DU Works App Builds Careers, Connections for Students

University of Denver students who are digital ninjas will soon have a new resource for deepening their experience and building their resumes. Will Alverson, who is majoring in marketing and entrepreneurship, and Scott Romano, a DU junior in international business and economics, recognized a common problem among student start-ups: they have a difficult time growing. Alverson and Romano created an initiative that will help these young professionals build their portfolios while also making money.

DU Works, in the second phase of its pilot, gives students the resources and knowledge to build their careers in fields including software development, digital design, photography, videography and more. The new student freelancing job board at duworks.com is the clearinghouse for creating connections between students and alumni businesses. Students can advertise themselves as freelancers, posting their skills and expertise, and alumni and community businesses can use the board to find and hire them.

To date, 40 students have signed up, and nine different employers have used them to complete 15 freelance jobs. Unlike the University's Pioneer Careers resource for full-time jobs and internships, DU Works focuses on connecting students and businesses for freelance gigs.

Created through Cultivo Media, the digital marketing development firm Alverson and Romano created, DU Works will equip students and businesses with the information they need to form effective partnerships. Available resources will include best practices for working with freelancers, communication tips around deliverables, accounting and invoicing recommendations, contract templates and instructions on registering as an LLC. DU Works will prepare students to effectively advocate for themselves and create value in their fields, in addition to connecting them with local businesses that are interested in hiring students.

“DU alums are hungry to hire students,” Romano says. “As an example, Project X-ITE gets 300 requests a year for students to work at alumni-affiliated companies. Not until now have we had a mechanism for making those connections.”

The motivation behind DU Works, Romano says, is making connections. Both he and Alverson have had positive experiences at DU, and they want to give back in a way that helps both students and alumni.

After the pilot phase of DU Works, the pair intends to gather feedback from participants and expand the network’s reach beyond DU alumni. Eventually, they hope to launch similar programs at other universities, connecting students and alumni across the country and empowering young professionals to build their careers.

DU Works encourages alumni and community businesses to join the network and bring new DU talent to work for them. Find out more and join DU Works at duworks.com.