Startup Aims to Change Career Discovery Experience

Alumnus creates job connection site for students

Krista Clawson The Santa Clara February 22, 2017

Access to various career professionals could be just a click away. To help college students make more informed career decisions without having to leave campus, a Santa Clara alumnus recently launched a new platform called CareerScope.

Aaron Melgar, class of 2012, studied engineering physics during his undergraduate career at Santa Clara. Earlier this month, he launched CareerScope, a website that gives students access to online office hours with industry professionals across the country.

Once students make an account, they can personalize their profile to include their interests, skills and experience. Users can then open the home page to view available advisors in a variety of fields.

For upcoming discussions on career paths with professionals, the home page lists the date and time when it will take place, and students can see how many spots are available. For advisors without a set date and time, a student can click “request” to let the advisor know they would like to chat.

“These office hours are a great way to find out what a career path can entail and get advice from people actually excelling in the industry in a relaxed group conversation,” Melgar said.

The 30-minute conversations take place in a small group with up to seven other students from across the country. The process begins with the advisor introducing their own background, then opening up the discussion for questions.

After the session, CareerScope gathers feedback so they can provide additional recommendations for advisors, careers, companies and career opportunities.

The inspiration for the platform came from Melgar’s own experience as an undergraduate student trying to decide which major and emphasis to choose.

“I spent a lot of time trying to set up meetings with people in different professions to figure out what sounded appealing to me,” Melgar said. “But ultimately I was still limited to my own network.”

While he was frustrated about not knowing which emphasis to pick within the physics major, Melgar said he is grateful for the Santa Clara network.

“I am thankful for the network I built at Santa Clara which has been tremendous in seeking advice from other entrepreneurs, networking with investors and seeking cofounders,” the alum said.

Melgar held that while other platforms somewhat similar to this one exist, they lack the diversity of career paths and networks that CareerScope offers.

“There are a few mentorship platforms available that target specific organizations such as alumni or professional organizations,” he said. “These can be limited in effectiveness because there is no cross pollination of knowledge with other networks.”

When asked, current Santa Clara students seemed relatively receptive to the idea of a platform like CareerScope.

“I would definitely be interested in signing up if it takes off,” said junior Sydney Munson. “It sounds like a nice way to learn about potential career paths in a more laid back, but also informative, manner.”

CareerScope is still in its early stages, but has plans for expansion. They have been expanding their marketing campaigns to more schools across the country and are working on a mobile application that will be ready by the start of the next school year. Melgar said that the company’s vision is to build the ultimate career discovery experience.

“We will continue to roll out new products that help students learn about careers, companies and industries all on one platform,” he said.

Contact Krista Clawson at kclawson@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.