Show HN: Job Compass – AI agents that help you find jobs, not replace you
28 dloku 48 6/13/2025, 12:40:38 PM jobcompass.ai ↗
My friend and I got tired of job hunting (347 applications, 4 responses) so we built AI agents to help job seekers instead of replacing them.
The problem: 73% of applications never reach humans, 250+ people apply to each job, but 85% of positions are filled through networking.
Our solution: AI agents that find hiring managers for any LinkedIn job, analyze your profile fit, and generate personalized outreach messages. Instead of competing with hundreds in the application pile, you reach decision-makers directly.
Technical bits: LangChain + OpenAI for job parsing, Next.js + Supabase, custom contact discovery algorithms that work across different company structures.
Results: Users getting 70% more response rates vs regular applications.
In a world where AI is automating jobs away, we wanted to build something that helps people actually get jobs.
As a hiring manager, my inbox is already drowning. I don't mind the applications, I mind that most of them are _clearly_ not a good fit to the point where I'm confident that they themselves have not looked at the job posting for a single second.
The more tools like yours will be built, the more you'll have to know someone who knows me to even get a chat with me - because I won't browse through hundreds of automated messages just to find the one that isn't. I'll be honest: That'll create a tech world even more hostile to people without "the right connections" - and that makes me sad.
Same with good applications which aren't filtered out by these very same organizations lol
I totally agree with you. it's a bit a chicken and egg problem. You've got ATS systems filtering out candidates and then on the other side, you've got candidates auto-applying to a lot of unsuitable jobs.
We're trying to educate applications be more considerate and either apply where there's a fit or understand why there's no fot. If there's a fit however, then you should start building a relationship with someone first.
Maybe at least make it invite-only? Pay a deposit, have a chat with a human, and if the candidate isn't a spammer then they get access to the tool with rate-limits?
Don't pollute the job pool because you want to be empathetic to many struggling applicants.
Makes the rest of the copy and the claims made about as trustworthy as the authenticity of the images, for me anyway.
care to provide a source for this ?
" but 85% of positions are filled through networking"
care to provide a source for this ?
No one is attached to Job Compass - AI https://www.linkedin.com/company/jobcompass-ai/
So your service couldn't even find the "decision maker" at your own company, ironic no ?
They also made a new account just to post this to HN.
Seems like something that should get flagged.
You're sitting here on Hackernews and expect a 3-week project to have a corporate website - you're funny, really are
So you've put a effort in to build a product just to make the world slightly worse on net. Not hugely worse, but still it doesn't seem like the best way you could have spent your time.
1. One from my network, just announced it, someone I had worked with in the past reached out, quick chat, hired, great.
2. One with the usual approach of posting job ads and all that. We got an _insane_ amount of noise, even as an obscure, small company. I've hired hundreds of people, but most of those three years ago or earlier. Never seen such noise, most candidates barely meeting any of the requirements, weird auto generated cover letters and CVs. It was a bit exhausting, but I went through everyone manually to make sure I'm not accidentally filtering out a solid candidate. We found two in the end, one quickly backed out because they got another offer. But there was one good candidate left, and they accepted the offer. I don't remember this being so hard.
A few years ago I'd call people trying to automate screening or mainly hiring from their network lazy. In this time, I see the appeal.
The last thing I need is more bots spamming me on my LinkedIn account on top of all this madness.
Hopefully we'll get a big backlash against disingenuous passing off AI-slop as a communication from a human.
Maybe sending someone an AI-slop message will become universally recognized as trashy behavior -- employed only by the corporate communications of companies that really don't care, but not by anyone respectable.
it doesnt really matter where the message or how was created, only that you're 100% ok with its contents reaching its destinatatary.
that still puts some limits to how much you can -spam- and should make you not want to -spam- but only send real messages, but you can certainly use AI to help you research/generate those leads initial messages
i have not tried to do this, but i wouldn't see how its problematic?
Is this model now completely broken? If I was looking for a tech job again I doubt I’d fill out hundreds or a thousand of applications myself, I’d rather just pay someone thousands of dollars to do that grunt work and I just show up for interviews.
I'm at least unaware of any recent successes with the recruiter approach. (That is, recruiters who don't work for the company that does the interviewing.)
I wouldn't say you don't have to lift a finger and they do all the work for you, but some of them do seem to have backdoor entry to the companies and their applicants will be preferred. Not to mention that some companies only hire this way (through vendors, not sifting through thousands of applications on the LinkedIn or Indeed).
paying to get a job is 100% a scam
Any tool to spam hiring managers whether AI or not will be marked spam which is highly impersonable, ignored and not seen.
While directly reaching out to hiring managers on linkedin might be a good thing nowadays yet with spam tools such as this Linkedin will start marking them spam and they'll never be seen.
Best thing to do to find work is through your own and or friends' personal networks as you noted.. not this IMHO.
I've gotten all my jobs through recruiters on LinkedIn since 2013 yet my first two jobs where I gained experience/built my network further were through my personal network (did startups in DC and went to events; met many tech folks). I did LONG ago get an interview via stalking a hiring manager on Linkedin and she was cool yet her boss was mortified by such action I took. I didnt get the gig in 2011. Times have changed so some hiring managers im sure won't care until this hack becomes like spam where tons and tons of randos start hitting up hiring managers email boxes and or their linkedin invite inboxes.
Personally what would be better is AI finding people in your network who you already know and who are connected to hiring managers by 1 to 3 degrees of separation. Something that helps the number one thing that gets people jobs ...knowing someone and or having a friend or co-worker (former) who knows these people.
- Did you personally end up getting offers using your own tool?
- Anything surprising you learned building it?
Also - the tool does indicate why you're likely not a good fit.
technically - yes: vibe coding doesn't work xD
talking to customer - yes: some people have issues passing interviews, less getting into 1st calls
So 7 responses for 347 applications instead of 4? Not exactly impressive.
And what are those extra 3 responses? "Why the hell are you messaging me?"?