The Challenge
When I joined ZipRecruiter in 2014, we had strong product-market fit but no scalable growth engine. The product team was three people. We were competing against Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster with a fraction of their resources.
What I Built
The #1-rated job seeker app - Held the top spot for 8 years. This wasn’t about features—it was about deeply understanding what job seekers actually needed and stripping away everything else.
ML-powered matching - Cut time-to-hire from 39 days to 16 days. We rebuilt the entire matching algorithm to prioritize quality over quantity, which counterintuitively drove more engagement.
Invite to Apply - This single feature 2.5x’d candidate flow per job posting. Instead of waiting for candidates to find listings, we proactively connected them with relevant opportunities.
The Results
- $100M → $900M revenue over 7 years
- NYSE IPO in 2021
- 100K+ business customers
- #1 job seeker app maintained for 8 consecutive years
Key Lesson
The biggest unlock wasn’t a feature—it was shifting from “post and pray” to proactive matching. Most job boards optimize for employer convenience. We optimized for successful hires.