Blinkle is an job matching platform aims to improve job search efficiency by offering AI resume editing and job matching services.
Role
Founding Designer
Timeline
Aug 2023 – Now (8 month)
Team
Product Manager
Full-Stack Engineer
Data Analyst
Product Designer
Marketer
Yuki Yang
Qiao Wang
Sybil Wang
Maggie Li
Yufan Zhang
Problem
Time-consuming and redundant job searching process
Job seekers spend a significant amount of time finding and filtering job listings, filling out similar information for every application, resulting in a high investment of time for a relatively low number of interviews. The inefficiency detracts job seekers from improving their skills that could truly enhance their employability.
100-200+ applications to receive a job offer
Source: Lehigh University
Each job application takes 31 mins.
Source: Zippa
2-3% of resumes will result in an interview
Source: Teamstage
User Research
Interviewing users
We are targeting job seekers with 0-5 years of work experience. We interviewed 50+ current job seekers to get a better understanding of their frustrations and actions in finding a job. I grouped users into three categories: college students, new graduates and entry-level professionals.
May 19
College Student
Experience
Zero
Tech savvy
Expert
John 22
New Graduate
Experience
Limited
Tech savvy
Expert
Gloria 26
Young Professional
Experience
Designer
Tech savvy
Advanced
How the typical user journey look like?
Competitor analysis
Hard for job seekers to prioritize on roles that have a higher likelihood of leading to an offer.
Examining traditional recruitment platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and Handshake, I found out three main primary pain points exacerbating the challenges for job seekers with less experience in securing employment.
No filter job listings according to users’ experience and skillsets
Traditional job search platforms often function as basic search engines, where users enter a job title and apply filters based on their preferences.
Lengthy job description
Job descriptions can be lengthy to read through, making it challenging for users to quickly determine if they are qualified for a particular position, when they have limited time to spray and pray to secure an interview.
Limited support on resume building
Traditional job search platforms often only provide articles about resume tips or a form-filling resume builder, which lack personalization and may not effectively help job seekers create resumes that stand out to employers.
Opportunity
How might we leverage AI and machine learning algorithms to predict which roles are more likely to lead to offers, aiding job seekers in prioritizing their applications?
How might we condense lengthy job descriptions into concise, easy-to-read summaries that highlight key qualifications and responsibilities?
How might we provide comprehensive support for resume building, offering personalized feedback and tools that help job seekers create standout resumes?
With the market expected to reach USD 839.52 million by 2028, there is a growing demand for intelligent recruitment platforms that can streamline processes, improve candidate matches, and provide personalized support to job seekers.
opportunity
job application
process
AI
$630.54m
$839.52m
2022
2028
Global AI recruitment market size
Features
From the research, we narrowed down the primary feature set for a MVP.
Create Resume
Guide job seekers to craft industry-standard resumes with AI assistance
Match Job
Match preferences and skills from resume to target positions with higher hiring potential.
Tailor Resume
Customize resumes to fit job descriptions and increase the chance of being hired.
Auto apply
Eliminate redundant form filling, allowing users to apply to jobs with a single click.
Iterations
Iterations
I ideated several variations, guiding users to input their personal experiences in a structured format. The system then generates bullet points in the STAR method based on the provided information.
Version A
3 bullet points at a time
Pros
Efficient to generate all bullet point together
Cons
Do not fit mental model & overwhelming
Version B
Expanded from text box
Pros
More initiative to generate one bullet point at a time
Cons
Not enough guidance for college students with insufficient knowledge on resume format
Version C
New section
Pros
Allow to pick a job responsibility and provide examples accordingly.
Cons
Too overwhelming
Limited listings for button style selectors
Final Design
Create Resume
Pain Point
Unfamiliar with resume formats, styles, and industry standards, especially when crafting job description that effectively highlights their qualifications.
Solution
Guiding job seekers to generate industry-standard resumes with AI assistance in a structured industry standards format.
Tailor Resume
Job seekers can either tailor their resume with jobs on our platform or job links from other platforms. By analyzing job responsibilities and identifying missing keywords, job seekers can create resumes that are more likely to get screened through to HR in a click.
Job matches
Pain Point
Low efficiency in finding a job that they highly qualified, since traditional job search engines display all job listings with the required job titles and filters of preferences.
Solution
Shifting from job search to job match, we prioritize opportunities with the highest hiring potential while fitting users' preferences and experience. This saves users time from browsing irrelevant job posts and increases their chances of securing job offers.
Auto apply
Pain Point
Form-filling is tedious and time consuming.
Solution
Apply to all jobs matches in a click of a button.
Impact
Users can now write an industry-standard resume in 20 minutes with or without a resume in the first place, comparing to 20 hours initially without Blinkle.
Secure an interview in MiraclePlus (prev. Y Combinator China) 2024 Spring Accelerator among 5k+ applications by delivering a high-fidelity prototype in Figma to showcase product potential.
Next Steps
Auto-apply feature is an exciting addition to Blinkle, but it also faces a lot of technical engineering challenges. We are actively iterating to find the balance between user needs and engineering feasibility.
Develop a more consistent component library.
Improve responsiveness and accessibility.
Take away
Collaboration with a cross-functional team.
Wore many hats, honed my ability to think holistically about user experience, from concept, research, strategy to execution.
Project management skill to accomplish time-boxed goal.
UI/UX• Mobile • Social
Circles
Provide easy access to social opportunities for schools and students