The process of finding a job can take what seems like forever, not to mention be stressful and difficult. For employers, the process can be just the same. Enter SpinGig – a new app created by John Corcoran that aims to ease the stress and frustration of potential employees and employers in the restaurant business.

As a restaurant consultant for the past seven years, with 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Corcoran knows something about the struggles potential employees and employers face. He saw that employment, from both the employer and the employee side, was a huge issue. The process of finding a job, listing jobs, sending applications, interviewing, etc., costs a lot of time and money.

“When I was consulting, I would go into bars and restaurants and see where they were losing money, but also see what the biggest problems they faced were,” he said. “I sold my bar and restaurant business a few months ago so I could do this full time. I’m all in on this. It’s a big problem in the industry, and there’s no inexpensive way to do it.”

Corcoran had the idea for SpinGig a year ago. “I was sitting in traffic on 495 and the idea popped into my head,” Corcoran said. “It took a year to build it. We launched Feb. 1 of this year in Worcester. We currently have 600 people/potential employees and three dozen restaurants using it.”

So how does it work? Candidates complete a profile like an online resume. They can add photos and a little bit about themselves. Restaurant owners can log into SpinGig and send out a job alert for a specific job, date, time, location and pay. These alerts will then appear on a candidates’ profile, based on experience, job preferences and location. “Once candidates get these alerts, they can apply for the job in one click,” Corcoran said.

Not only is it a quick and easy process for candidates, but restaurant owners reap just as many benefits. “Owners love it. It shortens the hiring process, which usually takes three days to a week, to 15 minutes. It’s a quick, short list of people ready to work and then they can get on with their lives. There are so many other things – nuances of running a restaurant – that owners need to focus on that the normal hiring process wastes so much time,” Corcoran said.

SpinGig is free for workers/candidates to sign up, and there is a monthly or per-use fee for owners, depending on the size of the restaurant.

Corcoran wanted to make the process as efficient as possible for everyone. “I made this really simple because I had owners who didn’t even own a computer. I had to make it easy to log in and create a profile. In the beginning, I would sit down with owners to walk them through it, but the whole point is to make it intuitive and easy.”

Through print advertising, social media and hiring an online marketing company, Corcoran has gotten SpinGig out there and moving full steam ahead. “I wanted to fill up the worker database to make it as robust at possible. I am carefully adding restaurants where I know the owner and helping to work any bugs out as we go,” he said.

While the initial launch of the app has covered Worcester, Corcoran has big plans for the future of SpinGig. “We are moving to Framingham and Plymouth next and are hoping to get into Boston by the end of this summer,” he said. “After that, the next stop will be Nashville. I have strong contacts there, and there are a ton of bars and job opportunities in that area. I also have contacts in Austin, Texas, and Milwaukee. We’ve got big plans.”

So are you looking for a job or employees to work at your restaurant? Check out spingig.com and get started!

Rachel Shuster