Our Founders Story- How CareerApp came to be

I’ve known that I wanted to go to school for business since I was in about second grade. Business has always intrigued me and I’ve been trying to find my place within that spectrum since then. When I was applying for college every time I spoke with someone about being a business major they recommended Northeastern University because of its co-op program. Since I graduated in 2009, as the country was going through hard economic times, getting a year and a half of work experience before I graduated sounded like a really good idea.

I entered Northeastern as a Business Major concentrating in Entrepreneurship but second guessed that as I was told that I needed a more “functional” concentration like Marketing. As I continued my degree I came full circle when I came up with what I thought was a really interesting idea. I was applying for my second co-op and just spreading my resume around. Even with what I considered a polished resume and the experience I had – I was still getting passed over for interviews for amazing positions.

I had an immensely frustrating week where I had 6 interviews in 4 days with no offers so I started applying to jobs on career portals and searching through job boards. After a couple of hours I was left with headache and confused about why we needed to fill out different applications for each job. This issue was solved for college applications when the Common App came about and I couldn’t understand why that couldn’t be done for entry level jobs.

I spent the next year doing research and learning as much as I could – about everything. I read books, articles, and blogs and spoke with anyone who would talk to me. I played the “student” card a lot and went to events for discounted prices and asked for advice and was a sponge. There’s an entire entrepreneurial community in Boston (and the country) and there was so much information to take in. I learned a lot about HR tech, as well as equity, website development, good UX/UI design, our legal needs, accounting, pitching, and more. While there’s certainly more that I don’t know than do know – I’ve loved learning more and think that I’m getting closer to figuring out where I belong.

My company, Prospective Plus, is building CareerApp as the “Common App for jobs”. We allow candidates to create a single, strong job application and can apply to multiple positions with one click. Our focus is to allow new grads to showcase their past achievements and positive traits, in and out of formal work experience, and express their potential. Employers then receive a robust application and also have the opportunity to search the candidate pool to find candidates. We don't believe that a resume is enough and we're addressing pain points for candidates and employers. 

We also just started working on a Career Fair tool built around our central idea. The goal is to help employers and candidates connect before, during, and after a career fair. This idea has a mobile and web component, would eliminate the need to pass around paper resumes at the event, would get companies and candidate on our site, and would give recruiters access to career fairs they couldn't attend in person. 

We’re still early and building and growing and fundraising- but we’re a passionate team that believes in this company. So despite the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship and despite the fact that I have no idea what my future holds – I’m excited to continue down this path a see where it takes me.

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Phoebe Farber is a Senior at Northeastern University in Boston and the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has built CareerApp.me - the Common App for Jobs. Connect with Phoebe via @PhoebeFarber, @CareerApp, or phoebe@careerapp.me .

Guest Blog for CornontheJob.com - Why Standard Applications are Broken for New Grads

Why Standard Applications are Broken for New Grads

Phoebe Farber is a Senior at Northeastern University in Boston and the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has built CareerApp.me – the Common App for Jobs. Connect with Phoebe via @PhoebeFarber, @CareerApp, or phoebe@careerapp.me .

As a new grad you may not have much formal work experience or great connections that can land you a job. So you’re stuck doing some soul searching to figure out what you want to do and where you want to live while scouring job boards and company career portals trying to find something that fits you. But applications today are redundant, time consuming, and frustrating.

Despite the debate, the resume is not dead and is still the focal point of many job applications. Investing the time in polishing your resume is time well spent but as more employers want to see you differentiate yourself from the crowd you need to showcase your achievements, awards, past performances, leadership roles, and more as you apply for jobs. As a job seeker in a competitive market you need to be able to put the best parts of your professional self on display and below I listed a few suggestions.

1. Have references ready:  References allow employers to see you as a well-rounded person and hear about your skills, work ethic, and more from a third party perspective. References don’t always have to be a past employer; they can be a professor, coach, adviser, or anyone who can provide a solid reference. Not all employers will want references, but be sure to have 2-3 people who have already agreed to be a reference to you and include their information whenever possible in an application.

2. Build a portfolio: Many employers look for past work or achievements when they go to hire. The type of portfolio that is appropriate for you depends on what your academic and career interests are.
Many computer science students use GitHub (github.com) to share their code and past projects, Art students may use Behance (behance.com), Carbonmade (carbonmade.com), or another type of portfolio to share their past works, and English/Communications students may use blogs. A well-crafted portfolio is a great way to show what you’ve done and to stand apart.

3.  Create a [positive] web presence:  Web presence is a loaded term.  On one hand, you want to protect your personal profile on sites like Facebook and Instagram while sharing those pieces of you that you want employers to see and can help your job search.

To deal with my first point, there’s a great company called BrandYourself (brandyourself.com) that helps you maintain your personal “brand” online and make sure that when someone Googles your name they find YOU.

To my second point, I founded a company that is building CareerApp (careerapp.me) as the “Common App for jobs” that allows you to create a robust profile and really showcase yourself to employers. You can share your profile with employers and apply to jobs with one click to help your job application process.

