Whoever said that Millennials aren’t eager to work has never met Scarsdale teenagers Kimberly Zou, 18, and Xavier Worsley, 17. These young entrepreneurs are the founders of a fledgling website called Jobbard that pairs high school students with part-time employment in their local communities.
“We found, through our own experience, that getting a job in high school was pointlessly difficult,” explains Worsley. “There is this massive group of talented, motivated workers—high schoolers—and they have no efficient way of putting their skills to work despite a strong market for their services. Kim and I are addressing this disconnect.”
“This summer, I had an unpaid internship at a wealth-management firm, but I also wanted to earn money to help cover the costs of college,” adds Zou. “I wanted to teach tennis, however, I had a lot of trouble publicizing my availability as a coach and finding interested players. Many of my friends and classmates were going through a similar struggle.”
Within one month, Zou and Worsley had designed the site using only a sleek WordPress theme and Zou’s basic design skills. The startup costs were a mere $200, and Zou and Worsley plan to finance the next phase of growth through personal savings. The website specializes in promoting part-time positions including babysitting and tutoring, with openings for both retail and administrative positions. The entire service is free for both students and employers.
Students create their resumes and apply to specific jobs through the site. Employers can either post a job and wait for applications, or they can actively search through students’ resumes to find and contact those who match their specific needs. Companies can also pay a $5 fee to feature their job listing on the homepage in order to gain more visibility. And unlike most entrepreneurs, who are typically focused on generating revenue, Worsley and Zou hope to support the local economy by linking students seeking work experience and companies that need employees.
“All accounts and postings are screened for authenticity and qualification and must be manually approved in order to be live on the site,” assures Worsley. “We only partner with small, local businesses because our goal is community-improvement. Supporting local business is at the forefront of this concept.”
The two are aware of other websites and apps that have a similar purpose, but they do not view them as competition. Their targeting of high school students, rather than only college students, is what sets them apart, they say. “We are incredibly optimistic about the future of Jobbard,” shares Worsley. “We envision a world where local students can earn money and explore their passions, while providing basic services to their communities.”