Promptme
Promptme is a post-interview support tool that helps job seekers stand out from the competition. We provide editable follow-up templates in order to maintain communication with prospective employers.
Problem Space
Job seekers need an efficient way to demonstrate their interest for a role. A post-interview email with a potential employer is an effective follow-up and can increase the chances of getting a job. Post-interview emails are so important that according to TopResume, 68% of hiring managers say that no post-interview contact from applicants damages job seekers’ chances of getting a callback.
Economic uncertainty is pointing towards a more competitive landscape for job seekers as job openings ease up. “The number of active job applicants compared to the number of open positions and the intensity of job search among job seekers has witnessed a notable increase from last year,” says LinkedIn’s Head of Economics and Global Labor Markets Rand Ghayad.
As dynamics across the labor market continue to shift, finding a job can seem impossible. A poll found that more than 70% of Americans say their current job hunt is more difficult than they expected. Most are under the impression that companies outright don't want to hire anyone. In reality they’re overlooking a simple, yet important part of the interview process—sending a proper post-interview thank-you note, which is hurting their chances of landing the job.
Problem Background
Job seekers feel rushed to find a sense of stability. As of 2022, there have been 52 million fewer jobs around the world. After losing nearly 22 million jobs in the US alone due to the pandemic of spring 2020, the economy and job market has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Soaring prices, rising interest rates, and a volatile stock market has led to speculation that a recession is on the horizon and 60% of job seekers have reported feeling more urgency to find a job now before job market conditions change.
Finding a job is already a complicated process, but interviewing for a company and hearing nothing back can be particularly frustrating. Sending a follow-up email in these cases can let you move forward with your process – be it preparing for the next interview step, or moving the job hunt onward. In a competitive job market, many factors need to be in place for the right candidate to find the right job. Every detail matters from resumes to post-interview thank you notes.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
A LinkedIn article by Elizabeth Case attributes this negligence to three main reasons; not knowing what to say, not knowing how frequently to follow up, and not responding in a timely fashion. Similarly our survey results validated some of Case’s claims with 38% of users reporting “not knowing what to say” when asked what kept them from following up, while 29% reported “not wanting to annoy recruiters”.
Feedback
Solution Explanation
Based on our target users’ pain points, we knew we wanted to work on the following features:
- Templates so users have ready-to-send emails to prospective employers\
- Tracking so that users have visibility on their communication efforts with their prospective employers
- Reminders so users don't forget to follow up and are able to respond in a timely manner
Lofi & Hifi Mockups
Interactive Design Learnings
After creating our initial prototype, we quickly remembered the importance of honing in on one key feature at a time. While we were able to identify three strong pain points that our product would address, prioritizing the immediate and overarching need—email templates—should be our main focus. Though all our product features go hand in hand, ensuring that the users experience when utilizing the email template functions should feel like a complete experience in itself. We added elements like the “save” and “edit”, so the user can personalize their emails.
Implementation Details
Technical implementation
The hosted software we used for the backend was Netlify, a remote-first cloud platform, and Vercel for the frontend.
What is your tech stack? React and Ruby on Rails
Technical challenges
Some challenges we faced during development were implementing a way to send out the email templates, trying to debug and fix code errors, working with the team to integrate different parts of our product, and maintaining/updating the code over time. However, the hardest part of development was managing project timelines and meeting deadlines.
What are some key takeaways?
We were able to develop a user friendly app that is scalable while working as a team
Future Steps
If time permits and the team chooses to continue working on the product, there are many other functions and features we’d like to bring to life. The reminder feature would play a pivotal part in maintaining communication with recruiters so that would be at the top of the list. We would also like to include more templates and customization functions that would allow users to track track their full job search experience like a planner, address book, and more.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Eunice Adarquah
Overall, I think this experience has advanced my skills and capabilities as a PM. It has challenged my strategic thinking skills not just in the capacity of our product, but also by challenging me to find innovative ways to motivate a remote team living in different areas around the world.
My communication skills and problem solving skills were tested in more ways than imagined and it pushed me to find creative solutions to situations that I wouldn't have handled similarly in the past. At different times of the project, tasks were not always weighted equally and at times it was outside of my control. However, I remained resilient and continued to encourage the team to be invested in our product’s outcome.
To say the least, the past few weeks have reminded me that communication has many levels and its lessons are never ending. Lesson One - listening and observing goes a long way!
Designer Learnings:
Deborah Adeoye
The project I took on and the goal of creating an MVP in just 8 weeks was a significant challenge that tested my skills as a designer. Effective communication is crucial for a team's success, especially when working with people in different time zones. I was fortunate to be part of a supportive team that motivated me to improve my skills.
Through the Co.Lab program, I learned how to analyze problems and understand the pain points of users, prioritize the most impactful features, collaborate with people from different fields, and maintain open communication for any issues that arose. I enjoyed pushing myself in this program and feel more confident in my abilities as a designer.
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Emmanuel Jolugbo
As a developer, I learned how to work with a variety of different technologies, from web development to artificial intelligence. I also learned how to collaborate with other developers and designers to create innovative projects. Additionally, I gained valuable experience in project management, software engineering, and product design. Co.lab taught me the importance of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
Kossi Fioklou
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My learning as a developer on this project has been to work collaboratively, think critically and creatively, and to keep up to date with the latest technologies and trends. I have also learned the importance of communication and how to effectively communicate. Additionally, I have gained knowledge on the software development life cycle, software architecture, and development best practices.
Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.
Full Team Learning
Collectively, the team agrees that communication plays such an important part of this program.