Fetchnotes: The note-taking sensation that’s sweeping the nation

This is a guest post from the truApp blog. truApp is like LinkedIn, but for students. I have written about them as well, and I am pleased to present one of their many fine blog posts today. 

Fetchnotes. It’s the note taking application that fits your busy lifestyle. It’s an app for everything from ideas to grocery lists. It’s for anything you need to remember. It gets things out of your head, and into your workflow. “The problem with note taking applications today is that they are an unorganized dumping ground for your brain,” says Alex Schiff. “We want to make note taking useful.”

Q&A with truApp Evangelist Carolyn Boddy

I recently published a short write-up on truApp, a start-up in Ann Arbor, Michigan that gives students the opportunity to tell their story in their own words to a network of potential employers. Carolyn was gracious enough to answer some questions for me about truApp.

Where did the idea for truApp originate?

The idea for truApp actually originated when our CEO and co-founder, Moses Lee, was at a portfolio day for high school students. He couldn’t believe that they were still using tangible print copies for their portfolio’s. The origins of an electronic portfolio system started there, and has grown into the site we have today.

How did you come up with “truApp”?

It actually came from “common app” – the application that is used by high school seniors to apply to participating colleges – most Ivy leagues use it, as well as the University of Michigan. Why shouldn’t there be a common app to apply to jobs, too?

How long has the app been around?

truApp is our alpha product, which was launched in December of 2011. Our beta is coming this July!

What companies are already on board and how does a business join up?

We have over 125 organizations on truApp – and counting. Some of our bigger names include Teach for America, Venture for America, and also Airtime – Sean Parker’s (founder of Napster, and played by Justin Timberlake in the movie The Social Network) newest venture. We’ve also got a large presence for smaller, entrepreneurial start-up companies. Currently, businesses can sign-up for an alpha test absolutely free and begin recruiting immediately. They simply have to make a profile and fill it out – there’s room to add Business Culture, mission, and of course – post available positions. http://www.truapp.me/alphaRecruit

truApp Makes Career Networking More Social

And student friendly. In fact, says truApp evangelist Carolyn Boddy, “Facebook is purely social, and LinkedIn is purely professional. truApp meets at the perfect place in between, which really fits the student market.”

Leave it to a bunch of college students to figure out exactly what college students need. That’s exactly what truApp has done in the start-up friendly city of Ann Arbor, Michigan. What Carolyn says is true and hundreds of thousands of college students around the country can relate.

The days when social networks were purely social are far behind us. Employers do a preliminary sweep of a candidate’s profiles, and with a saturated market of hopeful college grads looking for the same jobs, can prevent someone from getting an interview just because of a few pictures. I’m not trying to argue with hiring managers but it serves as an example of how careful young adults need to be on their networks.

On the other side of the coin, many college students know that they need to have a LinkedIn profile but have either neglected to fill it out completely or get one at all. The biggest disadvantage many college students face on LinkedIn and on resumés  is lack of experience. Savvy students will find ways to creatively cover it up, but many students lack the skills or resources to do so.

This is where truApp comes in. Its most important feature is its ability to let the student tell their story.

Carolyn is front and center in her truApp profile

“truApp really shows employers who you are through what you do,” says Boddy. “It’s so hard in today’s technological landscape to try and separate your ‘professional’ self from your ‘social’ self – like LinkedIn vs. Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, etc. Besides that, there really aren’t many college students on LinkedIn – it doesn’t cater to us. We don’t get anything out of it. truApp, on the other hand, is for us, by us.”

“Us” meaning college students. I’ll have a breakdown of how truApp works in the days to come, but for now check out their blog and make sure you stay tuned here. I have a LOT of great stuff about these guys coming soon!