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The Problem We Solved

Recently, a debate sparked within our team on Slack. One of the developers pointed out that many users were missing new job openings because they do not check the website regularly. We realized that we needed to improve the notification mechanism so that candidates and companies could respond quickly to new opportunities.

Why This Matters

The lack of notifications about new job openings affected both candidates and employers. Candidates missed the chance to find interesting offers, while employers received few responses to their job postings. This created a negative experience for both sides, which in turn impacted our image and the effectiveness of our service.

What Wasn't Working

Initially, we relied on standard push notifications in the app. However, users often disabled them or did not install the app at all. For example, one candidate noted during testing that they were not receiving updates about job openings because they did not want to install the app on their phone. This prompted us to seek alternative solutions.

Initial Attempts

We tried several approaches. First, we considered using SMS notifications. However, this would require significant costs for an SMS gateway and increased the likelihood that users would simply ignore the messages. We then thought about creating an RSS feed, but most users were not ready for that format. Each of these solutions faced various obstacles, and we had to return to the drawing board.

Technical Approach

Ultimately, we decided to focus on integration with email and Telegram. This allowed us to reach a larger audience, as many users were already actively using these channels for communication. We selected a library for working with SMTP to send email notifications and used the Telegram Bot API to create a bot that sends alerts.

import smtplib
from telegram import Bot

# SMTP setup for email
smtp = smtplib.SMTP('smtp.example.com', 587)
smtp.starttls()
smtp.login('user@example.com', 'password')

# Sending email
smtp.sendmail('from@example.com', 'to@example.com', 'A new job is available!')

# Sending notification to Telegram
bot = Bot(token='YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN')
bot.send_message(chat_id='CHAT_ID', text='A new job is available!')

Changes in the Product

After implementing the new alerts, we noticed a significant increase in user activity. Candidates began to engage more with the new functionality and respond to job postings. This also allowed employers to receive responses to their offers more quickly. The increase in responses to job postings on the /jobs page was evident, which pleased both us and our clients.

Lessons Learned

• Communication Channels: It is important to consider that different users prefer different channels.
• Solution Flexibility: Do not get stuck on one approach; it is better to explore several alternatives.
• Feedback: Regularly obtaining user feedback helps identify issues early.
• Testing: It is crucial to test each change on a small group of users before a full rollout.

What This Means for Candidates

Now candidates can receive notifications about new job openings that match their profiles directly via email or through Telegram. This significantly simplifies the job search process and ensures they do not miss interesting offers.

What This Means for Employers

For recruiters, the improved alert system means that job postings become more visible to the target audience. This allows for quicker identification of suitable candidates and speeds up the hiring process.

Next Steps

We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the new notification system. Our upcoming plans include adding the ability to customize alerts so that users can choose which job openings interest them. If we had to go back, we would start with a more thorough analysis of user preferences to avoid some of the initial mistakes. ---