Extension

Increasing outreach conversion rates

The job application process hasn’t changed for 50 years - apply, wait. Get an interview. Fail it. Try again. People spent countless hours applying, interviewing, failing. There has to be a better way, a more strategic way to land a job fast.

Extension

The Beginning 

In just 5 years, Pathrise went from 2 guys in their bedroom to helping  over [2000 land careers] in tech. With default settings of html/css/code, users and mentors struggled with communication and efficiency as multiple apps were used across the platform: gmail, google docs, platform, salesforce, simplify. Users were at the precipice of confusion, and it was met with increased frustration. 

The Challenge

Make boring fun again

Users’ biggest roadblock to landing a job is lack of motivation to consistently do their tasks week after week. Our northstar was to create a strong foundation for automating a majority of the boring tasks required during a job search.

Our high level goals were to: 

  • Make it fast and easy to use for everyone.

  • Give users more time back.

  • Create a platform for automation through analytics and deeper engagement.

My role

I led the design of the extension on Nov 2023, with our PLG launch in Mar 2024.

I worked alongside a Product Manager, 4 Engineers, and Head of Growth. 

Kick off

So…what’s the problem?

I wanted to understand why users didn’t complete their job tasks. Perhaps the motivation was not strong enough? Is it because they just lack simple discipline? I partnered up with the product manager to discover:

  • What motivates them?

  • Are there common trends that can predict task completion?

  • What have mentors tried in the past?

Early Insights

We walked through the day to day struggles of 10 users and 6 mentors. Our goals were to understand the roadblocks they encountered.

Limited time to work on the job search

Users struggled to find 1-3 hours per day on their job search. They expected arduous tasks like resume, and outreach to be done for them.

Unclear task expectations

Users assumed that outreach was recommended. Users expected very clear and concise direction when it came to their day to day tasks.

Work without results

Users were frustrated with their expected tasks of 10 applications and 5 outreaches week after week. Users expected to see progress with each chunk of work.

Time consuming

Users did not enjoy having to fill out long applications, and then having to find and write cover letters and outreach. They didn’t expect things to take so long to do.

The Discovery

Users lost motivation when doing the same boring tasks over time.

I wasn’t too surprised with the findings. People lose traction when applying to jobs. Pathrise’s guaranteed service of landing a job within a year also came with not only more work, but more work stretched over several months, coupled with having a full time job.

“With chatgbt hitting the market like a storm, this new technology provided an opportunity.”

For the price they were paying, users expected a lot of the boring work to be done for them. It would be challenging for anyone, let alone people with full-time jobs, to be doing the same tasks over and over again, without seeing results for months. With chatgbt hitting the market like a storm, this new technology provided a free opportunity to ‘outsource’ the work, and save countless hours. Something exciting was stirring in the works.

Feature

Defining feature requirements

Before our team could jump into solving problems, we had to clearly define which problem to start with. The job search process has many moving parts:

  • 2-3 resumes

  • 100 job applications

  • Outreach

  • Interview prep

  • Rejection

  • Negotiation

We used the impact vs resources chart for each section to decide which feature would make the most sense.

Narrowing down the options

From our research, we discovered that the first 3 stages were the most time consuming and boring for users: Resume, applying, and outreach. A few factors we used to work on outreach first:

  • X

  • Y

  • Z

Resume

5 weeks to finish resume

Outreach

20 minutes to customize each.

Apply

2-3 hours to apply to 10 jobs,

15 min to apply to a job.

Deeper Insights

Do Outreach, but Better

Before I could jump into design, it was important to make sure the team was on the same page regarding strategy and success metrics.

Because the user journey regarding a job search comprises of many components, my team and I narrowed down each part of the journey, and drew up numbers.

Prior to starting, outreach rate, the number of outreach a fellow completed per week, was the main metric we used to measure outreach quality.

We unpacked the concept of outreach quality and modeled for the dimensions of time, quality, and satisfaction.

Users were tasked with doing the same thing over and over, week by week.

Digging into the data revealed some big insights into the outreach experience. Almost every flow required the same level of effort: find a contact, craft a message, and send. 5x. Every week. The response from users indicated that it was hardly the hands-off experience they were expecting.

Over $150,000 dollars a month were spent on fellows who did not send outreach messages.

The time and energy spent by mentors to constantly remind users that they need to do outreach was having a financial impact on the business. The length of time a student spends in the program directly translates into resource over-utilization and every meeting costs money.

Outreach increased the probability of an interview by 42%. When outreach isn’t completed, fellows stay longer in the program by 5.2 months which directly translates into $150,000 a month. 

Available hours changed week by week

Personal circumstances related to health family, or work and lack of time

No actionable results

When users don’t see results early on, they assume that what they’re doing isn’t working.

Customizing each message takes 20+ minutes each

Users were frustrated with their expected tasks of 10 applications and 5 outreaches week after week. Users expected to see progress with each chunk of work.

Time consuming

Users did not enjoy having to fill out long applications, and then having to find and write cover letters and outreach. They didn’t expect things to take so long to do.

Reframing the Problem

Poorly defined expectations caused problems

The platform app exacerbated the issue between students and mentors. Issues consisted of weekly changes in expectations, non reinforced application management.

How do we help students save time?

How do we help students save time? Our idea was Career Connect, an extension created by the cries of students and mentors.

The Extension Redesign

Introducing Career Connect

In a place where time is money, Career Connect gives your time back by making outreach fast, fun, and smart. Career Connect makes sending an outreach feel like a breeze - with cautionary measures each step of the way.

Find contacts instantly

Find a recruiter’s email based on your application

Generate Messages with AI

Use AI to generate a personalized message using information from the company and your resume.

Custom Emails in a Click

Use AI to generate a personalized message using information from the company and your resume.