Sean Clem is the founder of Nashville-based Gradspring, which launched in 2012.
Hundreds of college students in Middle Tennessee received diplomas over the weekend in mid-year graduation ceremonies. They walked across stages into an improving, but tough job market, where college grads still have a hard time finding good work. A Nashville-based web company says the jobs are there, just hard to find.
Gradspring is a new job posting site like Monster or Career Builder, but it only lists jobs that need a bachelor’s degree and little-to-no experience.
Founder Sean Clem says he’s adding as many as 200 positions a day. He believes the trouble for college grads is that appropriate jobs are often mixed with ads for scams or positions requiring much more experience.
There’s another factor at work. College students may value their degree more than the job market does. Clem says there’s about a $10,000 difference.
“I think recent grads, the expectation is somewhere in the $45,000 to $50,000 range. The reality is more in the $35,000 to $40,000. After a few offers, reality sets in.”
Clem says users are getting jobs through Gradspring. The highest subscription level of $125 comes with a job guarantee. Clem says of his thousand paying customers, he’s given four refunds so far.
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