Found: The job app making CVs obsolete

Referred to as ‘Tinder for Jobs’, Found is shaking up the $11 billion recruitment industry by targeting their business towards millennials.

Found is a job app targeted towards millennials. Source: SBS

40% of young Australians say they struggle to find work.

On the flipside, for recruiters, finding the right staff is a continuous challenge.

Andrew Joyce and Peter Marchiori saw this as an opportunity to help young people find jobs on a device they’re most familiar with – their phone.

The pair co-founded mobile hiring platform Found in 2015, using funds from their previous start-up Rifurb to bootstrap it.

 “100% of young people have phones, 50 percent laptops and 25 have desktops,” says Andrew.

“100% of young people have phones, 50 percent laptops and 25 have desktops.”

“Basically you’re seeing half of those young people not able to apply for jobs.”

Job hunters can swipe through jobs, saying yes or no to them on the mobile app. Source: SBS

Found is challenging the traditional online job application model of a CV and a cover letter.

With almost 5,000 jobs listed on the platform, job hunters simply swipe for a job instead of having to create cover letters for each.

Job hunters simply swipe for a job

“They create a profile, enter education, any work experience as well, and what jobs they’ve had in the past,” explains Andrew.

The pre-saved information model is proving popular with 566,000 people signed up to the app currently.

Large organistions such as the Australian Defence Force, Flight Centre, and KFC are using the app to hire new staff.

However, it is also gaining popularity among small businesses such as bars and hotels.

Popular eastern suburbs spot, Watson Bay Boutique Hotel uses the app to locate casual staff for their summer season.

“Demand for staff is seasonal,” explains Lloyd Boolkin, Hiring Manager for the hotel.

“Leading into summer we do a big recruitment drive hiring about 30 people a week.”

The seasonal work proves appealing to travelers looking to land a job quickly during their working holiday.

Aina Catalina working at Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel Source: SBS

Aina Catalina, an employee at Watson’s Bay Hotel was hired through the app.

“I downloaded the app, just applied for Watsons, Lloyd contacted me the day after, I did the trial and that’s it,” she says.

Found is processing more than 300,000 applications a month, setting itself as a key player in the future of recruitment. 

“We want to be the way that young people get their jobs is and to enable employers to effectively engage with youth workforce,” says Andrew.