As the spring semester rapidly comes to a close and Notre Dame students anxiously await responses from companies in one of the highest unemployment environments in the decade, a new resource, Grads2Biz, can help promote their success with job and internship placement.
Grads2Biz, which launched this month, works to connect top students from America's elite schools and programs to Fortune 500 companies.
It differentiates itself from other job boards online "by promoting students and recent grads instead of jobs listed by companies," according to its April 1st press release.
Students create personal profiles including information on their majors, employment or internship preference, clubs and memberships, and date of availability to begin work. Employers then search for talent using this variety of criteria.
"This simple format gives employers easy access to the resumes of students whose profiles fit their needs, and frees students from the tedium of completing numerous applications and composing repetitive cover letters," the press release said.
The job board was initiated by 21-year-old Alexander Mayer, a current student at the University of Wisconsin and a first-time entrepreneur.
"Grads2Biz strives to make the employment process as quick and painless as possible on both sides of the equation, employer and job seeker," Mayer said in the release. "Our unique process helps elite talent find elite businesses nearly effortlessly."
The new business can help Notre Dame students specifically, Grads2Biz representative Melissa Russell said.
"With Grads2Biz, Notre Dame students stand out from the crowds and don't get lost in the shuffle. There's a lot of noise out there that can make it hard for employers to find you," she said.
She identified Grads2Biz as a strong resource for students in the nation's current economic climate.
"Sending in your resume isn't a guarantee that it will even get read anymore, especially with the job market being so saturated," she said. "But there is a definite and real value in bringing the best and the brightest to the top, so that these top employers can find the right college students and graduates for these awesome entry-level jobs or internships."
Students eligible to use the resource are those attending the specific institutions identified by the company with a minimum grade point average of 3.2.
"We think so highly of Notre Dame students, and know that employers do too, so when we launched we made sure we were admitting them to the site right away," Russell said.
Grads2Biz also provides job hunting and career advice for students, and will soon feature a resource guide and blog "to give tips on how to best traverse a rough job market," the press release announced.
"Connecting students to their dream jobs is our ultimate goal, but we also want them to be prepared to be successful in whatever they do," Mayer said in the press release.
Russell said opportunities exist for underclassmen already considering the opportunities that await them upon graduation
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"We're also looking for creative, enthusiastic individuals to become student ambassadors from Notre Dame," she said.
Students using the resource pay fifty dollars for a three year membership, according to the website. To celebrate its launch, however, the company has made registration free for students into the summer.