As a job seeker you will need to be proactive, prepared, and motivated. As a new entrant to the workforce you’ll need to be creative about finding jobs, discovering what is a good fit for your personality, skill set, and interests, and making yourself stand out to get hired.  Be sure to put your best foot forward and prove that you’re more than a piece of paper.

30 great resources for Student Entrepreneurs!

I just wanted to put together some great resources for student entrepreneurs. Feel free to comment to mention any I missed!

NEWS:

• Under30CEO

Great, relevant articles for young entrepreneurs.

• Twitter 

Follow thought leaders and branding yourself.

• BostInno

Great articles about everything.

• Seth Godin's blog

Seth updates his blog daily and is a mktg. guru.

• Newsle

Import your contacts and get updates when people you know are in the news.

FINDING FOUNDERS:

• CoFoundersLab

Search by area, skill set, what they're 
looking for, etc. to find a cofounder.

• VentureCrowd 

A spin off of the Center for Research Inno. at
NU. Create a profile and find team members.

TOOLS:

• Yesware

"Email for Sales People". Try it for free with Gmail.

• Goodwin proctor Founders Workbench

Find great, free legal resources.

• Fiverr

People post what they'll do for $5. Find people 
to promote your site, do design work, etc.

• E-powerhouse

Great resource for entrepreneurs.

• Odesk

Oursource your work.

• LinkedIn

Create a professional profile and connect with
people you've networked with. 

EVENTS:

• Venture Cafe

Based in the Cambridge Innovation Center. Great events. 

• Mass Innovation Night

Monthly meetup where companies pitch. 

• Boston New Tech Meetup

Monthly meetup where companies pitch. 

• Greenhorn Connect

Great resource, I love using their calendar.

COMMISSIONS:

• Commission Junction
• Click Bank

ORGANIZING:

• PivotalTracker
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• Google Analytics

RESEARCH:

• Cision
• Factiva (in the NU library resources section)

FUNDING:

• Start Garden
• Rough Draft

LEARNING:

• Intelligent.ly (classes are free for college students, email to ask about it)
• NU eClub (and their iTunesU page)

FREE BUSINESS CARDS:

• Scroll down in this blog for the coupon. 

 ***

Phoebe Farber is the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has built CareerApp.me - the Common App for Jobs. She is from NY but is currently based in Boston as she attends Northeastern University. Feel free to reach out to Phoebe at phoebe@careerapp.me .

Mind your Manners! Dining etiquette tips for Young Professionals

As you begin attending networking events and setting up dinner meetings with associates, dining etiquette becomes more important. It’s common knowledge that nonverbal cues contribute to how you present yourself and dining is a perfect example of that.

I recently went to a great Dining Etiquette class and I wanted to share a few of the lessons I learned.

• Silverware
• The silverware in front of you shows what meal you’ll be having. Since you never reuse utensils, you’ll be using one set per course.
• Start from outside in. Begin by using the silverware on the outside and work towards the utensils closer to your plate.
• Sitting

• Sit down from the right of your chair.
• Wait for your host to sit first.
• Only take off jacket if host does. The instructor said that leaving clothes on to signifies power.
• Be aware of your real estate, know which is your water, your silverware, your plate when you sit down.
• Fold your napkin in half. Place it in your lap with fold near your knees so that you can easily brush off discarded food if need be.
• Being served
• Wait staff serves on left and clears from right. Keep this in mind during the meal so that you know which way to lean. Be sure to thank the wait staff!
• Eating
• Use “continental” style of eating – hold fork down, use knife to push food on plate. (see resources)
• Scoop soup away from self. Be sure not to slurp or blow on soup.
• If bread is offered, you may take bread and place it on the proper plate. Our instructor told us not to move bread plate up. Proper etiquette is to break off bite sized piece, apply butter, chew, repeat.
• Salt and pepper travel together. Consider the two married – pass and receive them together.
• If you have a piece of meat don’t cut up the whole piece. Be sure to cut off one piece at a time, chew that piece, and repeat.
• Try not to mix all of your foods together. If there are separate pieces of the course that you would like to mix, you can mix them on a small scale – basically for each bite. Please refrain from mixing the whole plate together into one big mass.
• Try food before salting. Our instructor shared a story with us about a job candidate heavily salting their food before trying it, the interviewer concluded that this was an impatient person who acted without proof and passed on them. While this is an extreme, tasting before salting probably makes sense. Also, salting before tasting can insult the cook if the meal is homemade!
• Only eat a bite at a time so that you can talk. Be sure to only eat small pieces of food so that you aren’t trying to speed chew to answer a question.
• Finishing your meal
• When done with soup, leave your spoon in soup or on the rim.
• Put silverware down properly to show resting or that you’re done.
• Don’t remove unwanted food from plate, just push it aside and ignore it.
• If you need to leave, just say “excuse me” and put your napkin on chair, if leaving permanently just say “it was wonderful dining with you”.
• 3 B’s of leaving a conversation - bathroom, bar, boring. Be sure to be polite when leaving a conversation!
• Paying

• If this is a free dinner or event you pre-paid for, then you’re all set!
• If you’re hosting and paying -try to set up a way to pay beforehand. Either pre-pay or put a card on record to avoid awkwardness at the end.
• If you attended, be sure to send a thank you note. Hand written preferred!

