Giovanni Zinzi and Keegan Black hadn’t received a single response to job applications that took hours to complete. Figuring many students face similar challenges, they decided to enhance the job search experience for students.

“I applied to six, seven different places, even for some part-time jobs,” Zinzi said. “I didn’t hear back from a single one.”

To help students find jobs, finance senior Zinzi and computer science senior Black created CollegeHustle. The mobile app is designed to help students find part-time jobs near them quickly and conveniently. After filling out a profile in the app, students can submit the profile as an application to jobs they are interested in.

In a market filled with dozens of job searching sites, Zinzi and Black aimed to create a unique experience that addressed those issues.

“If you apply to a job (on CollegeHustle), you are guaranteed a response within 48 hours,” Zinzi said. “If the hiring manager doesn’t respond, it’s just a no, but all the hiring managers know that they’re supposed to respond within 48 hours.”

The app mainly features jobs in the restaurant, retail, fitness, hospitality and startup industries. Specific companies include Raising Cane’s, Gold’s Gym and Pete’s Piano Bar.

In addition to asking for students’ name, experience and availability, the app also requires a UTexas email account.

Zinzi said this is to ensure only UT students have access to the job listings.

Unlike other sites such as Craigslist, Indeed, or Monster, CollegeHustle provides students a quick turnaround time and the option to not be drowned out by hundreds of other job applications.

“We’re giving (businesses) direct access to UT students,”Zinzi said. “In my opinion … it’s kind of like a premium workforce.”

To help students find jobs convenient for their daily routes, the app displays job listings on a map interface. Biomedical engineering sophomore William Chao used CollegeHustle and said the app was easy to navigate.

“There were four different pages (and) I was able to see a map of (different) jobs in the area and see their descriptions,” Chao said.

To find nearby positions for students, Zinzi initially walked door to door to over 30 businesses around campus asking if they would list their jobs on CollegeHustle.

Zinzi said it can be intimidating to start selling and expose your idea, but the app has since helped over 20 students secure jobs. Finance sophomore Philip Kung secured a position at a robotics startup in Austin through CollegeHustle.

“On these large recruitment sites, it’s hard to get a response because there are so many other candidates,” Kung said. “(With) a smaller app (like CollegeHustle) where Giovanni is able to personally contact each recruiter, it’s easier to get a job through there.”