Many Wayland students have begun taking advantage of a new employment resource, MyHometownlink. The only problem is that local adults aren’t utilizing the site.

MyHometownLink was created by Wellesley, MA resident Elizabeth Geisinger to enable adults in the community to find local high school or college students to hire as babysitters, dog walkers or landscapers.

When she started her own tennis camp in Wellesley,  “Parents [of campers] were always asking me if I could babysit. I realized that there was no easy way for parents and students to connect in their own hometowns,” said Geisinger. “I decided to take what naturally happens offline and put it online, thus making the whole process more efficient.”

Many students have already taken advantage of the site and signed up.  However, the same can’t be said for adults. Geisinger recognizes the difficulty in getting started.

The trickiest part, according to Geisinger, is “just getting the word out about the site – once people hear about it, they love it – but spreading the word is tough.”

Many students who have been members of the website for a while have yet to receive offers.

“I think [MyHometownlink] could be a very good thing if it were a little more well known,” said junior Haylee Rosenblatt who hasn’t gotten a job yet.

Unlike other job sites, MyHometownLink is based on references. In addition to allowing adults to post reviews of students to help them gain credibility, the site allows students to post reviews of adults so that other students don’t have to go in to a job blind.

“It revolves around this reference system so that students can find jobs with parents that their friends actually already know and trust,” said Geisinger.

“The best part is how easily kids will be able to get jobs from parents,” said junior Willem Wang. Wang has been a member for about six months but has yet to receive an offer.

Sophomore Grace Murphy, who has been a member of MyHometownLink for about a year, said, “I think the site is great because Wayland doesn’t have many places to work as a student.”

While it started out solely in Wellesley, MyHometownLink is now active in cities and towns nationwide. Geisinger wants the website to serve every town in America and to be able to help students like those in Wayland find a job.

It’s clear that both Geisinger and students want the website to blossom; now it’s the parents’ turn.