Tom Lipczynski is the brains behind Vpply which is revolutionising the way we browse and apply for jobs. Vpply is a web application that allows candidates to apply for jobs with a video profile.
Vpply aims to disrupt the traditional text job board space and provide jobseekers with tools to attract top employers with authentic and inspiring stories. The concept of the technology came from addressing the lack of human connection in the first stage of the hiring process – job search.
Tom is the co-founder and CEO, an industry leader with over 12 years in management and eight years in the start-up/recruitment space working at leading job sites Adzuna and Indeed.
“Vpply works in a similar way to Seek and Indeed, where jobs come to our site automatically through all our integrations and partnerships. It’s a job board – but the difference is when you click on Vpply it pops up with a camera, allowing you to apply with a video profile for 60-90 seconds,” Tom says.
“The problem we’re solving is shortening the recruiting process for employers because they get an immediate impression of a job seeker to see if they’ll fit your culture.”
“And, from a job seekers perspective, they’re able to really show their personality in a way that is difficult to do if you’re just applying for a job with a resume and a cover letter.”
Tom says while he’s not discrediting CVs, it’s very clear that a short video is an excellent indicator of whether a person might be great fit for your business.
“And it’s particularly important for the blind and vision impaired community who struggle to apply for jobs – just putting a full stop in the wrong place can have them automatically disqualified from the job seeking journey. But with video they can pitch themselves differently.”
There are currently around 50,000 jobs on the site, and 22,000 job seekers.
“We have three revenue streams now, we have integration with Stripe , and we also sell video technology to sell to other businesses. We also found people for our business through Vpply, including our developer and marketing manager,” Tom says.
“We have essential integrations with job automation, so we have ten key integrations where companies such as Atlassian, Canva or Amazon can actually tick a box and automatically post on Vpply. So it was great to get that done.”
How does Vpply actually work?
Tom explains: “You don’t actually have to apply for a job, you can create a profile. You can say ‘This is what I do and this is what I’ve accomplished.’ Then, a paying client might contact you to say they have a great job for you. They already know enough about you to make a quick decision.
“Soon we’re launching portfolios, so if you have multiple websites people can easily view them. It’s not easy to add websites to Seek or Linkedin, so it will give us more options to add a portfolio along with a video profile. And people can reach out to you right away. It’s a different way to apply for work but I know it will be so useful for so many professions.”
Tom has entered Vpply into Fishburners’ “Tech for Good” awards with a focus on teen employment.
“We also focus on employment in certain physical/mental disabilities where a short video would make a lot more sense over a CV and cover letter, return to work after work related injuries, refugee employment opportunities and many others.”
As for Fishburners, Tom says it’s been very beneficial being part of the community.
“Fishburners has been great. I’ve done pitch events and attended several networking events. I’ve met other business people who are like-minded. And, through Fishburners, we now have clients and partners – as well as people I’d now describe as advisors. So I’d definitely encourage other startups to use Fishburners, as it’s valuable in so many ways.”
Find out more about Vpply here!
