The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Each weekend, Mashable handpicks a few startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products.
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Startups pop up every day, adding an extra layer of convenience to our online experiences. This weekend's bunch is no different, each making common online functions more useful.
The online job seeker should see if his résumé passes the test with RezScore's résumé grading application. The amateur photographer can graduate to professional status on the web and make a few sales with the help of Artflakes. And, the spontaneous daily deal buyer might want to offload some bad buys with the help of CouponTrade.
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RezScore: Résumé Report Cards
Quick Pitch: RezScore is a free web app that reads, analyzes and grades résumés.
Genius Idea: Résumé report card.
Mashable's Take: Our social media achievements may speak to our professional feats, but most hiring managers will still want to see an old-fashioned résumé during the job application promises. Thankfully, startup RezScore promises to grade your résumé before you hand over a flunking CV.
The site uses proprietary algorithms -- based on the practices and preferences of résumé writers, hiring managers, HR directors and job search experts -- to read through your résumé in seconds. It then returns a letter grade anywhere between an A+ and F-.
RezScore also offers tips for improving your resume, and you can connect with the site's expert "evisors" for additional assistance.
Artflakes: Art That's Accessible
Quick Pitch: Artflakes is a community marketplace for art prints, posters and cards.
Genius Idea: Accessible art from amateur photographers.
Mashable's Take: Hobby photographers and artists have a friend in Artflakes, a printing service they can use to sell their photos and share their work with fans, without the hassle of managing payments and order fulfillment.
The site translates photographers' shots into adorable pieces of art, ranks artists and photos by popularity and organizes works into collections for easy discovery. You can also upload your own photos to order prints in a variety of styles.
Artflakes sells art prints, poster prints, canvas prints, gallery prints and greeting cards for each of the images available, but we also get a kick out of the startup's Instagram and Picplz sticker books.
The Berlin-based startup launched in November 2010 and now has more than 300,000 works by 20,000 photographers and artists. It's backed by the IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft Fund.
CouponTrade: Couriers on Demand
Quick Pitch: CouponTrade is an online marketplace for buying and selling daily deals and gift cards.
Genius Idea: Dump those daily deals you don't want.
Mashable's Take: In the buy-now-or-forever-pay-full-price world of the daily deal, buyer's remorse is bound to be a common occurrence. CouponTrade to the rescue. Here you can sell your unused daily deals and gift cards, or shop around for discarded gems from other users.
In the near future, the seed-funded CouponTrade will also barter in digital coupons and coupon codes. Plus, the startup is promising to add a deal organizer with a map-based view.
CouponTrade's premise is far from new, but the secondary market for daily deals is here to stay.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, pixdeluxe
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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