This past summer, Averett University has made the switch from the career platform, Handshake, to Career Genie. Career Genie is a mobile app that helps students build and navigate their careers and find job applications. Career Genie uses AI-based filtering to help students apply for a job that would fit them best based on their experience and field of interest. This summer, the first couple of students at Averett have started using the app and found themselves a job through the help of Career Genie.
“I used Career Genie to apply for my work study on campus with student involvement,” Rebecca Briones, a junior, majoring in sports communication, said. “Using Career Genie to apply for the job was a little complicated at first, but after getting more familiar with the app, it became super easy.”
Career Genie is more than just an app to find and apply for jobs, it is an application that guides students with building their careers and resume. The app has functions such as, creating your own career plan, interview preparation, a skill builder, network overview and job applications. The app also provides career planning, a resume checker, mock interviews, recruiters and allows you to find a mentor.
“A plus of the app is how it can keep track of the process after you apply for a job like when you have an interview or an offer,” Briones said. “This is really what has made Career Genie so beneficial, because it has a lot of different features that involve tracking your professional journey.”
Not only does Career Genie have many different functions to manage your career. It is also easily accessible, since it is a mobile app and most students today own a cell phone and have it with them at most times. Briones found the accessibility of the app very useful, having her resume at hand at all times.This accessibility is also one of the big reasons Averett made the switch from Handshake to Career Genie.
“Averett started using Career Genie because it is a mobile app which allows for student flexibility,” Dr. Jennifer Penland, Director of Career Development & Exploration said. “In comparison to Handshake, Career Genie also has more pertinent jobs. Whereas Handshake would allow any employer to post their jobs, which is often unethical for our students.”
In order to build your career, it is important to keep refining your skills and expanding your experiences and keep track of this progress. This is why first-year students at Averett, who have to take a mandatory Averett-110 class, have a module on Career Genie. In this module students have to create a profile and will learn how the app works as they also create or build their resume.
“Career Genie will allow students to navigate their career journey at their own pace,” Penland said. “However it is important to start navigating and building your career as soon as possible. Experience is a collective and evolving process which is why students need to continue refining skills and resumes.”
If any students have any technical difficulties with Career Genie, they are advised to reach out to the Career Genie representative, Mrs. Abby Choumal. Penland so far has also provided two different Career Genie workshops in Mary B. Blount Library to help students set up their account and guide them through the app. However, Penland will always welcome students to her office on the second floor of Mary B. Blount Library, if they need any additional help using the app. Students can also make an appointment with Penland, if they are in need of any sort of career advice or guidance.
“My biggest advice to every student is to always be willing to learn new skills and continue networking for future opportunities, Penland said.”
