Student Job Search

What Student Job Search does

Student Job Search (SJS), formally Student Job Search Aotearoa Inc, is a New Zealand-registered not-for-profit incorporated society and registered charity (CC37101) that operates an online job marketplace connecting tertiary students and recent graduates with employers across New Zealand. Founded in 1982 by local student representative groups to facilitate a government student wage subsidy scheme, the organisation has since 1986 operated as an autonomous entity under the name Student Job Search Aotearoa Incorporated, currently headquartered in Wellington. As of recent reporting, SJS maintains a database of more than 200,000 active students, fills approximately 100 jobs per day, and reports having placed over one million jobs since inception.

SJS's core product is a web and mobile application platform (sjs.co.nz plus native iOS and Android apps) that enables students and graduates to search and apply for casual, part-time, fixed-term, and permanent roles, and enables employers to post vacancies and manage applications through an employer portal at portal.sjs.co.nz. Adjacent offerings include a dedicated Graduates portal available for up to two years post-graduation, a "Tips & Tricks" editorial content hub covering CVs, interviews, and working-while-studying guidance, and SJS Recruit — a managed, fee-based recruitment service in which a dedicated SJS Recruitment Specialist handles candidate outreach, screening, and shortlisting for employer clients at a published starting fee of NZ$4,000 per successful hire. The underlying technology stack is a cloud-hosted platform with Google Analytics and Mixpanel for behavioural analytics, integrations with Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Monday.com for contact handling, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

The business model is a hybrid charity/commercial structure: students and graduates register and use the platform free of charge, basic employer listings are free, and revenue is generated from SJS Recruit's per-hire fees, optional paid boost-listing placements, and — most critically — ongoing funding from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) plus charitable donations. Operating with a small team of approximately 15-20 staff under CEO Louise Saviker, SJS maintains partnership relationships with over 100 student associations across NZ universities and polytechnics and counts major employers such as Datacom, Deloitte, and BDO among its enterprise customers. The entity is governed by a Board of Directors, has no parent company, and does not accept external institutional investment given its charitable structure.

Name

Student Job Search

Legal name

Student Job Search Aotearoa Inc

Website

https://sjs.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Student Job Search is a New Zealand not-for-profit charity operating a web and mobile job marketplace connecting 200,000+ tertiary students and recent graduates with employers nationwide, monetizing through SJS Recruit fees, boosted listings, and Ministry of Social Development funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Employment Marketplace

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL), Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Vertical/Specialty Search (e.g., jobs, real estate, travel, products) (BPAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Student job board
• Graduate recruitment platform
• Student employment marketplace
• Graduate hiring services
• Student career platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free Platform Access: Students and graduates can register and use the platform free of charge. Employers can list basic jobs for free. Revenue is not generated from job seekers.
2. SJS Recruit Premium Service: Paid recruitment service for employers with a starting fee of $4,000 per successful hire. Includes full-service hiring support: candidate outreach, screening, video introductions, and shortlisting by dedicated Recruitment Specialist.
3. Boosted Listings: Employers can pay to boost their job listings for increased visibility on the platform.
4. Donations and Charitable Funding: As a registered charity (CC37101), SJS receives donations and is funded by the Ministry of Social Development to support its mission of student employment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Student Job Search operates an online job marketplace platform connecting tertiary students and graduates (up to 2 years post-graduation) with employers across New Zealand. The core offering is a free self-serve job board accessible via website and mobile apps, enabling students to search and apply for casual, part-time, and permanent roles. The platform is complemented by a paid managed recruitment service (SJS Recruit) at NZ$4,000 per successful hire, where SJS handles candidate outreach, screening, and shortlisting for employers.

Product overview

Student Job Search (SJS) operates a single unified online employment platform accessible via website (sjs.co.nz) and native mobile applications (iOS and Android). The core product is the job listing and matching platform connecting tertiary students and graduates with employers. Adjacent products include SJS Recruit — a fee-based managed recruitment service for employers seeking full-time hires — and a Tips & Tricks editorial content hub. The graduate-specific portal provides dedicated resources for up to two years post-graduation. The employer portal at portal.sjs.co.nz handles vacancy posting, application management, and boosted listings. All products are oriented around the not-for-profit mission of championing student employment in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SJS Recruit: Premium recruitment service where SJS handles candidate outreach, job description creation, advertising, screening, and shortlisting for employers. Starting fee of $4,000 per successful hire.

