New company aims to help UNC students ?nd jobs

Job opportunities for students in Chapel Hill can be limited, but a recent start-up company is working to change that.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the national unemployment rate for the 20-to-24 age group was 13.8 percent in February — an indicator of an increasingly competitive job market, even for students.

Sweeps, founded by 2010 UNC graduate Morris Gelblum, works to reduce those effects by recruiting local college students to perform tasks such as sales, social media and gardening.

The company employed more than 200 students from more than six universities last year.

Gelblum said he founded the company with his mom in 2004 — when he was still in high school — to put N.C. State students to work, and he restarted the company in 2010 at UNC.

“From the start we had expansion in mind,” he said.

The company sends daily messages about available work to its network of sweepers, who respond if interested.

“We basically provide a platform for sweepers to get jobs,” Gelblum said.

He said most recruiting occurs through word of mouth, but they also use social media and email to contact students.

“We want as many skills as possible,” he said.

Gelblum said the company is looking to hire social media and finance interns this summer.

But Sweeps is not the only option for students looking for jobs around town.

University Career Services Part-time Job Coordinator Emily Strader said most opportunities for students in the area are concentrated in retail areas along I-40, such as The Streets at Southpoint mall, which are accessible via Triangle Transit buses.

“The fortunate thing about this area is the bus system,” she said.

Strader said most businesses do not advertise openings, so students must ask around for work.

Strader said the best time to apply for jobs is at the beginning of the school year, and she encourages students with cars to explore the Triangle.

“A lot of students don’t know the area,” she said.

Jack Sprat manager Willoughby Nute said they primarily look to hire students for the wait staff, but do not accept seniors because they are likely to leave town soon.

He said they hired seven students from a pool of 30 applicants in the fall.

“The biggest hiring is at the beginning of when school starts,” he said.

Despite the options for students with cars, the application process can still be competitive.

Jason Harris, manager of The Cheesecake Factory’s Southpoint location, said they handle about 800 applications per month.

“It’s very cyclical,” he said.

Harris said they employ 30 to 40 college students, many of whom go to UNC.

And Strader said many students choose to work on-campus for convenience or for work-study. She estimates that there are about 2,000 work study students.

Junior Chris Mullins said he works at the ITS location on Franklin Street and thinks working on campus allows for flexibility.

“I think it’s a lot easier to work on campus throughout the day because it’s easier between your classes.”

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