KW talent marketplace start-up JobJunxion is finding new ways to help young job seekers land positions in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns.

With networking events and job fairs cancelled, and unemployment at record highs, 2020 is especially challenging for new job seekers. At the same time, employers who are hiring find it difficult to connect with the talent they need. “It’s a really tough job market for recent grads. We want to give this cohort a hand up,” says Sarah Gray, JobJunxion’s Customer Success Lead.

Even pre-COVID, Gray noticed that many employers want entry-level candidates to already have job experience. For students who aren't offered co-op programs, or international students without Canadian experience, there are significant barriers – even for grads of high-demand programs such as computer science.

“That’s why we launched our Technology Boot Camp to help prepare grads in our database for those positions,” Gray explains. JobJunxion’s new Tech Bootcamp is a 12-week experiential program, currently offered remotely. In the first six weeks, JobJunxion staff work with participants to hone skills on the fundamentals of writing, debugging and testing code, and help them with their resumés and interview skills. In the second term, they’re placed with organizations that need coding help, usually with a fairly simple website or database.

“We know what employers in our database are looking for, so we designed this program to match those needs,” Gray says. “Meanwhile, the students are building experience and relationships that could lead to a paid position.”

JobJunxion’s first Technical Boot Camp, which launched June 1, filled up right away. A second round is in the works. Host organizations are typically small businesses, including those that want to add an online component in response to COVID.

JobJunxion is also planning a business development representative (BDR) boot camp to give students an edge when applying for such roles. Gray says BDR positions are a great entry point for recent grads that can lead to fulfilling careers in sales, marketing and customer success. Employers want to see specific skills and expertise, which the course will zero in on.

Another way JobJunxion is helping job seekers gain valuable experience is by facilitating volunteer positions. "Volunteering is a great way to build relationships and skills right now,” Gray says. She put out a call through the JobJunxion database to connect candidates with organizations looking to fill volunteer positions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rene Dunkley, one candidate who responded, turned her volunteer role at design.local’s COVID health initiative into a paid position. "My internship with a marketing agency was cancelled because of COVID-19 and I was looking for opportunities to expand my skills. I responded to JobJunxion’s email and my volunteer position quickly turned into a summer internship position. Before signing up for JobJunxion, I had no idea how I was going to get the hands-on experience I needed for my career," she says.

Dunkley's success story is exactly what brothers Jack and Justin Litchfield had in mind when they co-founded JobJunxion in 2017. They set out to resolve a disconnect in the labour market, in which recent grads found it difficult to find good jobs without experience and employers struggled to find skilled entry level talent. They built the JobJunxion.com platform to connect employers with students while they were still in school, so students could build relationships and experience through internships and employers could build a talent pipeline. “We’re still doing that,” says Gray, “but we’re creating new ways to build experience. We want to be the hub for opportunities to build practical skills new grads need to land employment."

People who have been laid off because of COVID are welcome to join the JobJunxion community. Both jobseekers and employers can sign up for free. Gray encourages new employers to join. “They might not be hiring right now, but we want to help them be ready to deal with pent-up demand in the economy when the time comes.”
For interviews or more information contact:
Sarah Gray, JobJunxion Customer Success Lead
sarah@jobjunxion.com 519-379-1259
Justin Litchfield, JobJunxion co-founder (Tech Boot Camp)
justin@jobjunxion.com 519-563-9871
Jack Litchfield, JobJunxion co-founder (BDR Boot Camp)
jack@jobjunxion.com 226-377-8192

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