Products and services

• Student Job Search Platform Online job board connecting tertiary students and graduates (up to 2 years post-graduation) with employers across New Zealand. Students can search and apply for casual, part-time, fixed-term, and permanent roles; employers can post vacancies and manage applications. Free for students and basic employer listings.
• SJS Mobile Application (iOS/Android) Native mobile application available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store, enabling students to search for jobs, apply, receive push notifications about job listings and account activity, and manage their profiles on mobile devices.
• Graduates Portal Dedicated section of the platform targeting graduate job seekers, featuring full-time permanent entry-level roles, graduate programmes, internships, and interview/CV resources across 25+ industries and all regions of New Zealand. Access extends up to 2 years post-graduation.
• SJS Recruit A managed recruitment service for employers, handled by a dedicated SJS Recruitment Specialist who manages candidate outreach, screening, shortlisting, and hiring from initial outreach through to placement. Starting fee of NZ$4,000 per successful hire with no hidden fees or commissions.
• Employer Job Listing Portal Employer-facing platform at portal.sjs.co.nz for creating accounts, posting and managing job listings, tracking applications, boosting listings for visibility, cloning listings, updating application statuses, and reporting placement outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ jobs filled since 1982, with 100 jobs filled daily on average
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AUSA (Auckland University Students' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership providing direct access to Auckland University students. One of many student union partnerships enabling nationwide student outreach.
• Te Pukenga (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partnership with New Zealand's unified vocational education provider system, providing access to polytechnic students nationwide.
• AUTSA (AUT Student Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership for AUT University students, part of the national network of student union partnerships.
• OUSA (Otago University Students' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership for University of Otago students, historically significant given SJS originated in Dunedin.
• VUWSA (Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership for Victoria University students, supporting Wellington-based student employment connections.
• UCSA (University of Canterbury Students' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership for University of Canterbury students in Christchurch.
• LUSA (Lincoln University Students' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent association partnership for Lincoln University students, part of the Canterbury region network.
• WSU (Waikato Student Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent union partnership for University of Waikato students, providing access to Waikato region students.
• Coffee SuprememinorOthersFeatured employer success story from SJS history. Founder of Boring Oat Milk worked at Coffee Supreme during university, later Coffee Supreme became a distributor for Boring - illustrating the long-term relationships SJS creates.
• DatacomminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnterprise employer partner listing graduate and entry-level positions on the SJS platform. One of several large corporate employers using SJS for graduate recruitment.
• DeloitteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor professional services firm using SJS platform to list graduate positions and entry-level opportunities.
• BDOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccounting and professional services firm listing graduate positions on the SJS platform for audit and advisory roles.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prosple: Australia/NZ graduate and student recruitment platform connecting employers with university students for internships, graduate programs, and entry-level roles — direct comparable in geography and audience.
• GradConnection: Australia/NZ-focused graduate employment marketplace with employer branding, job listings, and career insights — direct comparable operating across the Tasman in the same student/graduate hiring category.
• JobTeaser: European student and graduate recruitment platform integrated with university career services — comparable as an emerging player in student-focused job marketplaces with institutional partnerships.
• StudentJob (UK): UK-based student-focused job marketplace with a similar freemium model targeting students and graduates — the closest international analogue to SJS's positioning and offering.

Broad incumbents

• Trade Me Jobs: NZ's largest general job marketplace with deep employer penetration and broad category coverage — competes for the same employer recruitment budgets across all experience levels including students/graduates.
• Seek NZ: Major NZ job board (part of Seek Limited) with a wide employer base across experience levels including entry-level and graduate categories — broad incumbent competing for recruitment spend.
• LinkedIn: Global professional network used heavily by NZ employers for graduate and entry-level hiring — broad incumbent providing professional profile-based matching that overlaps with SJS's graduate segment.
• Handshake: US-originated university-career-services and student employment platform with growing international reach — broad incumbent in the student/graduate recruitment space with a comparable institutional partnership model.
• Indeed New Zealand: Global job search engine with strong NZ employer coverage across all categories — broad incumbent competing on aggregation, employer reach, and free posting economics.

Others

• Symplicity: Provider of career services and student employment platforms to universities globally — adjacent/ecosystem participant whose university career-center software could overlap or partner with SJS's institutional relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sjsnewzealand
• Facebookfacebook.com/studentjobsearchnz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Job Search