Hired

Overview of the Project / Problem Space

Problem Statement : How can we make the process of Job Application more efficient, more centralised, less tedious and fun?

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Brief Overview of the Problem Statement:

• The job search process is stressful and inefficient.
• High volume of applications required.
• Repetitive data entry tasks are burdensome.
• Resume-centric formats fail to capture the full range of skills and experiences.
• Difficulty in finding jobs that align with specific skills, expectations, and career goals.
• Vague job descriptions complicate the search.
• Inefficient search engines on job portals.
• Poor user interfaces further complicate the job search and application process.

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User Pain-Points:

• Job seekers today face a multifaceted array of challenges that can make the process of finding suitable employment arduous and stressful. Let's explore these challenges in greater detail:
  • Overwhelming Application Process:
    • Volume of Applications: Applying manually to hundreds or even thousands of jobs can quickly become overwhelming. The time and effort required to fill out numerous applications, each with potentially different requirements and questions, can be daunting.
    • Repetitive Tasks: Many job portals require similar information to be entered repeatedly, adding to the frustration and time consumption.
  • Restrictive Application Formats:
    • Resume-Centric Applications: Many job portals primarily focus on resumes as the key document for applications. This can be highly restrictive for candidates who wish to showcase their skills and experiences in more dynamic and interactive ways, such as through portfolios, project examples, or personal websites.
    • Limited Expression: A standard resume may not adequately capture a candidate’s unique skills, creativity, or potential. This can be especially limiting for those in creative fields, tech roles, or positions requiring demonstrable project work.
  • Difficulty in Finding Suitable Matches:
    • Skillset Alignment: Identifying jobs that align with a candidate's specific skills and experiences can be challenging. Job descriptions can be vague, and the relevance of skills can be subjective.
    • Expectation Management: Matching job seekers' expectations with job opportunities in terms of role, compensation, culture, and career growth can be difficult. Many job seekers find that available job listings do not meet their professional and personal criteria.
  • Inefficient Job Portals:
    • Search Engine Limitations: Job portals often have inefficient search engines that do not accurately filter job listings based on a candidate’s specific criteria. This can result in job seekers spending excessive time sifting through irrelevant postings.
    • Poor User Experience: Many job portals have clunky interfaces and poor user experiences, which can hinder job seekers from effectively using the platform to find and apply for jobs.

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Addressing the Problem: Solution

Hired revolutionizes the job search experience by enabling you to swiftly and easily browse job postings with a simple swipe—right to like, left to pass. Hiring managers do the same, reviewing candidates' anonymized profiles to glean insights into their professional backgrounds and credentials. You receive instant notifications on your phone whenever an interested employer likes your profile or when there's a match. This system places you and the recruiter in direct contact through a convenient messaging portal.

Here's how Hired directly addresses the pain points identified:

• Overwhelming Application Process:
  • Simplified Interaction: By creating a detailed profile once, you eliminate the repetitive burden of filling out numerous applications. After setting up your profile, you simply swipe to show interest in roles, making the process significantly less daunting.
• Restrictive Application Formats:
  • Comprehensive Profiles: Hired allows you to create a rich profile that includes not just your resume, but also a portfolio showcasing your projects and work. This flexibility lets you express your skills and creativity more fully, overcoming the limitations of traditional resumes.
• Difficulty in Finding Suitable Matches:
  • Personalized Filters: Through your personal account, you can set detailed filters for company culture, salary ranges, remote vs. in-person work, and more. This ensures that you see job postings that closely align with your expectations and preferences, making the search more efficient and relevant.
• Inefficient Job Portals:
  • Enhanced Usability: The swipe-based interface allows you to quickly sift through job postings, eliminating the cumbersome process of navigating long lists on traditional job boards. This improves overall usability and enhances the user experience, making job hunting faster and more enjoyable.

Hired transforms the job search into a streamlined, user-friendly process, addressing the common pain points faced by job seekers today.

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Objectives and Goals

• User Engagement: Increase user engagement by providing an intuitive and enjoyable job search experience through a swipe-based interface. Aim for high user retention rates and active participation in the platform.
• Product Usability: Enhance product usability by creating a seamless and user-friendly interface that reduces the complexity of job applications. Ensure the platform is accessible and easy to navigate for all users, regardless of their technical proficiency.
• Revenue Growth: Drive revenue growth through premium features, advertisements, and partnerships with companies and recruitment agencies. Develop a sustainable business model that balances user satisfaction and profitability.
• Bias Reduction: Implement features that hide gender, race, and ethnicity information to minimize unconscious biases in the hiring process. Promote diversity and inclusivity by ensuring fair opportunities for all candidates.

AI Integration: Utilize AI tools to enhance the job matching process, providing personalized job recommendations and improving the relevance of job postings shown to candidates.

