A business idea informed by the tough personal experience of recruitment could even the playing field for rural and remote graduates applying for jobs.
Farai Masiyakurima, a Bachelor of Business graduate from the University of New England in Armidale, felt the tyranny of distance keenly when seeking employment with city-based blue-chip firms back in 2018.
But, as part of a free start-up program delivered by UNE's SMART Region Incubator (SRI), the enterprising 23-year-old has developed a novel way to bridge the divide.
During this year's Steps2Grow program for entrepreneurial young people (aged 15-25), Farai began devising a professional and employer-backed video resume service called Pitch Vida. It aims to put rural and remote applicants unable to attend interviews on an equal footing with their city counterparts.
"It all came about from the fact that graduates outside metropolitan areas can be at a distinct disadvantage when trying to stand out for these roles," Farai says. "There is a significantly lower blue-chip company presence on regional campuses so, when graduates apply, they find that they don’t have the familiarity that city-based candidates have built with these employers simply because they couldn’t attend a ‘meet and greet’ or the local career expo. Conversely, employers may be missing out on seeing applicants ideally suited to their roles by virtue of the distance.
People can claim anything in a written resume, but Pitch Vida will provide a much realer sense of who the candidate is and whether they will be a good fit for the organisation.
"It enables employers to hire for attitude as well as experience, because hiring the wrong candidate can be so costly."
Having enjoyed extensive coaching and mentoring during the Steps2Grow program, Farai is now keen to produce a Pitch Vida prototype, bringing together her interest in videography and commitment to helping regional graduates.
Director of the SRI, Dr Lou Conway, thinks the timing is ideal, since the world has embraced online connectivity.
“These tough times of drought, bushfires and COVID closures have combined to mean now’s the time for new ways of thinking, working and creating,” she says.
“Research shows that young people, in particular, have been hit hard by COVID-19 and are at risk of missing out on valuable skills and experience as they commence their working life. The group that participated in our Steps2Grow program had the opportunity to build their capacity and develop opportunities to create their own jobs."
Farai is currently working as a graduate accountant with Findex in Armidale but, with new business skills under her belt, fully intends to bring Pitch Vida to market as her side hustle.
