🚀 CLIENT KICKOFF

The labor market is a constantly evolving landscape that affects the lives of countless individuals. Rat Race AI aims to enhance this experience through the development of a sophisticated tool that enables job seekers to identify the most suitable job opportunities based on their career interests.

🔎 OBJECTIVES

  • Identify at what stage of the Career Development Process (CDP), Job Seekers (JS) need the most help in gathering information

  • Understand the pain points for all parties involved and search for underlying patterns

  • Ideate how Rat Race AI can improve the experience to set young adults, career switchers, and their families up for success

Background: Understanding the problem space

Do you remember how it felt to graduate college, full of hope and excitement for the future? But then, reality sets in - the job search, the uncertainty, the frustration of not knowing how to break into a new industry. For many people, the dream of a fulfilling career quickly fades into a nightmare of regret and disillusionment. And it's not just a personal problem - the inequalities in the hiring process perpetuate systemic barriers and hold back entire communities.

We set out to shed light on the hidden barriers that keep people from reaching their full potential in the job market. We wanted to understand the experiences of career switchers - those brave souls who take the leap and try to pivot into a new field. We knew from research that 44% of workers regret their college majors and that many fields simply don't offer enough job opportunities. So we set out to answer some key questions: What are the biggest challenges that career switchers face?

How can we make the hiring process more transparent and equitable? And how can we help people find fulfilling careers that align with their passions and strengths?

As a UX Researcher on the project, my role was to help source candidates for interviews and analyze the data we collected. It was a fascinating and rewarding experience, and I'm excited to share some of our key findings and recommendations with you. So let's dive in and explore the world of career switching - and what we can do to make it a more accessible and fulfilling journey for everyone.

✏️ NOTES

This project was a very short and challenging 2-month contract as our stakeholders had an investment deadline to meet. This was my first foray into the world of UXR sans getting to the design stage, and was a unique experience!

Problem

Job seekers face significant challenges when it comes to gathering the career insights they need to make informed decisions. Many job seekers feel disillusioned and regretful about their career choices, and the current job market is plagued by inequality and a lack of transparency. Existing methods of researching and getting career insights often fall short, leaving job seekers frustrated and overwhelmed. In order to address these challenges, we need to identify the most pressing pain points for job seekers, the specific career insights information they are looking for, and the most effective ways to access store, and share this information.

Solution

An app that provides job seekers with a comprehensive suite of career insights tools. It will allow users to track their applications to companies, track referrals, get an AI to apply to jobs on their behalf and tailor their resume based on the job they're applying to, and compare job offers. It’ll also provide a streamlined and user-friendly way for job seekers to navigate the job market and make informed decisions about their careers. By leveraging the power of technology, we can help job seekers overcome the challenges they face and achieve greater success and satisfaction in their professional lives.

🔎 Generative Research

Job seekers face significant challenges when it comes to gathering the career insights they need to make informed decisions. What complexity exists among adults managing their careers?

The Methodology

To collect the necessary data, we employed a combination of user interviews and surveys, conducting a total of 46 interviews.

One significant challenge we encountered was the identification and recruitment of the right audience:

  • Individuals planning to initiate a job search within the next 3 to 12 months.

This required substantial effort and patience as we navigated a sizable pool of potential participants to identify those who met our criteria. Our strategy involved posting survey links on various social networking sites (such as Reddit, Fishbowl, LinkedIn, etc.) to locate our target audience and subsequently narrow them down based on our specific criteria. Despite this challenge, we successfully gathered valuable insights, providing a comprehensive understanding of the pain points and challenges job seekers encounter while navigating the job market.

The Process

  • The research initially started with only interviewing those who are looking to make an immediate employment switch.

  • Insights from the first round of research showed it would be valuable to conduct a second round with those who landed new employment and/or new career transitioners to better understand their transition.

  • I took notes both on paper and digitally and organized them in Google Sheets.

Generative Research Findings

Round 1

  • Job seekers aged 22-25 feel underprepared due to the high number of applications required for visibility.

  • Job seekers aged 26-35 express frustration with failed networking attempts (both cold and warm) to secure interviews.

Round 2

  • Those who were recently successful at a career transition, needed to either go back to school or send in over 1000+ applications.

  • New employees who landed an offer after 12+ months of searching learned by making costly mistakes.

  • In order to prevent costly mistakes and for them to feel confident in their abilities, individuals needed assistance in some way (e.g. successful referrals, good networking opportunities, an ATS-proof resume, time & resources to research, etc.).

🏅 Competitive Analysis

Our team looked at direct competitors, as well as indirect competitors, due to the NDA attached to this project, I can only share a small snippet.

Competitive analysis findings

The competitive analysis showed other tech companies had some sort of solution for the distressed individuals seeking to get ahold of the current job market, but they still had limited offerings or resources for support. We saw this as an area of opportunity to produce a product that filled the market gap with the below features:

Must-haves

  • Tailor recommendations to user needs based on past applications

  • Multiple option selection for areas of interest and career paths

  • AI multi-app apply (50+ applications/day)

Nice-to-haves

  • AI cover letter tailored to the job description

  • Ability to weigh pros and cons of job offers

  • Progress indicators

📮 Survey Design + Analysis

The project started off with surveying current job seekers and career transitioners at n=46.

