| I built five (fiveapply.work) after 11 months of unemployment and 400+ job applications. The experience gave me a close up view of the doom loop: applying was free so volume
exploded, job seekers added AI to compete, recruiters added AI to filter, AI screeners
trained on AI applications, AI applications optimized for AI screeners, nobody is
talking to anyone. The answer isn't more AI. It's less, and the right constraints: - Recruiters record a short video pitch (not a job description). $5 flat per post, no subscriptions.
- Seekers record a video pitch (not a cover letter). Free, 20 per week.
- $1 High-Five lets seekers attach a cost-based intent signal to specific applications.
- No algorithmic screening, every recruiter sees every applicant. Where AI does assist: Deepgram transcription for accessibility, and skills-based matching
to surface relevant roles in the feed. Neither screens candidates or makes decisions.
Recruiters always see everyone. Stack: Next.js 16 (App Router), Supabase (DB + auth), Cloudflare R2 (video storage),
Deepgram (transcription), Stripe (wallet-based payments), Resend (email), Vercel (hosting). I'm the founder, happy to answer anything. |