A FLEDGING Colchester firm has launched a new tool making job-hunting easier for applicants.

RoleCatcher, which is based at the University of Essex's Knowledge, has built a new online tool to help jobseekers manage their search.

The firm, which launched in January, is hoping to shake up the job-hunting process with the new tool, which removes many of the manual process involved.

Users can search multiple job boards, organise their contacts and search a directory of over 7.5 million companies by industry and location.

They can also track the progress of all their applications in one hub.

The concept was born in 2019 when founder, James Fogg, joined the job market for the first time in twenty years.

“I was shocked to find how much had changed and not necessarily for the better," Mr Fogg said.

"Algorithms had replaced humans and were capable of harvesting thousands of CVs.”

He soon realised whilst recruiters were reaping the benefits of this tech revolution, things had only gotten more complicated for candidates.

“Keeping up with all the moving parts became a full-time job," Mr Fogg said.

"Live applications, upcoming deadlines, leads from contacts and companies, CV versions, follow-up actions - all of these things needed to be tracked manually.”

Unable to find an online management tool to help with his search, he decided to create his own.

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Mr Fogg said: “I spent most of my professional life in project management and financial services, using tech to simplify and improve business processes.

"I thought, ‘here’s an opportunity for me to take that experience and turn it into something that can really help people'.”

The development of the RoleCatcher platform has been supported by funding from Innovate UK.

The company will also be running a pilot scheme at the University of Essex over the next few months.

Visit www.rolecatcher.com.