Familiar with the insurance business and website development, longtime executive Wally Glaser admits to being somewhat of a novice when it came to the field of career services.

Not that it mattered.

What really counted in this instance was the importance of listening when your children have something to say.

Glaser's oldest son, Lee, was doing the talking four years ago as he embarked on a search for his second job out of college. For young people in particular, it was not the most opportune time to be looking.

In 2007, the National Association of Colleges and Employers gave graduating seniors at 50-50 chance of landing a job straight out of college. A year later, the odds were down to 25 percent. And by 2009, the association's annual survey figured just one out of five graduating seniors moved directly from campus to workforce.

Wally Glaser learned from his son that there was little advice on how to beat those odds. Nor were the usual outlets much help.

College placement offices were overwhelmed. The commercial job search engines provided few if any leads. And the networks that young adults had long relied on to match them with employers had dried up.

As graduation approached, Lee's college-age younger brother, Alex sounded the same refrain. Then the son of a Clayton neighbor, an honor student frustrated by his own job search, weighed in with similar frustration.

Rather than commiserate, Glaser responded with a start-up website aimed squarely at job-seekers between the ages of 18-32.

A joint venture of Glaser and Jeff Camilleri (who has since departed for a job in the financial sector), HippoPie.com began a slow roll out three years ago.

(The name reflect nothing other than Glaser's favorites among zoo animals and desserts. It came to him as he lay awake one morning at 3 a.m.)

The start-up received a huge boost when its application was accepted by a program that provides MBA candidates at St. Louis University the opportunity to delve into actual business situations.

"It's a valuable experience for both parties," said Tim Keane, the director of the school's Center for Sustainability who, in 2009, headed the team that worked with HippoPie. "The students get real-world experience, and the clients get a third-party review and analysis for free."

To differentiate HippoPie from hundreds of other Internet career sites, the students recommended that Glaser follow his instinct to create a site aimed squarely at young adults.

They further suggested that HippoPie offer narrow but helpful doses of career advice along with postings for jobs and internships.

Finally, the students stressed the success of HippoPie would likely be determined by the development of an uncluttered, easy-to-navigate website.

"They felt it was important to narrow the strategy to a targeted niche," Keane explained. "You can't do too much, or you run the risk of diluting the core competencies."

Following up on the SLU analysis, Glaser enlisted St. Louis area human resources specialist Bernie Frazier to address interviewing techniques, resume writing and habits that can trip up a generation weaned on Facebook and text messages.

Her advice regarding the latter: "...The next time u wan2 uz txtspk, thnk 2x if u r lukng 4 a job be sure you notice how you are sending a text to a recruiter."

Another HippoPie feature highlights personal essays written by an array of professionals representing fields as diverse as beekeeping and intellectual property law.

The essayists explain what lured them and keeps them engaged in their chosen vocations.

In an era where a foothold often precedes a full-time job, HippoPie points visitors toward internships in every corner of the country - "a sweet spot for his target demographic," Keane points out.

The 1,200 comments directed to Frazier and other contributors convince Glaser that, as the SLU students predicted, he has tapped into an unchartered Internet niche.

"There's still a lot of pain out there," said Glaser. "Even kids who have been employed for six or seven years are overwhelmed when they start looking for new jobs."

As the website moves into its third year, Glaser hopes to expand its reach by including free job postings to match his target audience with small companies and start-ups.

Glaser calls the dot-com designation something of a misnomer. The site contains no advertising and charges nothing to businesses and non-profits for posting employment opportunities.

"We're not some sort of venture capital outfit," Glaser emphasizes. "We're not Monster, we're not Google. This isn't about money. It's about finding a way to help."