inane magazine subscriptions long ago figured out that Americans love competition enough to read and fight over articles with lists. It’s easy, and it brings attention to content.

Just like writing about those lists can.

Hat tip B&C.