Kormo, an app that helps users get connected to jobs and build careers
We started working on Kormo in late 2016 after my co-founders and I decided to invest in finding a technology-driven solution to improving the way people in countries in Bangladesh get connected to jobs. Having grown up in Dhaka, I saw firsthand the challenges so many people face every day just to earn a living. We set out to try and make this better. Just as many established sectors like retail and transportation (to name a few) were being disrupted as smartphone penetration accelerated at feverish pace, we felt anyone should be able to get connected to jobs right from their phones.
After many iterations of the app (in fact, our very first prototypes were SMS- based) we came out of stealth mode in late 2018 in Bangladesh. In the last year we connected over 25,000 jobs and have evolved into a service that doesn’t just help users get connected to jobs, but also helps them learn new things and develop careers. At present, the vast majority of the user community is based in Dhaka and most of the jobs being matched are in the services sector, from delivery drivers to call centre reps, from part time to full time roles.
We recognised clear pain points from the job seekers we met. Among those at earlier stages in their career in particular, we saw that they didn’t have consistent sources of discovering available jobs (many of the jobs featured on Kormo today have never been published online) and they often lacked the experience and skills required by employers. These learnings, among many others helped us establish a few key insights along the way that have guided our product development.
1. Help job seekers build up their reputation
“Do you have a reference?”
Employers ask for this from their job seeking applicants a lot. From our experience, it is the most desirable factor when assessing a candidate. But what if you don’t have a personal connection to the company you’re applying to?
We’re trying to address this by helping people build a validated reputation quickly on Kormo. With just a few taps, a Kormo user can create CV and this becomes a validated reputation as they use the app to navigate their career. The CV powers the end-to-end app experience and updates automatically based on how users get on with finding jobs and accessing learning content and exercises. Importantly, this CV is fully portable, which means it can be used outside of the app too. For example, many Kormo users have downloaded and printed out their CV as they’ve applied for jobs that were not available on Kormo.
2. Make discovering suitable jobs as easy as possible
Finding a job is hard and takes time. In Kormo, all jobs appear in an easy-to-use, personalised feed. Based on user preferences and their Kormo CV, relevant jobs are recommended to the user without them even needing to type a search or filter results.
3. Connecting people to jobs also means addressing the skills gap challenge
Youth unemployment in Bangladesh stands at over 11%, its highest ever (based on World Bank’s 2017 report). While this is the case, the demand for labour — particularly in cities — remains high. The problem is that employers are unable to find qualified workers. At Kormo we are trying to solve this in 2 ways. The first is to better capture a job seeker’s competencies via the Kormo CV. The second is by connecting them to skills development resources directly in the app. The app features a personalised feed of articles, videos and courses. We’re constantly optimising this experience, including testing new concepts like promoting offline training such as the one highlighted below — a Retail industry training provided by BRAC Institute of Skills Development (BISD).
4. Nudges work
Smartphone users these days are very familiar with managing notifications and prompts on their devices. Kormo leverages this by nudging users about relevant jobs and learning opportunities.
Thank you so much for reading this post! We have more articles about Kormo and our learnings from the employment ecosystem on our Medium blog
