A new job search website is aiming to speed up and simplify the job hunt process by combining students’ LinkedIns and Facebooks on one site for employers to see.

‘Our generation is accustomed to social networking,’ said David Chodak, a senior political science major at Syracuse University who is a representative of the website, called Identified. ‘This incorporates the easy-to-use aspects of Facebook and the sophisticated aspects of LinkedIn.’

Identified was nationally launched Sept. 20, with support from individual entrepreneurs and more than 200 companies, including nonprofits and companies like AOL, The Walt Disney Co. and Intel Corp.

The site was founded at Stanford University. The founding was followed by a college tour, during which the website was promoted at the Ivy League schools, in addition to University of Michigan, Wake Forest University, University of Virginia and Duke University.

‘I hope that they will include us in the upcoming college tour. I want to be a part of this initial surge so that we can be their experienced users,’ Chodak said.

Each company participating in the site has its own page, with either a general application or a list of divisions of specialty occupations in departments like information technology or leadership development.

Identified is free for both its corporations and 4,000 users, but as the site becomes more popular, Chodak said he expects businesses will have to pay fees to be members of the site.

‘This will really save money that companies spend on job fairs, and they can gather information fast about a candidate,’ Chodak said.

Identified automatically integrates with Facebook, so users can use their Facebook usernames and passwords to sign in and will be linked to their Facebook friends.

Friend lists on Identified can be multi-tiered, Chodak said.

‘The site integrated my 1,400 friends on Facebook. These are my first degree of friends,’ Chodak said. ‘However, I also have a group of second-degree friends who I can add on Facebook or get referred to by a mutual friend to create a friendship, even though there is a screening process involved.’

Users can also filter their connections with other users through a variety of aspects, such as major, school, industry or grade point average, Chodak said. Other features include discussion boards and inviting friends to the site through Gmail or school e-mail databases.

Users can also view a company’s hiring history, such as the ratio of men to women, specific majors or universities from which it hires.

Anyone, even underclassmen, can benefit from this website because there are options for both summer internships and job placement, Chodak said.

Some students said they can see this website being embraced on campus.

‘I think we would be foolish not to use it. When there is any opportunity to market and brand yourself, you should utilize it,’ said Jon Gregalis, a freshman public relations major.

Although Chodak said employers only have access to general information on Facebook and a user’s profile picture, some students said they are wary of releasing their information.

‘It’s a great tool, but there are drawbacks,’ said Andrew Bissett, a junior political science and economics major. ‘There may be things that you do not want employers to see.’

alquick@syr.edu

Published on October 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm