Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Ikosipentarhos and Tony Malz.
Veronica and Tony, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Veronica: I graduated from UCSB in 2013 with an Economics and Accounting degree. I came from a family history of CPA’s, so I thought at the ripe age of 20 that finance was my professional destiny. I landed an operational auditing job focused on process improvement in LA at a mortgage company.
After a year and half, I moved to San Diego with my then-boyfriend (now husband) and worked for five years as an Internal Auditor focused on SOX audits, operational audits, and non for profit audits. During those years, I sat for my CIA and CPA exams, learned a lot professionally, and realized audit was truly not where my passion lied. I had always loved helping people and networking. I reached out to a colleague who I worked with in auditing who had made the jump into recruiting and didn’t regret a single decision. She convinced me to try it for at least a year – worst-case scenario, if I hated it, at least I had first pick of job opportunities.
Needless to say, I switched careers in August of 2018 and haven’t looked back since. I love recruiting – it’s equal parts rewarding and challenging. In November of 2019, I was approached by Tony Malz on LinkedIn. He introduced me to the concept of Sizigi due to his own frustrations with the hiring process through online applications and recruiters. He told me to imagine a world where job seekers could have ownership of their own resume and portfolio of what they show to hiring managers. I agreed and was hungry for the hustle, challenge and grind. Fast forward to January of 2020 and I started my position as Director of Recruiting for Sizigi.
Tony: I am one the few and very lucky people in San Diego. See I have been here my whole life starting back in 1975…
I was destined to be a San Diego State Aztec the day I was born. It was not because of family ties. After all, I would end up being a first-generation college graduate. It started with my mom “patiently” waiting to bring me into this world as her Doctor was working as the Aztec football team physician that night. And it continued as a kid growing up watching Aztec legends such as Mr. San Diego Tony Gwynn and Marshall Faulk. So in 2000, I graduated from SDSU with a Finance degree in hand. And I was determined to conquer the world. Or so I thought
My first job was working with the stock market. And it was in its heyday, breaking records every day. Then all of a sudden, the dotcom bubble burst and so many people lost everything. Needing a change, I went back to my known place of SDSU, this time receiving my MBA. I was so optimistic that it would be much easier to find a better job this time around. But somehow, it took me longer to find a job and it just happened to be at the same salary as before 😊. Fortunately, I was able to have a pretty successful career at a couple of large software companies
San Diego has also played a large role in my life personally. I was lucky to meet the love of my life in 1998. At a bar in Pacific Beach; yes it can happen! And a fellow San Diegan native and SDSU Aztec!! We are blessed to have an amazingly beautiful, loving and talented eleven year old daughter.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Veronica: Tony can speak more to the progress and setbacks Sizigi has experienced since being an official company. However, in the 40 days since being an employee, there is no such thing as a smooth road in a start-up company looking to disrupt the hiring process. When I joined, our platform hadn’t launched for use, so getting people interested in working with us was like talking to a wall. People would screen my calls. If they did answer, they weren’t too sold on the idea of making a video for their portfolio. Some said they didn’t see anything wrong with the way hiring was done. It was frustrating getting the pushback.
However, out of every ten of people who would say no, we were confident one would give us a chance. We officially launched our platform on February 6th. Getting the word out was a struggle in itself due to the process being so manual. However, once we launched, a few days later, people were conceptualizing it better and more open to working with us. We were able to get a few hundred users within a week, and three job orders from national companies! We’ve had small successes along the way, but we know that the smarter and harder we work, the more success will follow.
Tony: In February 2019, I would receive a call that would forever change my life. My boss informed me that they were going to make some big changes and thanked me for all my years. Sure I was shocked by the news. But I was even more shocked by the chain of the event that would follow.
Like most, I have not updated my resume for years. I was told by all these resume experts that my bullet points and keywords had to look just like every other Finance Executive. I found out that many companies are streamlining their recruiting effort by using “technology” to score resumes based on keyword…and that some applicants are now “gaming the system”. Basically we as people lack any professional individuality. That really bothered me as a professional. And is especially bothered me as a father.
This experience has been one of the biggest challenges in my life. And what to do next in my career would my biggest decision ever.
