Job hunting can be an exhausting and repetitive process. Filling out the same information in different applications can seem like a waste of time. Fortunately, Simplify, an up-and-coming startup, is trying to simplify this experience by usingartificial intelligence to combine questionnaires, matching skills and job openings, automatically filling out vacancies, and assisting in answering text questions.
How Simplify works
Simplify aims to create an “always-on career agent.” Like a Hollywood agent, Simplify’s AI understands your career, skills, and salary needs to help you find the right job match. For best results, it is recommended that you take a short quiz to allow the algorithms to understand your specific skills, such as programming languages and development tools.
You can also set preferences such as work-life balance, diversity, or innovative technology. In addition, you can set your salary expectations, and the software will find jobs that match your answers. The platform also offers a more detailed resume creation application.
But Simplify doesn’t just find possible jobs; it also helps you fill out applications automatically. The software automatically fills in the most common information, the kind you usually have to fill out multiple times with the same information, simplifying the process. In addition, Simplify differs from LinkedIn because it ensures the privacy of your information, which is visible only to potential employers.
Simplify’s origins
Simplify ‘s founders conceived of the idea a few years ago when they were still in college and were filling out hundreds of job applications with the same repeated information. They thought there had to be a better way and launched Simplify in 2021, joining the Y Combinator Winter 2021 program.
Currently, the company has about 10 employees, but plans to expand in the near future. Simplify CEO and co-founder Michael Yan believes that diversity is especially important for a company like his, where bias can easily creep in during a job search. “If you have a product designed by men in a small room with similar backgrounds, it will probably only serve those men with similar backgrounds,” Yan said.
Monetization and funding
Simplify is currently in the testing phase of the idea and is still experimenting with monetization methods. However, they have secured seed funding of $3 million, led by Craft Ventures and with support from YC, Hyphen Capital, GFC and various industry investors.