Fuzu, an online platform that allows people to locate jobs and companies to recruit people while avoiding hectic paperwork, has been operating in Uganda for a year now.
As the firm, which is currently doing business in Uganda and Kenya (first market) celebrates its first anniversary in Uganda, we talked to Alvin Katto, the country manager of Fuzu Uganda to walk us through the journey so far.
(We sent the questions via email and he responded.)
In a few words, describe the past year at Fuzu.
The past one year at Fuzu has been an amazing journey.
Over the course of the last 12 months, we have tripled the number of users on the platform, worked with many more top companies to bring the jobs people want to our platform and revamped our platform so we offer more relevant content to our users.
All these great strides are allowing us to impact many more people, helping them to dream, grow and be found and ultimately unleash their full potential, which is the mission we want to achieve all over Uganda.
The last time we talked you had plans of growing the team, has the headcount increased?
The headcount has increased to 3 people and we are bringing on more brand ambassadors to increase our footprint in Universities.
We still, however, do believe in a lean approach as we continue building our user base and bring in more employer clients.
How many people (jobs seekers) and companies have worked with Fuzu (name some of the top companies you’ve worked with)
In Uganda, to date, we have close to 70,000 users on the platform and we have worked directly with over 60 companies.
Some of the top and well-known companies we have worked with are SafeBoda, Jumia, Bolt (Taxify), Mkopa, Tugende, Mercy Corps and Solar Now.
What are some of the technologies Fuzu is using to make the recruitment process swifter and easier for companies?
At Fuzu we are all about optimizing the recruitment process for employers. First, we use an AI-based recommendation engine to recommend the best matching jobs to potential candidates. This allows companies to attract relevant talent for the roles they are hiring for.
We also utilize machine learning to ensure our users are always receiving the most relevant job recommendations.
Thirdly we make use of analytics into a candidate’s CV, Psychometric score and Aptitude score to automatically rank applicant’s based off these 3 parameters.
These technologies combined are able to save companies 80% of the time to select the top candidates for their roles and also 80% of the cost.
Aside from helping people find jobs, what else should people know about Fuzu?
Fuzu is way more than a job board, we are an online personal career companion that helps people to DREAM, GROW and BE FOUND.
On Fuzu people can set a career objective and the platform will recommend steps you need to take to achieve that goal.
We have over 20 categories of courses ranging from accounting to media to hospitality and numerous blogs that anyone can access to learn more and improve their outlook. All of this is provided free of charge as well because we truly believe in empowering people.
What is a Ugandan job seeker missing by not working with Fuzu?
By not being on Fuzu a Uganda job seeker misses out on an incredibly personalized experience.
Other job boards send you jobs which don’t match your experience, skills or interests which can quickly become frustrating. The main point of positive feedback we get from our users is the experience of using Fuzu and how it’s tailored to them.
See: Rachael Mwine: Why I left NTV Uganda for Andela job
How about companies?
Companies are missing out on time-saving and money saving tools. Fuzu is the only Application Tracking System that has an inbuilt talent pool that is constantly evolving.
On top of that our tools are built to make finding top talent easier. Whether it’s through our automated analytics focused selection process or through our inbuilt head hunting tools, we want to ensure the companies we work with save time, save money and realize a net positive impact on their bottom line.
Last time we talked Fuzu had free and paid-for services, can we highlight them again? And have you added more?
The paid for services right now are Instant Feedback and Premium CV. Instant Feedback allows an applicant to see how they compare to other applicants for a particular job they have applied to.
Premium CV allows a user to generate a top notch printable CV on the Fuzu platform by inputting their experience, skills, and education. We charge Shs3,00 for Premium CV and Shs3,500 for Instant Feedback per position. Low prices but yet so much value is provided.
Tell us about the promotion you’re working on with Jumia?
Jumia is one of our top clients so we work together on a variety of initiatives. But to celebrate our anniversary we are sending all our users a Jumia voucher giving a Shs20,000 discount off purchases from Shs100,00 and above. This is particularly great right now because they are running their Big Home Makeover campaign with loads of discounts on home appliances.
What should Fuzu users expect in the coming months?
In the coming months, we have a lot of big announcements. But in terms of the main ones you can expect more improvements on the platform and definitely more jobs, and the jobs our users want.
Do you see digital recruitment gaining traction in the country?
It is already gaining traction. A lot of companies are opting to use digital solutions even outside Fuzu. The efficiencies that they bring cannot be argued against. Advertising jobs on non-digital channels, manually reviewing hard copy CVs, storing applicant details in box files is a very time-consuming process.
Being operationally efficient is what allows companies to have an edge over their competitors and more and more companies are realizing this when it comes to recruitment as well.
How does it feel like managing a technology firm in a market that is still nascent and in a country still in an early stage of tech adoption?
In all honesty, it feels great because you get the opportunity to really experiment and learn.
In the already developed markets, you are usually competing for a small market share where large companies with significant economies of scale dominate the market and make it a lot tougher for other startups.
Uganda is a virgin frontier in our space and we are thus able to try and fail but still move forward learning what our customers want and how we can serve them better. I wouldn’t choose this experience over anything else quite frankly!
Is Fuzu having plans of expanding to more countries? If it’s soon can you give us a timeline?
Yes most definitely. I can’t go into specific details with regards to a timeline but you can expect Fuzu Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria to be launching soon.
Are we getting Fuzu apps soon?
Most definitely. Hopefully by the end of the year.
Any parting shot?
I hope everyone that reads this article creates a Fuzu profile or if you have one already advises his or her friends and family to create one. Fuzu really does work and we are supporting so many people to achieve fulfilling careers. Don’t miss out on the talent revolution!
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