CHALLENGE
Create a job recruitment platform that quickly and accurately connects recruiters with authentic candidates
SOLUTION
Use asynchronous video interviews to give recruiters more insight into a candidate's true personality and abilities
ROLE
User research, UI/UX design
TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Notion, CATMA, Hoylu, Google Forms
Design Process
EMPATHIZE
Understanding the problem space
With standard job recruitment, candidates typically send in their resume with the occasional cover letter; however, the paper summary of their experience is often not an accurate representation of who they really are as a person and as a team member. Enter video interviews that allow recruiters to see a more personal side of applicants before they even meet for an interview. By viewing candidates’ videos, recruiters can skip the introductory phone call and learn more about their experience and goals, saving them valuable time and resources.
To get a better grasp of the problem space, I completed a competitive analysis of six of our competitors, ranging from industry leaders to newcomers.While there are platforms that support both synchronous and asynchronous video interviews, I found that they primarily focus on the business’ needs, can be expensive, and neglect the candidate’s experience and needs. This is where BlueHire comes in to balance job recruiters’ and job seekers’ needs to ensure both sides find their perfect match.
Understanding the user
I divided our users into two groups: recruiters and candidates. Within each group, though, were two distinct user types. Based on my learnings from surveys, interviews, and workshops, I created user personas for each target user, outlining their goals, motivations, and frustrations with the job recruitment experience.
1. Recruiters
2. Candidates
DEFINE & IDEATE
Defining the problems
After transcribing and coding user interviews with recruiters and candidates, I identified patterns each group had with their tools, goals, motivations, and emotions. I created an affinity map to organize the patterns and further uncover key insights.
For recruiters, I found that workflow and communication were areas recruiters valued for themselves, whereas company culture, professionalism and candidate profiles were major considerations in their hiring process.
For candidates, I discovered that efficiency, communication, and transparency were what candidates want in the job application process. In particular, candidates feel that communication and transparency from recruiters are often lacking and serve as large sources of frustration for them. Candidates also struggle with trying to stand out from other applicants while still maintaining images of authenticity and professionalism.
Solution ideation
Based on the key insights discovered through research and affinity mapping, I drafted design requirements for both recruiters and candidates that addressed their individual needs and problems.
The main features recruiters needed from a job recruitment platform were the following:
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A streamlined workflow
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A channel of communication with their team and with candidates
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A standardized method of reviewing candidates
Meanwhile, candidates needed:
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An open channel of communication with recruiters
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A personalized job search function with clear and accurate postings
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A customizable profile to highlight their accomplishments
Wireframes
With two distinct user journeys on our platform, there would be two separate interfaces that recruiters and candidates would interact with. I took the design requirements for each user group and translated them into implementable features in wireframes.
Since recruiters valued a streamlined and intuitive workflow, I focused on how they would manage their deadlines and efficiently find and evaluate candidates.
WORKFLOW: Recruiters can keep a schedule of their own tasks and assign tasks to team members to keep stakeholders informed
PROFILE: When recruiters view an candidate’s profile, they are given an estimate of how well that candidate’s profile matches the job description
COMMENT: Recruiters can leave comments about the candidate to reference later. Similar to the rating system, comments make it easier to compare and back up the final selection. Only recruiters and their team members can see this
RATE: Rating makes it easier for recruiters to compare candidates and justify their final choice for hire. Recruiters can rate a candidate’s skills and interview performance to reference later. They can customize the skills to what they are looking for. Only recruiters and their team members can see this
A key focus I had on the candidate side was setting up their profile. The onboarding process needed to be quick and easy, yet still make sure the candidate included enough information to catch recruiters' attention and accurately portray themselves.
Once candidates have their profile set up, they can set weekly goals for themselves and start applying to jobs.
HOME: Candidates are greeted once they log in. Their home screen gives them a weekly summary of their goals and statistics
PROFILE: A candidate’s profile page is divided into their basic information, video interviews, and resume. They can highlight their most important content by pinning it at the top for recruiters to easily access
VIDEOS: Within their profile page, candidates can organize their videos into albums for easier navigation
PROTOTYPE
High-fidelity prototype
Based on the wireframes, I created high-fidelity prototypes to model the mobile experience for our users.
First up is the recruiter prototype. I focused on the workflow schedule with tasks sorted by start date and color coded for each person responsible for the task. When recruiters view an applicant's profile, they can leave ratings and comments for themselves and for their co-workers and managers to later reference and support their final hiring decision.
Finally, I developed the screens for the candidate view. The prototype takes the user through the steps for setting up their profile. Once their profile is fully finished and they've filmed and uploaded videos and set goals for themself, their interface will look like the last three screens.
Final takeaways
The importance of user research cannot be understated. Research, both primary and secondary, sets the foundation for the entire product. With every decision I was making in the design process, I found myself looking back at my research to ensure we were still heading in the right direction and creating the best experience for our users. Research is what drives the purpose behind the design and continues to be one of my favorite parts of the design process.