Whether you are in college or a new graduate, you probably need all the help you can get identifying new and ideal positions and finding internships.
WHAT DO INTERNSHIPS & FIRST JOBS HAVE IN COMMON?
No. That’s not the start of a joke. The answer is that they can both be hard to find. Internships are great resume builders for college students. They can be a crucial factor in a company’s decision to interview you and eventually hire you when you start interviewing for your first job out of college. Internships can also be the start of your networking prowess as you establish relationships with professionals in your industry that you can utilize as you advance in your career. But finding internships is not always easy even if the career services team at your university of college seems to be well connected with multiple internship opportunities. Oftentimes, students don’t know where else to look.
As a new grad, it can also be hard to find that ideal first job and employer. Perhaps you are getting frustrated with the same old job search engines, reaching out to family friends for leads and consulting with your unemployed college friends for advice.
I tried out a new app, BOJ, designed for college students and new grads looking for internships and great first jobs.
TINDER FOR THE JOB SEARCH
BOJ is an app that matches students and recent graduates with internships and employment opportunities. The creator of the app, Brooke Dunwell, described BOJ as Tinder for the job search.
It’s simple to use. You can sign-in via LinkedIn or Facebook. In order to start receiving jobs, you must have a profile. It couldn’t be easier. It takes all of five minutes to complete. Once done, wait for matches. It saves a lot of time during the application process because the details you’d need for each application are always accessible via the app after you’ve filled them in once. In other words, you’re not having to re-create each application from scratch. BOJ stores your info. In order for your profile to be complete, though, a resume must be uploaded. It’s simple to upload your resume via either Dropbox or Google Drive. If your resume is not uploaded you won’t receive matches.
When matches start coming your way, you can swipe left or right depending on your interest level. If you want to learn more about the background of a company you can click on a link from any job match.
There are also amazing resources available on the app to help you connect with the employer and successfully navigate the job search.
You can set up to five preferred geographies from where you’d be open to accepting a job. You can also set up a profile for up to 10 different roles.
EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS
Most of the employers using BOJ are small to medium sized businesses you may not have heard of and that are growing. This is perfect if you’d rather cut your professional teeth or get an internship at a smaller company as opposed to big, matrixed organizations. This type of exposure to new companies will be invaluable throughout your career. The more you know, the greater your opportunities.
You can download BOJ from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Consider it yet another tool to use in your job search that will expose you to new opportunities, shorten your job search and even help you find the right job.
The best is yet to come,
Michelle