You come out of school, a whole lot of money spent on that degree, and the next thing you know it's nearly impossible to get a job. "We help students and recent college grads make a less painful and more efficient entry into the job market," says John J. Brady, COO of
HigherNext. "It's a very tough market right now for those folks." Consider a confounded 22 year old, fortified with a college degree, playing by the rules, and emerging into a very tight market.
HigherNext revealed late last week that it is about to close its second round of funding led by Next Stage Capital, with 83% already spoken for, and the remainder just about in the bag. The Center City based startup, with offices at
Venturef0rth, began life in May 2011.
HigherNext administers a
Certified Business Laureate skills test which rates aptitude in a variety of employer friendly areas: marketing, accounting, finance, Microsoft Office skills and writing.
For just $79, the test taker answers HigherNext's questions at any computer, with proctoring via webcam. Brady calls the process super secure, and it comes with a money back guarantee at the laureate level. Test results, says Brady, likening them to Advanced Placement exams prior to college, provide prospective employers with a very detailed analysis of a candidate's skill set.
"The higher ed community has been getting a lot of pressure from several presidential administrations about outcomes based assessment," says Brady. "There's a lot of discourse on the cost of higher education. We believe it is worth it. We feel it is our place to help those students who wish to stand out, regardless of where they went to school."
HigherNext now has 5 employees, with two more open positions for a marketing account manager and a web developer. Brady says that while he is not at liberty to disclose specific numbers, registrants for the Certified Business Laureate test are now in the thousands. HigherNext also runs a
blog filled with tips for job seekers, and offers a free
crash course in business skills.
Source: John J. Brady, HigherNext
Writer: Sue Spolan