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Product Execution - Ideation, Prioritization & Writing PRDs


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Problem -

Students graduating from Tier 3/4 colleges need support to get industry ready and improve their success ratio of landing jobs.


The most commonly asked support topics are -

  1. Prepare resume

  2. Review resume

  3. Interview prep

  4. What are the trending topics for interviews


Potential Features -

The idea is to create a comprehensive tool that not only helps students prepare for their job search but also helps them discover their career interests, develop necessary skills, and build confidence along the way.


Potential features that come to my mind are -


  • Interactive Resume Builder: A step-by-step guide to creating a professional resume, where each section (summary, skills, work experience, education, etc.) is explained in detail, with examples and tips. It can include AI-enabled suggestions based on the student's background and desired industry.

  • Resume Review: AI-powered real-time feedback on the user's resume. This would include tips on grammar, content relevance, keywords related to specific industries or jobs, layout and formatting.

  • Resume Templates: A library of customizable professional resume templates that cater to various industries and job roles.

  • Interview Simulator: A feature that offers virtual interview practice with AI-powered bots. The AI would ask questions typically asked in job interviews, and give feedback based on user's responses.

  • Industry-specific Interview Guides: Detailed content on what to expect in interviews for various roles and industries. It should include commonly asked questions, tips on how to respond, and information about what interviewers are typically looking for.

  • Soft Skills Training: Interactive lessons and exercises on topics like communication skills, problem-solving, team work, leadership, time management, etc.

  • Technical Skills Courses: Access to online courses for developing hard skills, such as coding, data analysis, marketing strategies, etc., based on the career path chosen by the student.

  • Trending Topics Updates: A regularly updated section with information about trending topics in various industries, which are likely to come up in interviews.

  • Job Search Engine: An integrated job search engine that pulls in entry-level job postings from various platforms, customized to the user's interests and qualifications.

  • Peer Review Platform: A community feature that allows users to review each other's resumes and provide constructive feedback.

  • Mock Tests and Quizzes: For technical roles, a feature that provides quizzes and mock tests to assess and improve the technical knowledge related to the student's field.

  • AI-Powered Career Advisor: A feature that uses machine learning to recommend potential career paths and necessary steps to achieve them based on the user's interests, skills, and background.

  • Company Insights: Detailed information about different companies, their work culture, values, interview process, etc.

  • Personal Branding Guide: Guidance on how to develop and maintain a professional online presence, such as on LinkedIn, personal blogs, etc.

  • Goal Tracking and Progress Report: A feature that allows users to set career preparation goals and track their progress over time.



Prioritisation based on Value vs Complexity Quadrant -


  • High Value, Low Complexity (Quick Wins):


  • Interactive Resume Builder: This provides high value with relatively low complexity, since a template-based builder with guided steps can be developed with less complexity.

  • Resume Templates: These are easy to implement and highly valuable for users who need a starting point for their resumes.

  • Industry-specific Interview Guides: High value for users with lower complexity since it primarily involves content creation.

  • Trending Topics Updates: A straightforward feature to implement (mainly content curation), but can be highly valuable to keep users informed.

  • Personal Branding Guide: This is essentially a guide and hence less complex to implement, but can be highly valuable for users new to the job market.


  • High Value, High Complexity (Major Projects):


  • Resume Review: AI-powered real-time feedback is highly valuable but requires sophisticated Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI algorithms, making it complex to implement.

  • Interview Simulator: A high-value feature that needs advanced AI algorithms to simulate a realistic interview experience.

  • Soft Skills Training: While highly beneficial, creating interactive and effective soft skills training can be complex.

  • Technical Skills Courses: This is a high value feature but partnering with course providers or creating original content is a high complexity task.

  • AI-Powered Career Advisor: This requires machine learning algorithms to provide personalized career advice, making it complex to implement.



  • Low Value, Low Complexity (Fill-Ins):


  • Goal Tracking and Progress Report: This is relatively simple to implement as it's based on user input and can provide moderate value for users who want to track their progress.

  • Company Insights: This feature is mostly about content creation, which is not as complex, but it may not provide as much direct value to users compared to other features.


  • Low Value, High Complexity (Thankless Tasks):


  • Job Search Engine: While useful, it requires complex integration with various job platforms and maintenance. Given that there are already established job search engines, the value-add might not be as significant.

  • Peer Review Platform: The complexity lies in moderating the platform and ensuring quality feedback. The value can be low since the feedback quality depends on peers, who may not have expert knowledge.

  • Mock Tests and Quizzes: The value is subjective as it pertains only to certain roles, and the creation and updating of relevant tests can be complex.



List of Features Prioritised for V1 of the Product -


The goal for Phase 1 is to create a solid foundation for the platform with features that provide high value with relative ease of implementation. Hence, the aim should be to launch the minimum viable product (MVP) that can effectively help students start their job search process. Based on the Value v/s Complexity Quadrant, the following features can be prioritised for Phase 1 -


  • Interactive Resume Builder: This is the starting point for any job seeker. It's high value and less complex, making it a perfect feature to start with.

