Resume Booster: Zolio.com

Julie Fink knew she wanted to go to art school. When the graphic design major was a junior at Ohio University, she applied to schools in Chicago, Atlanta and New York. But the competition was stiff.

"I knew what I was up against. I didn't want to just send my portfolio, my transcript and

With the help of some Web designers, she built an electronic portfolio full of artwork she'd created since high school. It was accessible via the Internet, cost $300 and was "really ugly," Fink says. But it worked: Four of the seven schools she'd applied to accepted her based on her creative merit.

Fink saw potential in this approach and, in 2006, teamed with high school friend and fellow OU alum Andria Trivisonno to form Portfolio Magazine Online. The idea behind PMO was to provide high school students with tools to help them get into college.

Unfortunately, PMO didn't generate any revenue and wasn't functional in many ways. "It wasn't a success, but we don't view it as a total failure," Trivisonno says.

In fall 2006, she and Fink partnered with Todd Goldstein and Dar Caldwell, principals at Goldstein, Caldwell and Associates, an early-stage business growth consulting firm. After looking at the company's business plan, Goldstein and Caldwell made a small investment in the company, and the group restructured PMO into a more lucrative business model--one that helped people find jobs by improving the traditional job search process.

The result is Zolio.com, a free online tool that combines the traditional resume with space to house videos, pictures and other documents. Users create an online profile that they can link to their portfolio, blog, social networking profiles, Twitter feed and other sites. In essence, companies can view a job candidate's professional and personal links in one streamlined location, giving them a more comprehensive picture of the candidate than a one-page resume.

"You're more than words on a piece of paper," says Trivisonno, now Zolio's chief marketing officer. "A Zolio profile is really a way for people to stand out, to organize and market themselves."

Trivisonno and Fink wanted to target college students and young professionals, because those groups often need the most help establishing themselves professionally.