A NEW social media network is set to rival business platform LinkedIn and revolutionise the UK job market.
Flippie, the brainchild of entrepreneur Kieran Roper, will hold a vast number of CVs, have search mechanisms for fast job matching and a section for real-time freelancer job posting.
In addition the site, set to launch in September after securing significant investment, will also allow recruitment agency staff to meet and greet applicants using a video conference facility.
This will make the process of finding the best person for the job smoother, faster and more effective.
Mr Roper, pegged as the UK’s answer to Mark Zuckerberg, said thousands of recruitment firms – and thousands of individuals - were already signing up to use the facility.
“Social networks already exist for business use but many of those have complicated search processes,” he said.
“Our aim is to make the whole system of looking for a job – or indeed looking for the right employee – simple.
“Key to that will be the ability to introduce people face-to-face. A lot of time and money is wasted on interview processes and it is cost-effective and extremely quick to hold the first meeting online with a simple click of a button.
“This way you could post a job and within an hour be meeting the candidates you want to put forward.”
Mr Roper, 30, came up with the idea of Flippie because he wanted to create a single network where people could seamlessly “flip” between a work and play mode on a single screen.
“Flippie will have all the best bits of existing social media sites in one place,” he said.
“In addition to having a comprehensive business forum, the system will have the capability to store unlimited images and videos like Instagram, display status updates and share information like Facebook and allow for real-time interaction like Twitter and Snapchat.
“But work will be separated from play to avoid any embarrassing mishaps.”
Mr Roper, who was granted funding from the Princes Trust for another of his inventions - a golf caddy - when he was just 18, started working on the concept during his university years after spotting a gap in the market.
“I took a placement year in Miami and filled my Facebook feed with pictures of me having fun,” he said.
“Then I realised I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression to prospective employers – all of which check out social media these days before considering hiring someone.
“I saw a gap for a site where you could speak to people instantly but in different capacities.”
He has employed a team of web experts from Suffolk-based Creative Intent to help build and fine-tune his website and marketing company Rudd Widdup, also based in Suffolk, who will launch the site during university fresher’s week.
Among sections being included is a forum for posting freelance jobs. This should help plug a gap in the market for a site which offers real-time immediate work opportunities on a daily basis.
On top of this there will be a page dedicated to helping job applicants fine-tune their CVs with tips on interview technique.
“This will help people to feel more confident in their search for work,” said Mr Roper, from Westerfield, Suffolk.
“But it will also help recruiters who will receive CVs in identical formats and be able to find employees quickly and effectively in their local area.”