Ctrl-Alt-Delete: DirectlyApply reimagines the paradigm of job search

Introduction

In an era where Netflix can perfectly suggest your Friday night movie choice, Spotify reacts to your mood to curate your next playlist and TikTok predicts what is important to you, why does job search still feel like it's running on dial-up?

Since 1994, job search has consisted of just two fields: job title and location. Almost all other technology platforms are unrecognizable from their 1990’s origin, yet in 2024, these two simple inputs remain the cornerstone of modern job search.

DirectlyApply realized that the rigid structure of traditional job boards was unable to accommodate the nuanced approach demanded by today's job market. Jobs are not merely checkboxes in our lives, yet searching for one has become fraught with unnecessary obstacles underpinned by technological ambivalence.

Over the past 6 years, DirectlyApply has developed job matching technology, with advanced user features, data extractions, algorithmic matching, and intelligent user engagement systems, culminating in a platform that delves deeper and better understands the intricate motivations behind job applications than ever before.

Despite our advancements, in 2023 we recognised that DirectlyApply was still allowing itself to be limited by a 30-year old paradigm and that in order to move forward, we would have to rebuild job search from the ground up.

Today we are releasing our new job search experience, built for 2024, not 1994.

Too much information?

Over the past 6 years, DirectlyApply has been building advanced matching technology, starting with feed importing and data enrichment processes through to geolocation and job seeker skills extraction & matching. These advancements have led to DirectlyApply having an average Applicant Tracking System conversion rate in excess of 30% (compared to an industry average of ~4%) and this remains the foundation of our platform.

Building upon this, we initially believed the next natural step was to give the job seeker increased access to our core search technology, providing them with the ability to ‘fine tune’ their matches with onsite filters and personalized search parameters. Our hypothesis being enhanced customization would ultimately lead to better job search results. However, upon presenting job seekers with these tools, it turned out that we inadvertently subjected them to decision paralysis as evidently, complicated choices often result in poor or postponed decisions.

However, despite this initial setback, deeper examination showed a considerable improvement for job seekers who managed to effectively utilize the filters and parameters, with their job matching quality soaring by 73%. However, ultimately providing job seekers with the ability to unlock this valuable data is futile if the majority dont access it.

Therefore if the solution wasn’t to present the users with a more complicated search, we knew we had to get rid of their search all together.

Introducing Job Threads

Taking inspiration from Spotify, Netflix, and TikTok, we knew that to best service our job seekers, we had to be able to do a significant part of their jobs search for them. After all, choosing what to select from hundreds of options is hard work for human job seekers but easy for DirectlyApply.

This is achieved through Threads. Threads allow us to run complex job searches on behalf of the job seeker, utilizing our full suite of datapoints, that would be nearly impossible to be taken advantage of within the limitations of a search bar. These are generated in real time, bespoke for every job seeker based on job seekers preferences, onsite interactions and job search history.

Threads can be as simple as a collection of jobs that have one parameter such as part time delivery driver jobs near you, or more complex multidimensional threads like part time delivery driver jobs offering afternoon shifts paying over $15 an hour near you.

One of the most exciting advances for job seekers is the ability for Threads to take the user beyond the confines of the ‘job search bar’ which still remain the mainstay on traditional job sites. Through the implementation of enhanced feedback loops, behavioral analytics and sentiment analysis, Threads is able to create a personalization engine that presents the job seeker with results that were previously impossible due to the limitations of traditional job filters.

Clicking on a Thread from your ‘for you’ page opens up a live stream of jobs that have been grouped together. Following a Thread to get updates when new jobs are added is actioned with a simple touch of the screen.

Threads now occupy the home screen of DirectlyApply. Threads are intelligently generated based on the job seekers preferences, job search history, onsite interactions, and other similar job seeker interactions with the platform.

As a user interacts with Threads and the jobs within them, DirectlyApply gains more intelligence on the job seeker, and makes adjustments to Threads, and creates new ones in real time.

Threads makes using DirectlyApply feel similar to the experience of having a dedicated headhunter or career coach at your disposal, presenting you with curated opportunities as soon as they arise.

Threads are also able to intelligently adapt with the flow of a job seekers search. By automatically adapting to the job seekers feedback and behavioral signals, threads are immediately updated to reflect the most relevant requirements of a job search. Through the utilization of deep personalization and predictive analytics, Thread is able to go beyond keywords and basic filters, deeply understanding each job seekers skills, experiences, career aspirations, and preferences. This inturn enables DirectlyApply to recommend opportunities and career paths that align closely with the individual's goals as well as suggesting roles or industries they hadn't considered.

Threads are updated in real time, so when a new job is added to a Thread, the job seeker is immediately alerted and provided with specific reasons as to why it matches their job search. Threads allows for limitless customisation within job search, which not only transform how people search for jobs but also how they prepare for and think about their careers, representing a significant step forward in job discovery.

Next Steps

Today we launch our first iteration of Threads, with the aim of providing job seekers with a more intuitive and personalized job search experience. We are excited to see how Threads will revolutionize the way people search for jobs and are committed to continually improving and expanding the feature set.

If you want more information about DirectlyApply or our features feel free to reach out to Dylan or Will on Linkedin or email [email protected]