A realtime job matching system installed last year by Student Job Search has enormously improved the ability of students to apply for jobs, says CEO Paul Kennedy.
"It's been a great leveller for us. Previously they had to phone us or go into an office, which covered only five percent of student engagements," he says. "Our call centre was clogged up when students were looking for jobs in the summer."
Students can now apply for jobs at any time of the day or night, wherever they can access a web browser.
Student Job Search is an incorporated society and a registered charity. It is funded mainly by a $3.5 million contract with the Ministry of Social Development, and through contributory fees by student associations.
Kennedy says the new SAS-based system originated in the UK and was sold to the British government. A subsequent system, developed by Simitive, met 80 percent of the requirements Student Job Search outlined in an RFP.
Simitive has a subsidiary in New Zealand.
Student Job Search chose Wellington company FINNZ (FishServe Innovations New Zealand) for the project and to provide the working solution.
"We're not a technology organisation," Kennedy says. "FINNZ knew how to design a system that would deliver a high-quality customer service above all else. They understood the operational side of things, so they could be realistic about what we needed to produce, they could challenge us around ideas and identify what was important.
"Students are technologically savvy, so we needed to make sure our systems met their expectations.
"The system means they can apply for available positions at any time from anywhere. They are automatically notified about jobs that meet their requirements, which saves time."
From last June, the system has handled 162,000 job applications, about half of which took the applicants through the screening process for the employer. In January alone, there were 113,000 unique visits.
Student Job Search has an Australasian agency for the system. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fishserve. Established in 2003, it provides business analysis, software development and business process and outsourcing services to government agencies.