Work / Jobhop
Jobhop
Helping job seekers access the hidden job market by simplifying how they connect, follow up, and communicate with recruiters.
109 survey responses · tested with 6 users
Background
No more cold applications. Just real connections.
Job searching today is often a stressful and isolating experience. Most opportunities are part of the hidden job market — not publicly advertised and only accessible through personal networks.
JobHop reimagines how job seekers in Spain access real opportunities through employee referrals. Our goal: to make the hidden job market more visible, accessible, and human.
Over the course of 6 months, I worked with a multidisciplinary team of five to design a platform that empowers candidates to activate their networks, builds trust between job seekers and referrers, and simplifies the referral process for both sides.
Strategy
Connecting talent with hidden opportunities
Problem
Every day, over 3 million people search for jobs in Spain — but there's a huge disconnect in the job market:
- 75% of job opportunities are never publicly posted
- 85% of hires come through networking and referrals
This creates an invisible job market. While most people apply through job boards, the real opportunities circulate behind closed doors.
Goal
Redesign professional networking to be simple, human, and effective, so that anyone can access hidden job opportunities without friction or awkwardness.
- Connect candidates with employees willing to refer
- Build trust through verified profiles and reviews
- Streamline the referral request process
- Create a win-win experience for both candidates and referrers
Solution
JobHop is a digital platform that connects job seekers with employees inside companies, enabling transparent, human, and effective referrals.
By focusing on trust, verified profiles, and seamless communication, JobHop turns networking into a positive and empowering experience — for both sides of the equation.
User research
Understanding how job seekers navigate professional networking in practice
- 8 interviews with candidates
- 8 interviews with potential referrers
- 5 HR interviews
- 109 survey responses
- Competitive analysis
This revealed hidden friction in networking processes, particularly trust barriers and emotional discomfort when requesting referrals.
109
Survey responses
21
Interviews with candidates, referrers and HR
89%
of employees refer to help others, not for money
71%
need reviews from people who worked with the candidate
Benchmark
No platform covered the whole journey
We analyzed tools across four categories: networking, coaching, training, and referrals. Most platforms cover only parts of the job-seeking journey, often lacking a user-centered experience. Jobhop brings these elements together, offering a clear, human, and guided path to getting a job referral.
Networking
LinkedIn · Shapr · Bumble Bizz
Coaching
Pathrise · Placement
Training
Bcn Activa · Fundación Adecco · FUNDAE
Referral
Refer.me · Refermarket · Referralhub
Key insights
- People know networking is key, but they lack effective tools to activate it and feel uncomfortable asking for help.
- 89% of employees refer to help others, not for money.
- 71% need reviews from people who worked with the candidate.
- 60% require verified profiles to feel confident.
“I would love for someone on the inside to give me a chance, but I don't even know where to start.”
“I'm scared to write to someone I don't know. What do I say? What if they don't respond?”
“I don't feel comfortable asking for help, I feel like I'm intruding.”
User personas
Two sides of the same referral
We created two personas based on recurring patterns identified during interviews and surveys. Each reflects the motivations, frustrations, and needs of our key user groups.
Job seeker
Anna
“Job hunting is a full-time job.”
- Age
- 40
- Education
- UX/UI Designer
- Status
- Married, 2 children
- Occupation
- UX Specialist
- Location
- Barcelona
Goals
- Feel useful, recognized, and financially stable.
- Receive honest, constructive feedback on how her profile is perceived.
- Find a stable role in UX that values her past experience and offers growth.
Pains
- Feels uncomfortable asking for help or revealing she's job hunting.
- "I'm lost — I don't know where to start."
- Financial and family pressure creates high stress and anxiety.
- Maintains some old connections, but struggles to expand her network.
Gains
- Access hidden opportunities through internal referrals.
- Build trust with potential referrers who can vouch for her.
- Understand how others perceive her profile to improve her approach.
Referrer (employee)
Francisco
“The referral program benefits everyone: me, the company, and the candidate.”
- Age
- 34
- Education
- Marketing
- Status
- Single
- Occupation
- Marketing Specialist
- Location
- Barcelona
Goals
- Maximize his referral opportunities to earn internal bonuses (€500).
- Help the company grow by recommending the right talent.
- Ensure his referrals succeed to maintain credibility.
Pains
- Limited access to qualified candidates outside his immediate circle.
- Fear of damaging his reputation by recommending someone unfit.
- Lack of visibility into the recruitment pipeline and referral outcomes.
