JobSherpa, a company created and run by two Paly students, is now live on the Internet, less than six months after its inception.

The brain-child of Paly seniors Len Kozhukh and Kayvan Farzaneh, JobSherpa went live about a month ago. According to the company’s Web site (http://www.jobsherpa.com), JobSherpa specializes in “[bridging] the communication barrier between the business community and the working-age student body.”

The site states that the company allows high school and college students to search for pre-professional employment and post resumes online without charge, essentially allowing employers to come to work-seeking students. The main distinction between JobSherpa and similar companies such as monster.com or careerbuilder.com stems from the fact that JobSherpa seeks short-term, lower paying employers, who provide more student-suited jobs, according to Kozhukh.

Kozhukh, Chief Executive Officer of JobSherpa, says he got the idea last summer. “Friends and I were around a table, bitching and moaning about how they didn’t have any money, and they were sophomores in college,” Kozhukh said. “I had the initial idea, then I found Kayvan. He took up the idea, liked it, so we pursued it.”

According to Kozhukh and Farzaneh, Chief Operating Officer of JobSherpa, conceptualizing the business began in September and quickly developed into actual work in October. “We exchanged concepts and remade it … and [eventually] transformed it into what was needed and what we thought was needed,” Kozhukh said. According to Kozhukh and Farzaneh, JobSherpa received no professional or corporate backing, and all financial support was provided from the students’ own pockets. A student designed the Web site as well, creating a professional quality site with minimal cost.

The company hopes to provide a valuable service to students in addition to making a profit. “We want to help the community, and make money,” Farzaneh said. Kozhukh added, “It’s a business; money is a concern.”

“Obviously, [we want to take it] as far as possible … country-wide, maybe,” Kozhukh said of the company’s reach. “We’re realistic though … we’ll play it by ear.”

The company is Internet-based, allowing the students more freedom in controlling the business and managing the site. “We eventually want it to be autonomous,” Kozhukh said. “Once we go to college we can expand. Being online makes things easier.” Farzaneh agreed, adding, “an online infrastructure is easier [to build and manage] than offline.”

After only a month of online exposure, the company already has clients. “So far, we have about 50 people [students] signed up, and about 15 resumes posted,” Farzaneh said. However, the company has yet to attract potential employers. “We finished the site,” Kozhukh said. “Now it’s pretty much down to marketing and sales.” According to Kozhukh and Farzaneh, the company plans to target “popular places” looking to hire short-term, such as Pizza My Heart, California Pizza Kitchen, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, and Starbucks.

Farzaneh and Kozhukh hope that Paly students will find the site useful. “It’s made for them [students],” Farzaneh said. “It’s easy to use and beneficial … There’s no real reason not to use it. It’s easier than walking around and finding a job.” Farzaneh and Kozhukh emphasize that the company’s tools are “free for students.”

For more information about JobSherpa, or to register, visit jobsherpa.com