Written by … one giant leap for Kauzu! Tomorrow, August 7, 2012, at the Albany Park Community Center in Chicago, we’ll officially introduce Kono—the free job-finding application that helps anyone with any kind of cell phone find jobs nearby.
You don’t need a smart phone—or even a computer—to find jobs with Kono. All you need is a basic phone and a location in the city of Chicago.
And all you need to do is text K to 847-973-5613 to get started. Then text your location to Kono, and Kono texts you three open job listings nearby. You can text your location with a CTA stop ID, or with the first three letters of two intersecting streets—nearly 40,000 unique Chicago locations. To see Kono in action, check out the Kono demo video.
So, you might be asking, why a text-based application? And why a community center?
Why text? Well, smart phones are great, but we didn’t think job seekers in Chicago’s hardest-hit communities should have to cross the “digital divide” just to gain better access to jobs. More than half of Americans with household income under $30,000 own basic cell phones, and we thought they deserved a better way to find jobs, too.
Why a community center? Communities are at the heart of Kauzu’s mission as a social venture. Connecting people with jobs in the community keeps spending local and promotes sustainable economic development, and we believe the only way to reach communities is by working side-by-side with the people who have their feet on the ground every day. The people at the Albany Park Community Center have been huge in helping set up tomorrow’s event, and Alderman Margaret Laurino of Chicago’s 39th Ward—who will also speak tomorrow—has been an active Kauzu supporter as well.
One last question—what about Kauzu.Jobs? Thank you for your patience—our state-of-the-art mobile job-finding app will be ready in just a few days.
Kono works, it’s free, and it’s available right now. Text for Success!