Sizigi – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Veronica: Sizigi is a start-up technology company looking to humanize the hiring process created for professionals by professionals. The resume is dead, the hiring process is antiquated, and isn’t the biggest focus when looking for a job to find a match for both the interviewer and interviewee? We specialize in revamping the way hiring is done and putting job hunting back in the hands and control of those looking for jobs. Think: out with the old paper resume, and in with a video of your candidate briefly explaining their experience, why they’re a great fit for the role, and showing the hiring manager how articulate they are, how they present, and if they’d be a good culture fit for the company.
Pretty good stuff getting that all from one click, rather than relying on a piece of paper that doesn’t tell you much about the person themselves. Thus, welcome Sizigi! In modern-day lingo, I’ve been starting my elevator pitch with “imagine if TikTok and LinkedIn had a professional baby…”. Since Tony and I both come from extensive finance backgrounds, we are focusing solely on finance positions currently. Think all levels of accountants, financial analysts, auditors, tax accountants, advisory services, etc. As we continue to grow, our hope is to expand in other industries such as technology and administrative roles.
We are most proud of getting our first job order with a large public accounting company within a week of our launch day. We were able to successfully and timely launch the platform of Sizigi on Thursday, 2/6, and we had a signed contract order on Tuesday, 2/10. That’s a huge accomplishment that such a large and reputable firm was willing to give us a chance and work with us!
What sets us apart from the rest is that Tony and I aren’t just creating another recruiting firm. We’re creating a rich ecosystem for everyone to take ownership of what they bring to the table professionally. There are several features that we plan on launching over the next few weeks that will allow users to not only have their personal, professional brand, but also communication amongst users to expand their network, further educate themselves about trending topics, and work together to land everyone their dream position.
Tony: It’s hard to believe that the resume has been around for over 500 years. Sure there is LinkedIn. But people’s profiles basically looks like their resume, and it is also can be publicly viewed including by their employer.
There has got to be a better way to build a Professional Brand. But could there even be a bigger way…
I think back to when I was a kid:
* You would only really take pictures at special events and would need to wait for a few days for a roll of film to be developed. Today people are taking pictures of everything, while sharing instantly.
* You would need go to a music store and buy a cassette to listen to a song when you want. And trying to skip to the next song was a delightful experience. Nowadays, digital music is being downloaded and streamed upon a click of a button
* You would have to manually record a TV show on a VHS tape to be able watch it when you want. And hopefully you didn’t record over anything important! And in 2020, my mom has ditched cable and is streaming video-on-demand
Inspired by this “bigger way”, I ventured down the unknown road of starting Sizigi in September of 2019. We have since ramped up our team and released our global software platform.
“Your Professional Brand, On-Demand”
Sizigi is providing people their own private platform to build their own professional brand. Instead of bullet points on a resume, people are creating rich digital content like videos, blogs and podcasts to showcase their talents and individuality. And at any time they can configure their digital content and stream it to who they want.
Another exciting aspect is how the interview process is changing. Typically, most candidates feel a bit uncomfortable as hiring managers are testing them on their resume. However with Sizigi, the recruiting process and interview experience is so much better. Candidates can be themselves during the interview by being able to present their digital portfolio, while the hiring manager can focus more on fit. The end result is a much better match and experience for both the candidate and the company
But the power of creating professional digital contact extend more than just the job application process. When I think twenty years from now and I am asked “Grandpa tell me about what you did for work?” I will be able to share a wealth of digital memories that shows how I spent 1/3 of my life. This is so much more personable and rewarding than some text on a piece of paper.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Veronica: The proudest moment of my career was taking the risk to change careers. My true passion has always lied in helping people. I had always been guided by my parents to be an auditor. Everyone around me knew me as “V the auditor, the finance gal.” I was worried about the reputation I’d be losing leaving auditing and going into sales. I was worried about the salary regression I would be taking from auditing to sales. I was worried about job stability. I was basically worried about everything.
However, I figured if I didn’t know, then when? Now was the time. I also realized I need to do something I’m passionate about that makes me happy. I truly believe professional happiness will lead to financial and professional success. So far, I’ve proven myself right.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Tony: I love everything about San Diego…there is a reason why I have been here my whole life!
The only thing I really dislike is that the Chargers moved to L.A. 🙂
Pricing:
- Free for all users
Contact Info:
- Address: 5550 W B Street, Floor 4 San Diego, CA 92101
- Website: www.joinsizigi.com
- Phone: 8182009372
- Email: veronicaikos@joinsizigi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsizigi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinsizigi
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/joinsizigi
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinsizigi
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