We hope that this has been helpful! Keep in mind that etiquette changes depending on the situation and that while we discussed some great general rules, this was mostly tailored to a more formal event.

Resources:

·        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyuC950XCTI

·        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fypq2qhRZnI

·        General videos

***

Phoebe Farber is the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has built CareerApp.me - the Common App for Jobs. She is from NY but is currently based in Boston as she attends Northeastern University. Feel free to reach out to Phoebe at phoebe@careerapp.me .

4 Ways to Share your CareerApp profile!

Now that you've created your CareerApp.me profile be sure to spread it around! As an active job seeker, the more networking, the better. Below are a few ways that you can share your profile link to others!

1. Social media: 
• Add your link to your profile. Sites to consider are:
• LinkedIn (under "Personal site")
• Facebook (in "About")
• Twitter (in your "Bio")
• Share your profile via your profiles.
• A sample message might be "Check out my job application at 
• www.careerapp.me/YOURPROFILE."
2. Email signature
• Having a professional email signature is important. You can go into settings and edit your signature to include anything you see as relevant. I always make sure to include my name, title, and phone number. Make sure to include CareerApp in your signature and link your profile!
3. On business cards
• Business cards are very important when networking (see our previous post about this!). Make sure to include your CareerApp link on your business card along with your name, email, and phone number!
4. In networking emails
• When emailing a resume or discussing a potential position you can always link your CareerApp to offer more information without being too obtrusive. 

Let us know if you have any questions about this or have any other suggestions about sharing your CareerApp profile!

***

Phoebe Farber is the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has built CareerApp.me - the Common App for Jobs. She is from NY but is currently based in Boston as she attends Northeastern University. Feel free to reach out to Phoebe at phoebe@careerapp.me .

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The 4 Rules of Proper Email Ettiquette

By the time senior year rolls around, most undergraduates have some experience with the corporate email world. There is almost never formal training in “how to write a professional email” because it’s assuming that you just know how, or can figure it out soon enough. The corporate email world includes current and potential employers, colleagues, and your professional network in general.

Poor emailing manners can get you misunderstood or blacklisted. At the beginning of a professional relationship, your initial email will serve as the first impression of you and in long term, digitally based relationships your email tone will represent your character. We wanted to offer some tips to help you write professional emails.

1.   Bottom line, upfront please. Irrespective of the mode of professional communication, get to the point quickly. The subject of your email should be brief, eye catching, and descriptive. The first few sentences of your email should focus on the reason(s) for the email and the result(s) you want, after the recipient has read the email.

A 2008 study by Weinreich et al., found that, on average, only 49% of words on any given web page are actually read. More attention will be paid to your email’s first line than the 20^th.

2.   Remember your audience. I personally always refer to people older than myself as “Mr.” or “Ms.” in our first email. Then when they respond and sign with their first name in the signature or in a more open tone, I move to addressing them by their first name if it feels appropriate.

We’ll write a follow up post on cold emails, but be sure that you know enough about the person you’re email (correct spelling of their name, what their position is, what they have done in the industry, etc.).

3.   Maintain a professional and polite tone. Sarcasm and humor are hard enough to detect in phone conversations, let alone emails. Those reading emails don’t have the benefit of your non-verbal cues. Remember that emails can easily be misinterpreted and you never want to burn bridges accidentally.

4.   Keep it clean- visually and grammatically. No one likes opening an email and seeing an essay, especially if this is an introductory email. Brevity is key so focus on saying what you mean in as few words as possible. I also try to break up my text into different paragraphs if I can- instead of one large chunk of text so that my content is more easily digestible.   

Grammatical and spelling mistakes reflect poorly on one’s attention to detail and reputation. In today’s economy, one strike against you as a first impression means you are out. I always re-read my emails (and other written work) to make sure that I prevent grammatically awkward sentences, forgotten relevant thoughts, or misspelled words. Editing emails is essential.

For more on this topic, enjoy these links:

• Microsoft’s own tips for better emails on Outlook
• Here’s Dave Johnson’s personal rules for email 
• Michael Hyatt’s corporate email advice once you’re on thejob
• Career Tools podcast site
• Emails too long? Here’s a fix:  
• Why Limiting Emails to 50 Words Is a Great Idea (Mashable)
• 15 Essential E-Mail Etiquette Tips

***

Phoebe Farber is the Founder & CEO of Prospective Plus, which has builtCareerApp.me - the Common App for Jobs. She is from NY but is currently based in Boston as she attends Northeastern University. Feel free to reach out to Phoebe at phoebe@careerapp.me .