“It shouldn’t matter where you come from or who you know. At Firsthand, our goal is to give career seekers, no matter their background, access to the best possible advice so that they can find the best next step in their careers,” explains Fredrik Marø, General Manager of Firsthand. “We want to give every career seeker a front row seat to see what it’s like to work in the most sought-after roles and companies. By surveying nearly a hundred thousand professionals annually, our rankings and expertly written guides and profiles are based on firsthand perspectives. And our tens of thousands of mentors have been there and done that; helping our career seekers really understand what a job is about and how you can get your foot in the door.”

The new Firsthand platform lets employers from industries like tech, law, consulting, finance, retail, and beyond engage with career seekers at key moments in their career journeys.

“We’re uniquely positioned to put great candidates in front of great jobs.” adds Marø. “Every day we help a diverse set of career seekers from our over 600 partner schools navigate their tomorrow, whether that’s discovering a new industry or employer through our rankings and content; whether that’s interview prep with one of our mentors; or whether it’s an actual job interview at one of our virtual career fairs. At every step of this journey, we’re able to put employers in front of the right candidates.”

Through rankings, company and internship profiles, mentoring, virtual fairs and more, Firsthand can help partners like Infosys, Northwestern Mutual and Skadden reach over 8M career seekers from more than 2,000 universities worldwide.

“We are excited to showcase the same trusted and credible information that our corporate partners and career seekers have relied upon, but with a new twist,” says Marø. ” We’re personalizing the experience in a whole new way for career seekers and looking to AI to make sure we give career seekers the content and the opportunities that are most relevant to them. By working with more data points from job seekers about their backgrounds and their career goals, we’re better able to put more relevant candidates in front of employers.”

Meaningful Interactions, Verified Firsthand Knowledge, and a Community of Mentors Await Students Eager to Take Their Next Best Step

A strong legacy of connecting students, alumni, and career changers with the information they need to succeed runs deep on both the Vault and Firsthand platforms. Combining their capabilities allows users to quickly find the best information at the moment they need it. Firsthand career seekers are 18% more likely to graduate with a full-time job and earn salaries 22% higher than those who are not tapping into the tools and information available to them. Users on the platform gain access to real people who have applicable experiences. Offering transparent, readily available information to all users worldwide creates a network of universities, alumni, and professionals that empowers all individuals to make more informed decisions about their future.

Machine Learning Connects Career Seekers with Alumni, Professionals, and a Career They’ll Love

A sophisticated machine learning algorithm pairs users with the most useful career readiness information, like verified survey results, mentors, and companies matched to their interests or ambitions. As a leading authority within the career readiness and recruiting industry, Firsthand is positioned to evaluate top employers on attributes including culture, diversity, quality of life, social impact, compensation, training, and more. Infusing the ability to ultimately give people a firsthand view into what it is really like to work within a profession or inside a company by offering one-on-one mentorship appointments, segmented virtual career fairs, and fireside chats, Firsthand takes an unbiased approach to career recruiting and onboarding.

Universities Increase the Value of All Students’ Career Potential from the Moment They Arrive Through Their Entire Career

Alumni departments, career services, and college departments are aligned in their commitment to student and professional success. One challenge university departments face is personalizing the student experience while tracking that success throughout the journey. The Firsthand platform offers universities the ability to integrate its enrollment, mentoring, career, and alumni systems all from one platform and continue to track student and user interaction with robust reporting and interaction. High school students who begin by meeting young college ambassadors are 92% more likely to enroll in Firsthand university partner schools, while alumni who utilize the Firsthand platform are 40% more likely to donate, especially after meeting with currently enrolled students on the platform.

“Ultimately, our university partners want to deliver solutions that their students and alumni need at the moment they need it,” explains Marø. “They recognize what students need changes throughout their lives. Universities are committed to connecting their students to the information they will need throughout their entire careers. Firsthand enables them to do this effectively. We are an active guide and unwavering ally to all people pursuing their career dreams. It has always been our goal to adapt to the evolving needs of our users and clients, which is why we are excited to share our revamped career engagement platform, powered by firsthand experiences, and still boasting a commitment to the same reputable rankings, in-depth profiles, and expansive guide to the unfamiliar career journey that awaits all of us. Wherever people are on that journey, we help find the next best step for them to succeed today and tomorrow.”

About Firsthand

Headquartered in New York, NY, Firsthand, an Infobase Company, equalizes access to valuable career insights, expert advice, and connections, and allows career seekers to navigate their careers from a position of strength, knowledge, and assurance. Through its career engagement platform, Firsthand empowers the success of career seekers by providing them with powerful insights, unique resources, and impactful relationships so that they can discover their next best step. Since 1996, Firsthand has launched careers and elevated professionals into positions of success.