UC student’s startup company makes finding a job easier
Student co-founds website Candidate Crate to help with the job search
Priscilla Kamwana (chemical engineering '21), co-founder of Candidate Crate. Photo/Provided.
A job search can be a frustrating experience. The job market sometimes feels like an overcrowded tourist trap. Companies from all over bombard job seekers with different positions, often with titles and responsibilities that are vague and confusing. What exactly is an account manager, anyways?
With so many options, employers and positions run together, disappearing into the cacophony of what we’ve accepted as the modern job search. Job search engines like Indeed and Monster help create order out of the chaos, but the sheer number of employment opportunities still makes the whole process feel disengaging.
In an age where the turnover rate for millennials is at record levels, one might question if people really know what jobs they’re applying for right out of college. In this flood of employers, how does someone find the right fit?
Enter Candidate Crate, a one-stop shop for job seekers and employers, focusing on helping these two parties intelligently connect. Candidate Crate was designed to make the job-seeking process easier, faster and more effective for both candidates and employers.
“We tried to find a way for candidates to assess the fulfillment value of a job in an online environment that informs them of different jobs and what exactly people do in those jobs,” says Priscilla Kamwana (chemical engineering ’21), one of the cofounders of Candidate Crate. “And we wanted to do this in a friendly, colorful and informative way.”
We identified that applicants don’t really understand what they’re getting into [when they apply for a job]. Candidate Crate eliminates that confusion.
Priscilla Kamwana Candidate Crate Co-founder
Kamwana was recently ranked one of Cincinnati’s “25 under 25” by Cincy Inno. She and her brother, David, along with their friend Sare Goitom founded Candidate Crate in 2016 in response to David and Goitom’s frustrating job search experience. The two friends had just graduated college, and they had difficulty sorting through companies’ job postings, all located on separate websites in different formats. Each time they applied for a job, it felt like their resume was just getting lost in a sea of endless applicants.
Through Candidate Crate, the trio of young entrepreneurs looked to eliminate this disconnect between the candidate and the company.
Candidate Crate works like this: Job seekers create an online profile and create their resume with Candide Crate’s resume builder.
Each company looking for a qualified candidate also creates an online profile. Candidate Crate works with these companies to build online profiles that include items like company descriptions, job postings, hierarchy charts and other tools that can help them recruit better.
Candidate Crate is a website that makes the job search easier, faster and more effective. Photo/Provided.
Unlike traditional job search sites, where users apply through a link that leads them to an external site, Candidate Crate brings everything to one site, creating a unifying and transparent experience for both parties involved. This experience creates a social network between hiring companies and qualified candidates.
“Users can see what the company is about, how long they’ve been in existence and what jobs are available,” says Priscilla Kamwana. “We identified that applicants don’t really understand what they’re getting into [when they apply for a job]. Candidate Crate eliminates that confusion.”
Candidate Crate has an algorithm to connect job seekers with companies. When a job needs filling, both candidates and companies automatically receive suggestions: companies receive qualified candidates’ profiles, and candidates can receive suggestions for a job that aligns with their interests and qualifications.
In addition to connecting companies with candidates, Candidate Crate serves as a resource for any type of job seeker, from an established professional looking for a career change to a student still in school. The startup constantly posts and reposts articles and advice on its Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts that cover topics like resumes, interviews and careers. One of the goals of the company is to guide students toward the right career path while they are still in school.
“Students can constantly learn and develop professionally by having this resource that enables them to search for internships or full-time positions,” says Kamwana, “all while reading more about the different companies, industries and types of jobs out there.”
Candidate Crate has been in development over the last several years and is scheduled to launch soon. When it does, Candidate Crate will simplify the job search by tearing down the walls that have traditionally separated candidates and employers. This new, transparent environment will be a place where candidates and employers can easily find what they’ve been looking for all along: the right person, the right company, and most importantly, the right fit.
Related Stories
Scientists craft bold plan to unlock secrets of RNA
May 16, 2024
UC Vice President for Research Patrick Limbach is a key figure in the National Academies’ massive undertaking to sequence RNA in the next 15 years.
GE Aerospace expands Next Engineers program for Cincinnati youth
May 15, 2024
GE Aerospace Foundation is investing further in its Next Engineers program, including the Cincinnati location facilitated by the University of Cincinnati, extending the program locally through 2028. Engineering Academy, a three-year engineering education program for high-schoolers, graduated its first cohort of students. Students who complete the program and go on to pursue an engineering degree in college will receive a scholarship.
1000Zebras joins forces with 1819 Innovation Hub
May 13, 2024
The need for entrepreneurs to have access and visibility to dependable service professionals has never been more essential, and a delay in connecting with reliable providers can have an impact on progress and growth. This is where 1000Zebras, a business-to-business digital service marketplace and recent University of Cincinnati 1819 Innovation Hub startup partner, emerges, introducing an innovative twist that has the potential to be a transformative force in the online marketplace industry.