• Indeed is launching an AI-powered tool called Pathfinder to help job seekers discover career paths.
• Jessica Jensen, Indeed’s chief marketing officer, said the focus will be on positioning Indeed as the “talent agent for life.”
• Indeed’s in-house marketing team is handling the launch.

Indeed is gearing up to launch an AI tool called Pathfinder in early 2025. The company said Pathfinder will help people connect with career and job opportunities that match their skills, even if their resumes or educational backgrounds don’t match.

The new product reflects job seekers’ deep frustration with the hiring process and “ghost jobs” And overwhelming competition.

“There is confusion and a fair degree of despair in certain sectors of the labor market, and that’s real,” Jessica Jensen, Indeed’s chief marketing officer, told Business Insider.

Announcing Pathfinder at the company’s FutureWorks event in September, Indeed CEO Chris Hyams shared the story of his daughter’s job search struggles. “Feel free to tell everyone this is the absolute worst,” he was quoted as saying.

Pathfinder’s development was driven by a key data point: The most common searches on Indeed’s site are location name and “vacant”; There is usually nothing in the “what” box where the job title or keyword is entered.

“We call it a blank interrogation,” Hyames said. “The empty query essentially says, ‘Show me what you’ve got.'”

Hymes told BI that generative AI, like a human recruiter, could help explain why a job might be a good fit for someone like his daughter — even if the role is different from her career path or experience.” What we can do is move towards generative AI and ‘Here’s a person. Tell me why this is appropriate.’ And then you can explain to him that this will strengthen your organizational skills,” he said.

“This is our very simple vision for the future,” Hyams told the FutureWorks audience. Indeed, every employee in the world will have their own personal talent agent. “With the power of artificial intelligence, this is now possible.”

Benefits of Messaging Pathfinder for job seekers and employers

Pathfinder will launch exclusively on iOS in early 2025. Jensen said a priority for the marketing team is to “help people understand that Indeed isn’t just for job hunting, it’s for job and career exploration and discovery.”

The company’s internal marketing team is handling the product launch, and channels will include email, events and job seeker content. The product is currently in beta testing and pre-launch phase.

Jensen told BI that Pathfinder’s target users are job hunters, but Indeed’s messaging to employers is an ongoing priority. Companies report that they cannot find good candidates, but they may not always provide proactive support or include critical information in job postings.

“That’s why we educate employers,” Jensen said. “You should include your salary in your job listing. Include details about location, hours, and anything else people care about.”

Jensen said Indeed tells companies it’s important to reach out to candidates and invite them to apply. “Support from employers is invaluable and leads to better outcomes for job seekers and employers.”

Indeed focuses on job seeker pain and how Pathfinder can identify ways to change or strengthen an existing career path.

“This will be an expansion of our message of being a talent ambassador for life,” Jensen said. “Helping people know that we are in their corner when they are in job search mode or trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up.”