The founders of Jobzle, a job search website designed to help Rhode Island students find jobs while still in college, said they plan to expand the website's reach to other New England locations this summer.
Kevin Durfee '11 and Walker Williams '11 co-founded Jobzle in 2009 to serve as "the butler of job services" by connecting local employers and students looking for jobs, Williams said.
Though Jobzle's growth was initially slow, it surged in popularity last September, Williams said. They said their goal is now to reach 25,000 users by the end of 2011, as they expand the website to other locations. After graduating in the spring, they plan to move Jobzle's headquarters to Boston and bring Jobzle's services to the rest of New England.
In addition to overhauling the website last September, Durfee and Williams — along with three other head staffers — have worked to expand the site's popularity through social networking and innovative features. Jobzle uses Facebook and Twitter to help promote its services. Social networking "is probably our most useful tool in acquiring college students," Durfee said.
Jobzle, which provides a simple, yet comprehensive way to link students to jobs,acts somewhat like an online adviser for students with specific job interests. For example, the site has a recommendation feature that accounts for a student's interests, and then suggests jobs that might appeal to that student. Students can opt to receive periodic e-mails from Jobzle with new job listings, Durfee said.
Jobzle also allows employers a personalized experience by offering "gold accounts", a premium service which allows companies faster communication and access to statistics about students who viewed their pages. These features allow employers to find the most qualified students more easily, Durfee and Williams said.
In addition to helping top finance and consulting firms, Jobzle makes it affordable for start-up companies to post internship jobs, and even allows families looking to hire a babysitter to create a listing.
To attract employers, Jobzle maintains partnerships with the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce and the Rhode Island Tech Collective. Durfee and Williams said they also plan to introduce a campus representative program to promote Jobzle along with small viral marketing events.
Andrew Simmons, director of the Career Development Center, said he is familiar with Jobzle and believes it is a useful tool for students, especially those searching for jobs in the Rhode Island area.