Survey Objectives

  • What stage of the Career Development Process is most challenging?

  • How do Job Seekers conduct their research and get career insights when job hunting?

  • What were the most valuable methods Job Seekers took?

  • What specific career insights information Job Seekers are looking for?

  • How Job Seekers would like to access / store / share this information?

Survey Findings

  • Keeping track of job applications has been the most challenging

  • Career goals impacted the usefulness of certain job search sites

  • Finding the time to tailor resumes and cover letters to job descriptions proved difficult when applying to multiple jobs

  • Not having the time to effectively network

Common Pain Points

  • Frustration of sending resumes into the void

  • Experiencing recruiter ghosting / Enduring long interview processes

  • Facing ATS blocks

  • Too many applications (1000+), which resulted in their applications being overlooked

Data Analysis

After grouping and analyzing the responses, we found that those urgently seeking a job within 6-12 months are the most willing to pay for a solution compared to those casually accepting interviews who may pay for a solution in the future. Because of this, we deduced that people who apply to over 50+ jobs per week will be targeted by an upsell marketing campaign to convert them to our higher tier offering.

We also assessed participants' interest in new products/services for career growth and identified which groups would be willing to pay for the right solution immediately, who would participate in a free trial, and who would do a free trial and eventually pay.

Target Audience

For our research, we recruited a diverse group of participants from various age groups including 22-25, 26-30, 31-35, less than 22, and over 35, representing all genders. These participants came from a range of occupations, including Marketing, Sales or Support, "Deskless" jobs such as Retail, Hospitality, Construction, etc., Management, Administrative or Strategy, HR, Finance or Insurance, Software Development, Engineering or IT, Product, UI/UX or Design-related, Education, Academia or Research, Social Services, Government, or Legal, and Healthcare (excluding Admin/Office).

We selected this group of participants because our research aimed to address the concerns of job seekers who are somewhat unsatisfied with their current roles. We found that the number of employees resigning is three times higher than the amount of those being laid off. This trend is due to reasons such as burnout, problematic managers, the pandemic aftershock, and 25% of employees in need of immediate mental health support, making it clear that many are seeking new roles within six to twelve months. With this in mind, our participants were carefully selected to provide insights into the specific needs of job seekers facing these challenges.

Our Findings

Through our research, we've uncovered a pressing demand in the job seeker market. Many participants expressed dissatisfaction with their current careers, driven by burnout, management issues, pandemic-related challenges, and the need for immediate mental health support. Importantly, a significant number are planning to actively seek new job opportunities within the next 3-12 months. Their urgency is reflected in their willingness to pay for a solution that addresses common pain points, such as ghosting by recruiters, lengthy interview processes, or the hurdles posed by Applicant Tracking Systems.

We've identified a prime opportunity to cater to these needs, with those urgently seeking jobs within 6-12 months being particularly receptive to paid solutions. Even those casually considering job changes present long-term potential customers. By offering holistic support, aligning with their values and goals, and recognizing the threefold resignation rate compared to layoffs, we can provide a unique and valuable service that empowers job seekers to find their ideal career fit.

In summary, our research reveals a thriving market eager for a product or service that aids job seekers in overcoming job search challenges and finding fulfilling careers. The urgency among job seekers, combined with a willingness to pay for solutions, underscores the potential for success in this space.

To stand out, it's vital to address a diverse range of pain points, from resume troubles to ATS issues, while offering holistic support that acknowledges the importance of mental well-being. By segmenting users based on the urgency of their job search, we can tailor offerings to meet specific needs. Additionally, highlighting the alignment of roles with values and goals can be a key selling point. With more people resigning than being laid off, this market presents a unique competitive advantage for those prepared to offer comprehensive solutions.

🖊️ Hi-fi Design

I was brought on board solely for UXR, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t attempt a solution based on our research.

Final Thoughts

our research aimed to explore the challenges and pain points that job seekers face when searching for new career opportunities, and identify potential opportunities to address these issues with a new product or service. Through our user interviews and surveys, we were able to gain valuable insights into the mindset and behaviors of job seekers, as well as the specific pain points they encounter throughout their job search.

Our findings highlighted that there is a significant need for solutions that can help job seekers navigate the job search process more efficiently and effectively. This includes tools that can help job seekers tailor their applications to fit the specific requirements of each job, and also help them better understand the job market and identify suitable opportunities based on their skills, experience, and goals.

We also found that the most urgent job seekers, those looking for new jobs within the next 6-12 months, are the most willing to pay for a solution that can help them in their job search. However, we also identified a significant opportunity to capture the interest of more casual job seekers who may not be actively searching but could benefit from a solution that helps them stay informed about potential job opportunities.

Overall, our research provides valuable insights into the needs and pain points of job seekers and highlights a significant opportunity to develop new solutions that can help them in their job search. We acknowledge the support and participation of all the participants who took part in our research and the valuable feedback they provided.

✨ For work inquiries, presentations or to say hi email me at stephanieterrer@gmail.com ✨

Thank you! 😁