Job-hunting. It’s a necessary evil, but it’s always so hard to make sure the company you are interested in will be a good fit. Questions like “What is the work environment like?” and “Will I fit in with the office culture?” always pop up but are almost impossible to answer until you’re already hired. Stephanie Mears (’12, B.S. Information Technology) faced this exact dilemma in July of last year. She thought to herself, “There has to be a better way to search for a job or decide to transition to a new employer.” Instead of waiting for a magic solution, she decided to create one, and EthosQ was born.

EthosQ is an online platform that helps job seekers and employers find their perfect match. There are just three easy steps to finding your EQ score. First, you rank your personal cultural values or things you find important to maintaining a positive workspace. Second, you anonymously provide feedback on your current employer and rank them on seven cultural values. Finally, EthosQ’s AI-powered matching engine calculates your unique EQ match score per employer.

This system is designed to provide “transparent insights into culture and employee experiences to ultimately match job seekers with employers based on cultural fit,” Mears explains. “By having employers expose their existing culture, it creates a level of transparency internally and externally.” There are some additional potential benefits to this. EthosQ can be used as a warning system for companies and point out areas that need to be resolved, as well as provide a level of accountability for employers to continuously increase the positive growth of their work culture.

Mears hopes this platform is especially beneficial to recent college graduates. “Typically, new college graduates do not have a lot of experience in the workforce. Our platform helps shed insight into what they can expect and compare employers,” she explains. “Ultimately, we want to help job seekers find employment where they can have a sense of belonging and grow with the company.”

As a first-time business developer, Mears relied on the foundation she created during her time in CCI. While she always aspired to create a start-up, Mears developed her technical and leadership skills while at FSU which allowed her to combine her expertise and natural drive to create her own company. Although creating your own startup is challenging, Mears’s persistence keeps her going. “I’m a firm believer that I can’t lose with EthosQ. I’ll either win or I’ll learn,” she says.

Mears recently launched the first iteration of EthosQ. She is focused on growing traction and continuing fundraising for additional investments. Keep an eye out for the next development of EthosQ soon!