New job-matching site connects students to employers

Mar 27, 2015 | News

Magnet a new and exclusive job-matching technology. Photo courtesy of Magnet.

Magnet a new and exclusive job-matching technology. Photo courtesy of Magnet.

By: Shoynear Morrison

A new job-matching website called Magnet promises to connect job-hunters with employers like never before.

The non-profit initiative intends to “leverage innovative networking technology” and provide local labour market information in real-time, according to their website.

Developed by Ryerson University, in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), Magnet works to engage businesses with youth.

“We wanted to close the gap between unemployment and youth in Canada,” said Magnet executive director Mark Patterson.

The OCC represents the employers, and the university represents the post-secondary sector.

“You hear in the media about people without jobs and jobs without people. We think it’s a communication issue and a mismatch of talent,” he said.

“This is very new and exclusive technology only for Ontario students and employers,” said Humber career resource developer Byung Oh.

“We wanted to close the gap between unemployment and youth in Canada” – Patterson

Students are always applying for jobs with large corporations, but those companies are not hiring everyone, said Oh. Magnet focuses on connecting job-hunters with small to medium size businesses in Ontario who may not have the resources to hunt for candidates at the provincial level.

Ninety per cent of employers are actually small to medium size business, he said.

“We’re working across government, industry, labour, non-profit and post-secondary sectors in Ontario to really bring everybody together and  help youth,” Patterson said.

One of Magnets key features is its accuracy and efficiency, so once a student registers on the site they will receive automatic job postings, he said.

“This is very new and exclusive technology only for Ontario students and employers” – Oh

Patterson said Magnet prides itself on protecting the privacy of job-hunters. Once the job-seeker chooses to respond to a job-posting, only then will their identity be disclosed to the employer.

Only the candidates skills are made public.

If an employer wants to contact a job-seeker beforehand, they have to pay a commitment fee to Magnet of $10, said Oh.

Once the company pays the commitment fee, they will have full access to the seekers personal information as well as a picture of the candidate, said Oh.

We are trying to match students with the right employers, Patterson said. We love to see young individuals launch their careers.