HANCOCK COUNTY — Local officials are promoting a new app designed to connect workers with information about which businesses are hiring in the area and the positions they’re hoping to fill — a tool experts hope will eliminate some of the struggles job seekers face.
Work Here, a free location-based app that’s downloadable on both Apple and Android devices, launched this spring, targeting entry-level workers who want to find work close to home.
The company’s self-titled app offers users a streamlined interface that allows users to view job listings on a map, seeking out positions located nearby or accessible via a quick commute. The Indianapolis-based startup was formed in June 2015, said spokesman Mike Seidle, and more than 4,500 users have created profiles on the app since its launch.
To use the app, viewers can scan through a local map, where employers with openings are highlighted in blue. Users can tap on a dot to see what positions are available and click on a link to apply for a specific job or to communicate with an employer’s human relations department.
Users must create a profile that lists past work experience to apply for jobs through the app. Once users apply for positions, the employer is notified and can contact applicants for more information, Seidle said.
The interactive map serves as the app’s foundation and also allows users to receive a notification when certain employers post new jobs, Seidle said.
Jim Peters, executive director of Love in the Name of Christ of Hancock County, a local faith-based nonprofit that provides job-training and searching tools to area residents, said he sees a lot of potential for the app.
Transportation is one of the most common challenges that many of the nonprofit’s clients confront, Peters said.
Sometimes they don’t have dependable transportation, and for others, it’s a matter of gas money, he said.
And while wages and the type of work are important factors for job-seekers to keep in mind, location is often the trump card, said Skip Kuker, executive director of the Hancock Economic Development Council.
“Work and pay are important, of course, but proximity is often what it comes down to,” he said.
But by glancing at the app, users will know within minutes what’s available around them, Seidle said.
“It’s an eye-opener,” he said. “You open the app and see 10 employers nearby.”
The app uses GPS services in users’ smartphones to ascertain users’ location and the companies surrounding them.
The app pulls data from web-based job-search tools and uploads the information to the app, so job listings remain up to date, Seidle said.
Employers have the option of paying a subscription fee to the company, which in turn will allow them to post a logo on the map, standing out from other listings. Subscribers can also post an unlimited number of jobs to the app.
Currently, 12 employees work out of the company’s office, Seidle said.
The company is seeing about 150 new users a day and hopes to reach 50,000 users by the end of the year, he said.