Looking for a job can certainly be stressful. You send out a bunch of resumes and get nowhere fast. Now, two local grad students and their business partner could be on the verge of a career search revolution.
You use your smartphone for almost everything. Chances are that you've used it to look and apply for jobs. But finding the right fit can seem impossible.
"It just seemed to me there's got to be a better way," said Markus Waite, University of Tampa executive MBA student.
Through the entrepreneurship center at the University of Tampa, Markus Waite got connected with another grad student, Karan Walia. Waite brought colleague and HR professional Keri Higgins-Bigelow into the mix. Higgins-Bigelow helps companies find workers and says there's one constant problem.
"Both the candidate and the employer are struggling to find each other in the first place," said Higgins-Bigelow.
Together, the team created an app called Zuloc. They figured if websites can quiz you to find a good date, there should be an app matching you with your dream job.
"It basically allows the candidates as well as companies to match make each other in a way that's more relevant than wasting time on other job sites," said Karan Walia, Zuloc Technologies founder.
Employers list more than just the job opening. They describe how their company operates and the type of worker they want.
As a job seeker, you can showcase your skill sets in the "How I Rock" section, and pinpoint the kind of work environment that makes you thrive as "How I Roll" through a series of short quizzes.
"Then we give you a score that helps you match with the right company," said Walia.
The app is about to launch a testing phase with a major human resources consulting company in Tampa Bay and plans to go public this summer. So far, 60 employers and nearly a thousand job seekers have signed up to be listed on Zuloc.
"There is a bridge from here to the business community and we want to push them out into the community to make a difference," said Dr. Rebecca White with the UT Lowth Entrepreneurship Center.
You can sign up to be notified of when the app officially launches here.