  • Resume Templates: A library of templates will complement the Resume Builder and give users a head start in creating their resumes.

  • Industry-specific Interview Guides: This feature will help users understand what to expect in interviews for their desired roles, providing high value.

  • Trending Topics Updates: Keeping students updated with current industry trends will be highly beneficial and will keep the users engaged with the platform.

  • Personal Branding Guide: Given the increasing importance of online presence in job hunting, this feature will provide high value to users.

  • Goal Tracking and Progress Report: This is a low complexity feature that can be implemented in this phase to keep users engaged and motivated.



PRD and User Stories for Interactive Resume Builder Feature-


1. Purpose:

The Interactive Resume Builder feature is designed to help job seekers create a professional and industry-standard resume with an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide. This feature also offers AI-generated suggestions to enhance the resume based on the user's profile and target industry.


2. User Goals:


  • Create a professional resume without prior knowledge of how to do so

  • Get personalised suggestions to improve their resume

  • Save and export their resume for job applications


3. Requirements:


3.1 Functional Requirements:

  • The system must present users with a clear and intuitive interface to create a new resume.

  • The system must guide users through each section of the resume (Summary, Skills, Experience, Education, etc.) and provide a brief description, tips, and examples for each section.

  • The system must offer real-time, AI-powered suggestions tailored to the user's background and desired industry to improve each section of the resume.

  • Users should have the ability to save their progress at any point in the process.

  • Users must be able to download their completed resume in a universally accepted format (PDF or Word).


3.2 Non-Functional Requirements:

  • The system should have a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, even for individuals who are not tech-savvy.

  • The system should be able to handle multiple users simultaneously.

  • The user's data should be stored securely and confidentially.









4. User Stories and Acceptance Criteria


User Story 1: As a user, I want to be guided through the process of creating a professional resume, so I can make sure it meets industry standards.


Acceptance Criteria 1:

  • When I open the Interactive Resume Builder, it should provide a clear starting point (e.g., a "Start Resume" button).

  • The system guides me through each section of the resume (Summary, Skills, Experience, Education, etc.) one at a time.

  • The system provides brief descriptions, examples, and tips for each section.




User Story 2: As a user, I want personalized suggestions to improve my resume, so it aligns with the needs of my desired industry.


Acceptance Criteria 2:

  • The system provides AI-powered suggestions based on the details I enter and the industry I'm interested in.

  • I can accept or reject the system's suggestions as I wish.




User Story 3: As a user, I want to be able to save my progress and come back to it later, so I don't have to complete my resume in one sitting.


Acceptance Criteria 3:

  • I can stop at any point in the process and have the option to save my work.

  • When I return to the Interactive Resume Builder, I can continue from where I left off.




User Story 4: As a user, I want to be able to download my completed resume, so I can use it to apply for jobs.


Acceptance Criteria 4:

  • Once my resume is complete, I can download it to my device in a universally accepted format (PDF or Word).

  • The downloaded resume maintains the formatting I set in the Interactive Resume Builder.








5. Metrics for Success


  • User engagement with the Interactive Resume Builder

  • Number of resumes completed and downloaded

  • User satisfaction ratings and feedback for the Interactive Resume Builder

  • Conversion rates of users who start the resume building process and those who complete it

  • The rate of usage for the AI-powered suggestions feature


6. Risks and Mitigation


  • Risk: Users find the AI suggestions unhelpful or irrelevant.

Mitigation: Constantly improve the AI model with regular user feedback and ensure it is trained with a comprehensive and diverse set of data.


  • Risk: Privacy concerns due to the personal information entered in resumes.

Mitigation: Strict adherence to data privacy laws and transparent communication to users about how their data is used and stored.



7. Assumptions and Open Questions



Assumptions:

  • Users have basic digital literacy skills: It's assumed that the users of CareerBuddy would have basic digital literacy skills to navigate the platform effectively.

  • Internet Accessibility: The product assumes users have consistent access to a reliable internet connection.

  • Willingness to share data: Users are comfortable sharing their personal and academic details for the purpose of resume creation.

  • Users are seeking jobs: The product assumes that users are actively seeking employment and require assistance with resume creation and job hunting.

  • English Language: The platform assumes that the users are comfortable with English as the primary language for resume creation and platform interaction.


Open Questions:


  • Technology Adoption: What is the level of technical expertise among our target user base? This will help determine the level of complexity one should aim for in the user interface.

  • AI Capabilities: What is the scope and limitation of the AI features, and how accurate are its suggestions for resume enhancement? This will impact the effectiveness of the resume builder tool.

  • Data Security: What are the security measures in place to protect user data, and how can we communicate this effectively to our users to build trust?

  • Competition Analysis: How does our product differentiate from similar platforms on the market? What unique value proposition do we offer?

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