Jaylene
Rubio
Jobs NYC 2024
Created a talent sourcing tool that connects businesses with local candidates and drives workforce development.
Timeline
Q2023-Q2024
Role
Research
Product design
Visual design
Team
Product manager
Researcher
2 Designers
Engineer
The Product
Jobs NYC is a digital platform connecting New Yorkers to job opportunities, workforce resources, and training, creating a more inclusive workforce ecosystem. It serves as a centralized hub to support hiring, talent development, and career growth, while aligning with the City's workforce objectives under the Mayor’s Executive Order #22.
Visit website
The Challenge
New York City faces workforce challenges as employers and Talent Development Networks struggle to connect with the local talent pool, address hiring needs, and build diverse pipelines. Barriers include high recruitment costs, difficulty finding qualified candidates, limited hiring tools, and mismatched local opportunities.
Outcomes
We met our goal to have over 10,000 users in 1 year.
We increased Jobs NYC engagement by 53% in 1 year.
31% conversion rate on Jobs NYC.
Roadmap
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Summer - Fall 2024
Enhance the job seeker experience on nyc.gov/jobs.
Streamline city government HR candidate reviews and tracking.
Build a team to curate and market job content for job seekers and employers.
Winter 2024
Provide an easy-to-use resource for employers to access workforce development opportunities.
Maintain employer and Talent Development Network data accuracy.
2025
Introduce tools to assess skills for matching job seekers to opportunities.
Create a private partnership NYC Job Board.
Target employers and job seekers based on specific skill assessments.
Resources Needed:
Tools to measure and optimize assessment effectiveness (AI).
This is where I came in!
Why are employers struggling to hire and retain?
The team conducted over 20 rounds of user interviews and the most notable reasons were:
There is a lack of access to a qualified talent pool with specific skills, proximity, availability, and other criteria.
Increased challenges in filling in-person roles in isolated locations that are hourly, near minimum wage, and require specialized skills without a formal degree.
Recruiters navigate multiple systems, each with its own interface, limitations, and expenses, making the hiring process inefficient.
But wait... so many resources exist
In order to avoid scope creep and reinventing the wheel, I dove deeper into the research
Read about our approach
Competitive Analysis
This is when I realized..
There is currently no way for employers to connect with talent development networks that have trained individuals in specific industries or can provide training opportunities.
We aligned on three key user stories to clarify our product requirements.
1
As an employer, I want to filter candidates by skills and location, including proximity, so that I can quickly find qualified local talent to address accessibility challenges and improve retention rates.
Product requirement
Easy to use filter options to get personalization results
2
As an employer, I want to offer upskilling opportunities to candidates through City-supported programs so that I can fill positions requiring specialized skills.
Product requirement
A way to contact individual talent development programs that offer upskilling opportunities
3
As a small business owner, I want affordable hiring tools that help me find talent without needing a large HR team or budget.
Product requirement
Make the tool free and accessible to all users.
1
Feature ideation for employers to filter through talent
2
Feature ideation for employers to connect with TDNs
Unexpected challenges we caught early on...
Although the screener and the contact form tested well with our employers, our current scope and team capacity would not have been able to push to production in time.
1
Feature implemented for employers to filter through talent
Our back-end system lacked the capacity to store and manage the necessary data required to implement the complex rules for an effective screening process.
Instead we designed a Program Catalog Page that allows employers to easily explore and filter available programs by industry, location, and company size to meet their hiring needs.
2
Feature implemented for employers to connect with TDNs
The varied and frequently changing contact methods among TDNs, combined with high staff turnover made creating a centralized and reliable contact form beyond the scope of this phase.
Instead we were able to provide information about the TDNs with external links for employers to connect with them.
Communication with our content strategists and developers made us pivot in time to still launch our product on-time!
