New App: Handz for Hire

Check this out job seekers, this app might change the way people can make quick cash!

We've all been there. We need extra money and fast. Those rent payments have come up or the credit card bill was higher than it usually is. Thanks to the mind of a high school physics teacher, things could change, fast.

Jay Herrigel, a former physics teacher at West Morris Central High School in Chester NJ, (one of my former teachers! Yay Earth Science!) who also was head coach of the track teams, found it especially difficult to coordinate meets and those of his athletes who wanted to make pocket money at a part time after school job. Schedules are becoming increasingly difficult to deal with these days with many kids not just participating in one after school activity.

"The Handz for Hire app is geared towards high school and college aged students who need flexibility in their schedule, but it’s not limited to that demographic. I can see retired professionals helping their neighbors out with house projects, accounting, or childcare. I can picture businesses using this app as a tool to find employees for an event or a specific job that requires more laborers," Herrigel said.

While the app is geared more toward high school and college students who need flexibility for their ever packed schedules. The app will also be beneficial to those who may need extra help around the home, with yard work, or pet sitting.

What sets Handz for Hire apart is the access to all jobs. The app will be open to job seekers of all ages and abilities. Some of the jobs listed may be as simple as moving a piece of furniture, a perfect job for a high school athlete who has 30 minutes to spare.

Between schedules for practice, games, family time, and personal activities, the life of an average high school student has changed over the last few years. Students are now also adding part time jobs into the mix, trying to make their college applications just a little bit more competitive.

"Handz for Hire is simply a tool/service for neighbors who need a hand to connect with neighbors willing to lend a hand. It’s very much like a combination between Uber and Match.com. Like Uber, but instead of a driving service, we’re connecting community members who need help with everyday tasks, jobs, and projects. Like Match, but instead of setting up people for romance, setting them up for labor."

The app, which will be launching in the Jacksonville area, will enable neighbors to list odd jobs and job seekers can apply directly through the app. With odd jobs being babysitting, lawn and landscaping, moving, etc. The app will work both ways, where users can post and apply to jobs while using the app.

"The app has two functional sides. One is labeled 'Need a Hand' and the other is labeled 'Lend a Hand.' Users can access and use both sides of the app and switch between them with a left to right swipe."

Currently the app is being beta tested with a group of 50 users and Herrigel hopes to have a public launch in the Jacksonville area by February of 2018.

In the future, Herrigel hopes that the app takes off and people find it useful and enjoy the easy to use program. If the app is majorly successful, the plans are expansion, expansion, and more expansion.

"I’d like to build an option for users to purchase a background check. Once they have been background checked, they will receive a very specific high status in their profile. I feel that this feature will be another tool in the toolbox to help “Need a Hand” users pick the right employee and “Lend a Hand” users pick the right employer," Herrigel said.

Here's to a successful launch & changing the way we find jobs in this social media and app driven world we live in!