- "How will I find someone who really fits the role?"
Gains
- Broader reach to vetted talent beyond personal contacts.
- Pre-validated profiles to recommend with confidence.
- A clear, efficient process that saves time and tracks progress.
Journey maps
Trust, clarity and emotional impact
After analyzing both journeys, key challenges emerge around trust, clarity, and emotional impact in the referral process. Francisco faces uncertainty and reputation risk, while Anna feels isolated and lacks feedback. These insights highlight the need for a transparent, supportive platform that builds confidence and fosters genuine human connections for both referrers and candidates.
Anna
- “I feel lost. I don't know where to start.”
- “I have valuable experience to offer, but no one gives me the chance.”
- “I must be doing something wrong, but I don't know what.”
- “I don't feel valued.”
- “From now on, I'll be intentional about networking.”
Francisco
- “This is a great way to make some extra cash.”
- “Why don't I get any updates about the process?”
- “How can I find the right person?”
- “How do I know they actually meet the requirements?”
- “I don't want to risk my reputation within the company.”
Solution overview
Simplify, humanize and build trust
To address these challenges, JobHop offers a platform that simplifies, humanizes, and builds trust in the referral process. Our solution is built around verified profiles, clear communication, and seamless workflows that empower both candidates and employees.
By making the hidden job market visible, JobHop connects talent with trusted employees inside companies, reducing the anxiety and uncertainty often tied to networking.
It creates a win-win ecosystem, where candidates access exclusive opportunities, and referrers confidently recommend qualified talent using pre-validation tools and real-time updates.
Through a user-centered design, JobHop transforms referral requests from a stressful task into a clear, transparent, and empowering experience, driving higher engagement and better outcomes for everyone involved.
Information architecture
Three sections, one clear path
After analyzing user needs and pain points, we designed JobHop's information architecture to guide users effortlessly through the job search and referral process. The platform is divided into three main sections:
- Search: filter and discover relevant job offers.
- Dashboard: manage and track your referral requests and applications.
- Profile: complete your personal info, showcase your skills, and build trust with recommendations.
- Jobhop
- Search
- Recommended
- Searcher
- Job title
- Location
- Remote / hybrid filter
- Job results
- Job details
- Referral request form
- Job details
- Dashboard
- Favorites
- In progress
- Pending
- Accepted
- Messages
- Video call
- Discarded
- Profile
- About me
- Experience
- Education
- Languages
- Recommendations
- List of recommendations
- Search
Task flow
Search and apply for a job via referral
This flow illustrates the core user journey to apply for a job through a referral. The candidate starts by filtering job offers by title, location, and work mode, then browses the results and selects a suitable position. After reviewing the job details and available referrers, the user chooses a referrer and submits a referral request by completing a short form including a message, CV, and optional portfolio or video. The process concludes with a confirmation message, ensuring the user feels confident their request was sent successfully.
Apply via referral
- Open the Jobhop app
- Go to the Search tab
- Apply search filters
- View the job results
- Select a job
- Review the job description
- Fill out the referral request form
- See the confirmation message
Low-fi & mid-fi wireframes
UI design
Visual identity
Once the structure was clear, we brought the product to life visually. That's how JobHop was born — a name that reflects agility and the idea of jumping past slow, impersonal job searches. The kangaroo became our symbol: the referrer who helps you leap over obstacles and get closer to real opportunities.
Inspired by this concept, we built a visual identity that feels warm, confident, and human. The design system combines a neutral base with bold accent colors, friendly rounded typography, and soft UI components — all optimized for clarity, accessibility, and emotional connection.
Design system
Purple is our primary color: it balances emotion and logic, reinforcing trust and highlighting key actions (buttons, links, CTAs). Green supports positive interactions like validations and confirmations, complementing purple with a sense of freshness and clarity. We chose IBM Plex Sans JP as our main typeface for its modern feel, legibility across sizes, and excellent support for multilingual interfaces.
User testing
User testing & key improvements
After testing with 6 users, we identified trust and scheduling as critical areas to improve.
- 01
Visible photos and names of referrers increased trust and confidence in the referral process.
- 02
Main cards now show referrers' photos alongside the number available, helping users feel confident before making a request.
- 03
For the MVP, we chose to integrate Calendly for scheduling calls, offering a proven solution that simplifies booking and allows easy rescheduling without building a custom system.
- 04
We added a button in the chat for easy access to the video call and to reschedule.
