Many graduates join the job market with no practical and
employable skills. Things are even harder given the competitive job market and
the growing number of students graduating from tertiary institutions
every year.
Kathleen Lihanda, a graduate with Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with a focus in Leadership and Management from DePaul University, Chicago founded My Internship Finder (MIF) App last month to combat this hurdle.
“I was inspired to develop the App to ensure that every on-going college student who requires work experience conveniently accesses internship or attachment opportunities during their period of study in College,” says Lihanda.
The App is an online-based system for early-career professionals to find and explore opportunities, access career advice, and get discovered by employers. The App can be downloaded for free through Google Play Store. The App requires users to sign up and prompts them to fill out background information about themselves and their past experiences (takes approximately less than six minutes). Once this is completed, the profile will be viewed by interested employers.
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“Using this MIF App profile, students can apply for dozens of jobs within minutes. Employers can also invite you to apply to their positions,” says Lihanda.
Even though developing the App has taken patience and understanding of the target group. Lihanda says most resources have been pushed towards smooth functionality of My Internship Finder which has been a bit draining.
“The App is the premier online career development platform for students in the region. Based on our projections the App will gain over 10,000 users within one year,” adds Lihanda.
Lihanda’s passion is in helping future workforce make
informed career decisions to better their future.
“Every student regardless of area of study requires industry experience. The experience translates theory into practical skills. The reality is that only medical and science students are guaranteed of internships or attachment,” asserts Lihanda.
Currently, Lihanda is using the App to partner with Universities and Colleges to ensure all students regardless of the area of study can conveniently access work experience. So far, universities such as Maseno have been brought onto board.
Lihanda also holds an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship
from Graduate Business School in Catholic University, Milan, Italy in which she
received the Entrepreneurship for Impact (E4Impact) Award. She is a member of
International Coaching Federation.
