While a 75 percent hiring rate sounded implausible to some Yale students, SquareJobs — a recently-launched job-listings site aimed at students from elite universities — promises just that to applicants who apply to jobs through its Web site.
SquareJobs, an outgrowth of the networking Web site TheSquare.com, connects students and alumni from 40 top universities. Only those from one of the 40 schools can browse SquareJobs’ listings. By creating a network of approximately 200 employers from many different industries and linking them to highly qualified students from these schools, SquareJobs hopes to surpass both traditional internet sites and on-campus resources, Director of Marketing and Membership for TheSquare Elizabeth Arnold said.
“One of the reasons [for the high hire rate] is from where we draw the employers that are posting,” Arnold said. “We draw from TheSquare community, from members who — value the educational background of all the applicants.”
The new site, officially started this May, is also launching a campaign to broaden the number of applicants it reaches by attracting younger college students with internship opportunities, Arnold said.
“It’s helpful for students to have that ability to look at internships, as well as see the future of other positions available,” she said.
Many Yale students said they have never looked online for jobs. Those who have used the internet for job placement said they had mixed feelings about the search process.
Jon Pugh ’05, who is looking for a consulting job in the Boston area, said he has looked through both Yale University’s Undergraduate Career Services site and outside Web sites, including Craigslist.
“To be honest, it’s a painful process,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot of feedback. You feel like your resume is being dumped into a black hole in a human-resources department.”
Working through UCS is “incredibly different” from applying through these corporate Web sites, Pugh said. Companies advertising through UCS provide more timely and consistent feedback, he said.
“When you submit an application online through UCS, you definitely get a response. Getting rejected sucks, but at least you know, and that’s kind of missing when you apply directly through a Web site,” Pugh said.
Kathleen Baker ’05 said that she found an internship with Goldman Sachs through the UCS Web site, whose system she said was time-consuming but useful. She also looked at Monster.com, which overwhelmed her with a large number of listings.
“There were so many results, so unless you can really narrow it down — [you are] wading through lists of jobs,” Baker said.
SquareJobs screens all the jobs posted on its site, so searchers are not overwhelmed by a multitude of postings, Arnold said.
Pugh said though UCS is a good resource for jobs in finance and consulting, the service can frustrate students not searching in those industries. SquareJobs has tried to address this common bias, Arnold said.
“We have these alumni — who work in a variety of different companies,” she said. “We’re able to offer that variety of other [opportunities].”
Baker said given the need, she would gladly use online job search services even though they require more effort to use than the UCS services.
“You have to use your initiative a little more,” Baker said.