This interview is part of our Expert Advice series, where CEO's, CMO's and best selling authors share their expertise.
Lauren Friese is Founder of TalentEgg.ca, an online career portal. Lauren recently took a few minutes to talk with me about her latest project.
1. What is TalentEgg.ca?
TalentEgg is Canada’s only online career resource for students and new graduates to focus exclusively on meaningful careers and related development opportunities. Through in-depth employer profiles, meaningful job opportunities and original editorial content, TalentEgg helps students successfully navigate the school-to-work transition and helps employers effectively attract, target and recruit top Canadian students.
2. What motivated you to start TalentEgg?
I graduated from Queen’s University in 2005 with no clue as to how to get a job. Not knowing what to do, I did what many students do: I applied to grad school. I was accepted into the London School of Economics and spent one year there completing my masters in Economic History.
Graduating in the UK was very different than in Canada. In fact, there were many resources available to help me make a smooth transition from school to work. The resource I ended up using was a website called Milkround.com. It was full of meaningful entry-level opportunities and I used the site to find myself a great job as a consultant in London, England.
One year later, I decided to move back to Canada and, having been exposed to such a great service in the UK, started doing some research to find out if something like Milkround.com existed in Canada. It turned out that it didn’t. Further research with both students and employers showed that it would be an in-demand service.
Armed with a personal passion for the service it would provide and the research to back it up, I decided to take the plunge and start TalentEgg! The website officially launched more than two years ago, on April 2, 2008.
3. Who is TalentEgg for?
TalentEgg is for Canadian post-secondary students and recent graduates looking for meaningful, career launching opportunities and genuine resources to help the make a successful transition from school to work.
TalentEgg is also for employers and educational institutions who are interested in reaching Generation Y.
4. Why should employers use TalentEgg?
TalentEgg is Canada’s only student and new grad career resource with a commitment to meaningful, career launching opportunities. Through this commitment, TalentEgg has established itself as a trusted resource among students and recent graduates – we are a ‘trust asset.’
Employers who are interested in reaching Generation Y with their recruitment messages have the opportunity to leverage us as a trust asset to promote their employment opportunities and overall brand. We do the leg work so employers can reach tens of thousands of students and new grads across Canada, as well as smaller niche groups by discipline, location and more.
5. Why should students and graduates sign-up with your network?
TalentEgg offers students with unparalleled access to meaningful, career launching opportunities from coast to coast. We also offer thousands of articles on resume writing, interviews, and more, as well as other premium features, only available to members, that will help them launch a great career. And it’s always free!
6. How do you integrate social media as a means to market both your company and your clients?
TalentEgg leverages social media to raise awareness of the content on our website and engage in conversations with students and employers. We see social media as a tool and TalentEgg as a destination.
7. Where do you see TalentEgg going from here?
Over the past two years, we’ve grown the content on our site aggressively, always adding new employers and more editorial content. This year, we’re expanding the types of tools we offer students, namely launching an Educational Opportunities section on the site! This means that students without the qualifications for certain entry-level positions on the site can use TalentEgg to find the education they need to get there.
8. What have you learned since your founding? In regards to both your niche and online business in general.
Huge question! I’ve learned so, so much. I always say that starting and running and growing a business must be like an MBA in practice.
A key lesson from an entrepreneurship perspective is that persistence is key. Luckily, I’m an extremely (almost annoyingly) persistent person.
I consider TalentEgg to be in both the “campus recruitment” niche, as well as the “new media” niche. In the campus recruitment space, I’ve learned that the problem is bigger and more complicated than I initially thought. Being first to market, a big part of the past two years has involved educating our market, and learning along the way ourselves.
As for new media: When I started TalentEgg, I didn’t even know we existed in this niche. In fact, when people asked what type of company TalentEgg was, I didn’t know how to answer. I’ve learned that New Media is an exciting and complicated space. I’ve also found my true passion in it.
9. What are you reading now?
I’m in between books. My most recent was Super Freakonomics. I’m a bit of a geek for business-based and business-related books – especially the ones that can somehow incorporate story telling and real-life examples!
