CollegeFeed, which matches job applicants with potential employers, is mainly meant for upperclassmen.
Aja Frost
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CollegeFeed, a free job marketplace and career advice website, launched its partnership with Cal Poly Career Services at the beginning of winter quarter.
Traditional wisdom would suggest students steer away from social media tactics when trying to find a job. But CollegeFeed encourages it.
Applicants create a resume-like profile that, according to the website, “puts their best self forward.” CollegeFeed approves or denies applicants within 24 hours; if accepted, the site will immediately begin reaching out to companies that students have expressed interest in.
Unlike a job board, there are no lists of available positions; instead, CollegeFeed uses employee referrals, meaning students receive emails from employers directly involved in the hiring process, like managers, founders and executives.
“It’s a completely flipped model of career placement,” Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey said.
This will be good news for students like Cecilia Beauchamp, a biomedical engineering graduate student.
“What I don’t like about normal job search websites is that employers never get back to you,” Beauchamp said.
In director of Career Services Martin Shibata’s opinion, the benefits of CollegeFeed extend beyond its inside connections.
“What CollegeFeed also does is take it a step further,” Shibata said. “For example, everyone wants to work for Google. However, it’s very competitive. If you tell CollegeFeed you want to work for Google, it will suggest five other similar companies that you may not have been aware of.”
This recommendation feature will sound familiar to those who use Netflix, which also uses preferences to create relevant suggestions. Except instead of finding a new TV show, students can find a new job.
“Everything about the site is very catered to you,” CollegeFeed founder and CEO Sanjeev Agrawal said. “We don’t expect you to have a lot of experience. We allow you to take what we know you can actually bring — like a term paper or class project. We don’t expect you to have five years of experience in the industry, which would be silly.”
Communications sophomore Luke McDade is featured on CollegeFeed’s Hall of Fame, which spotlights successful profiles. His page displays a video from his Paramount Pictures internship, his work experience, descriptions of the top classes he’s taken at Cal Poly and why he chose them.
But the system has its flaws. To use CollegeFeed, students must fit a relatively narrow set of criteria.
“My concern is that the focus is on technology-based companies — business, engineering,” Shibata said. “But those companies already come to Cal Poly. We’re hoping that as CollegeFeed begins to develop, it will create a broad base of jobs for all sorts of majors.”
According to Agrawal, while it’s true there are more jobs in the technical fields, CollegeFeed recognizes the need to include other types of careers.
“Our mission is to connect every possible student we can with companies that are looking for people like them,” Agrawal said. “Liberal arts majors are actually in pretty high demand with technology companies. There are pure liberal arts jobs as well, and we’re working with schools to identify them.”
The site is primarily meant for those ready to begin their careers, making it less targeted towards underclassmen. While freshmen, sophomores and juniors can still apply, they will not be presented to any potential employers. However, Shibata still encourages underclassmen to apply.
“There are some internships on the site, and you can also use it as a networking tool,” he said.
According to CollegeFeed’s website, 31 percent of applicants are accepted into the program. Agrawal urges students to increase their chances by making their profile like a story and proving their skills with the work sample section.
Shibata is confident that CollegeFeed will become a valuable resource for Cal Poly students.
“We’re trying to create other types of resources,” Shibata said. “The job search process is not just one thing. You have to get outside the box— you can’t just use MustangJOBS.”