The world of job searching has, for years, felt like a bewildering maze of infinitely scrolling job boards and unanswered applications. With listings posted and reposted across numerous platforms, the process has become a “spam-like flood of activity”. As London-based serial entrepreneur Matt Wilson points out, if you post a job on LinkedIn, you might receive 1,000 applications within the first six hours, leading some companies not to even review applicants because the “signal to noise ratio is very, very low”.
This inefficient system, which Wilson notes hasn’t seen a major change since the arrival of LinkedIn and Indeed 20 years ago, is finally getting an overhaul. Enter Jack & Jill, a new platform betting that the rise of AI chatbots changing workplaces globally makes now the perfect time to “shake things up”.
Fueling Expansion with Fresh Capital
Jack & Jill recently announced securing $20 million in seed funding, led by EU investor Creandum, to bring its revolutionary approach to recruitment. While the company is using this cash infusion to fuel a U.S. expansion, the service is already live in London, where it has already amassed nearly 50,000 users.
Conversational AI: Beyond the Resume Shuffle
Wilson believes that conversational AI offers more than just a simple matching algorithm; it provides a scalable alternative to the “endless shuffle of listings and résumés”. Instead of simply sprinkling AI on top of a standard recruiting system, Jack & Jill has built its entire process around chatbot interviews, potentially reinventing the basic elements of contemporary hiring. Wilson notes that using AI systems for first-round interviews is becoming increasingly common globally, particularly with multinational corporations hiring for local roles in places like China.
How the Jack & Jill Platform Works
Jack & Jill is aptly named as a two-part platform, catering to both job seekers and employers:
1. Jack (The Applicant Side)
The “Jack” side is focused on the user. It begins by giving job seekers a 20-minute, AI-powered profile interview. Based on this interaction, Jack provides applicants with a select list of relevant roles pulled from online databases. Furthermore, Jack can be used by applicants for practical help, such as professional coaching or mock interviews.
2. Jill (The Employer Side)
“Jill” works directly with employers. This side of the platform is designed to build a detailed profile of a particular role. Jill then takes on the job of elevating candidates that precisely match those requirements.
The underlying goal is for both workers and hiring managers to maintain an active presence on their respective apps, allowing the platform to pull “players off the sidelines as needed”. The company operates by taking a standard commission from any successful hire, and Wilson hopes the growing scope of the platform will make it indispensable for both sides of the market.
Wilson is driven by the mission that the way people are currently mapped to the companies they work for is “just extremely inefficient,” and ultimately, “There are billions of people out there that could be in better jobs for them”.