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Feature Prioritization Justification

• Profile Creation with Portfolio
  • Justification: Allows candidates to create comprehensive profiles that include resumes, portfolios, and project examples. This feature addresses the limitation of traditional resumes by enabling job seekers to showcase their skills and experiences dynamically and interactively.
  • Prioritization: High priority because it forms the foundation of the platform. Comprehensive profiles are crucial for attracting recruiters and providing a complete picture of a candidate's capabilities, making job seekers more competitive and visible to potential employers.
• Swiping Mechanism
  • Justification: Enables users to browse job postings and express interest with a simple swipe—right to like, left to pass. This intuitive interaction reduces the time and effort required to find and apply for jobs, making the user experience more engaging and efficient.
  • Prioritization: High priority as it significantly enhances the user experience by simplifying job search interactions. The swipe-based interface is a key differentiator from traditional job portals, making the platform more appealing, especially to younger, tech-savvy users.
• Chat Inbox
  • Justification: Provides a direct messaging system between job seekers and recruiters, facilitating easy and immediate communication. This feature helps speed up the recruitment process and fosters more personalized interactions.
  • Prioritization: Medium priority because while essential for direct communication, it is secondary to ensuring that users have strong profiles and an intuitive search interface. However, it remains critical for maintaining engagement and facilitating timely recruiter-candidate interactions.
• Notifications
  • Justification: Sends alerts to users when a recruiter views their profile or likes it, keeping them informed and engaged with the platform. This feature helps maintain user interest and responsiveness, ensuring they don't miss potential opportunities.
  • Prioritization: Medium priority as it enhances user engagement and keeps users active on the platform. Notifications drive re-engagement and ensure timely responses, but they are built on top of the core functionality of profile creation and job search.
• Filters for Job Search
  • Justification: Allows users to filter job postings based on criteria such as salary ranges, job types, company culture, and more. This feature ensures that job seekers can find positions that closely align with their skills, expectations, and career goals, making the search process more efficient and relevant.
  • Prioritization: High priority because it directly impacts the relevance and quality of job matches. Effective filtering ensures that users can quickly find suitable job opportunities, enhancing overall satisfaction and retention on the platform.

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Roadmap Development

Timeline:

• Phase 1: Research and Planning: Conduct market research, gather user pain-points, define user personas.
• Phase 2: Design and Prototyping: Create low-fidelity mockups.
• Phase 3: Development: Develop AI powered MVP and UI/UX design.
• Phase 4: Launch and Marketing: Launch the platform, execute marketing campaigns, onboard initial users.

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KPIs to Track:

• User Engagement
  • Daily and monthly active users (DAU/MAU).
  • Retention rates.
• Product Usability:
  • Average session duration.
  • User feedback and satisfaction scores.
• Revenue Growth:
  • Subscription and premium feature adoption rates.
  • Advertising revenue.
• Bias Reduction:
  • Diversity metrics of hired candidates.
  • User feedback on bias reduction features.
• AI Effectivene
  • Accuracy of job matches.
  • User satisfaction with job recommendations.

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Product Roadmap 

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Future Scope

If I had more resources:

• Developing the App:
  • Capable of developing the AI-powered app to a certain extent.
  • Full project launch requires a collaborative team effort.
• Team Requirements:
  • Engineers
  • Marketers
  • UX Researchers
  • Other key professionals
• Importance of UX Research:
  • Essential for understanding user needs and preferences.
  • Ensures the product meets user requirements without assumptions.
• Accessibility Features:
  • Remove information that may cause biases in hiring (gender, race, religion, etc.).
  • Include an AI-based career coach to help job seekers prepare.

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Tech Stack Used:

• APP.uizard: Built the MVP of Hired using AI-powered app building tools.
• ChatGPT: Synthesized bulk of research (e.g., market research information) using AI tools.
• Notion: Created a project timeline using Notion's project management tools.
• Miro: Created the user journey map using Miro.

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Skills Demonstrated:

• Prompt Engineering:
  • Crafting effective prompts to maximize AI tool outputs.
  • Optimizing interactions with AI for better research and development outcomes.
• Low Code / AI Powered App Development:
  • Utilizing low code platforms to rapidly prototype and develop application features.
  • Integrating various tools and APIs to enhance functionality without extensive coding.
  • Utilizing AI powered tools to develop the MVP.
• Data Analysis:
  • Analyzing user data to derive insights and improve app functionality.
  • Using data-driven approaches to refine job matching algorithms.
• Prioritizing Features:
  • Assessing the importance and feasibility of features based on user needs and business goals.
  • Creating a development roadmap that balances quick wins with long-term strategic goals.
• Data-Driven Decisions:
  • Utilizing user feedback and data analytics to inform feature development and improvements.
  • Making informed decisions based on metrics and user behavior analysis.
• Strategic Thinking:
  • Evaluating market trends and competitor offerings to guide product direction.
  • Anticipating future needs and scaling the product accordingly.

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