In anticipation of peak moving season, Bellhops, a tech-enabled moving company connecting college students to moving and lifting jobs, is hoping to field 150 applications from Oxford-area college students.

“Thanks to mushrooming demand, we must drastically increase the number of bellhops we have in the field. It’s that simple,” said Bellhops COO, Matt Patterson. “Last year Bellhops business grew by 170 percent in Oxford. We’re planning to do more of the same in 2016, and we’ll need to add a slew of bellhops to support that growth.”

Bellhops has been referred to as the “Uber for moving” since jobs are claimed off a smartphone app similar to the one used by the popular ride-sharing company. Bellhops contracts college students to work small- to medium-sized moves, which are booked over the phone or on the Bellhops website.

Once a job is booked, all the bellhops in a given market are notified through their app, and the job can be claimed on a first-come first-served basis. Bellhops are paid between $13 and $15 per hour. All bellhops are background-checked, take part in a video interview, and are routinely rated by their bellhop peers as well as customers.

“We are very selective about who is allowed on our job-claiming platform, so that means we need to sort through a large collection of applications to reach our desired market headcount,” Patterson said. “Historically our applicant acceptance rate has been roughly 50 percent. This allows us to ensure customers that we’re supplying high-quality movers to their jobs.”

As the temperatures increase, so does the demand for moving help. Peak moving season typically lasts June through August. This is why nearly 6,000 college students have joined the Bellhops platform — the moving season coincides perfectly with summer break.

Currently, students from the University of Mississippi are claiming Bellhops jobs in Oxford.

For more, visit www.GetBellhops.com.