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

Copyright © 2024 Sammi Tsai

Copyright © 2024 Sammi Tsai

Copyright © 2024 Sammi Tsai