Tired of updating LinkedIn, or spending hours manicuring your résumé? Swedish startup SelfieJobs wants to make getting a new gig as easy as swiping right on Tinder.
Slogans for the job search and recruitment app include "Swipe, chat and get2work" and "Apply with a like" (if you winced, that's OK; we did too). The site sadly lacks an explanatory video, but for reasons that currently escape us, it does feature a subtle link to a Nokia N9 commercial.
In any case, the functionality is simple: You download it, take a selfie, then fill out a short profile, which includes your name, a description and a general list of attributes that may interest a recruiter—level of education, years of experience, etc. You can also decide how far you'd like to cast your net geographically—30 kilometers (18.6 miles) is the default.
After that, you're basically looking at Tinder for jobs. Equally brusque profiles for available positions appear on your screen. Hate the look of that accounting job? Swipe left. Keen on that bartending gig in Berlin? Swipe right. Unfortunately, outside of Sweden, job opportunities tap out around five or six swipes, but in any case, we don't much advocate looking for your next Big Career the way you'd rove around for a hookup.
One of the company's goals is to make it easier for refugees and migrants to find work without encountering the red tape and language issues they'd face doing the old one-two—résumés and cover letters. The ability to hop into a candidate pool, using just a selfie and a short bio and clicking on a list of boxes, is attractive in this context.
"With the new SelfieJobs prototype, in theory, migrants can apply for a job the very first day of arriving. All you will need is a smartphone and a smile," says CEO Martin Tall.
A certain selfie je-ne-sais-quoi, inspired by Kim Kardashian, might help too. Consider this screenshot from the app's iTunes page:
Future features will include the ability to automatically translate both descriptions and chats in-app, making it possible for recruiters and candidates to chat directly, even if they don't speak the same language, and a GPS interface that will guide candidates to their new potential place of business.
