Challenge

First-time trial users were blocked from viewing candidates until someone on the sales team manually reviewed and approved each new account, which could take up to 24 hours. We believe that this delay significantly contributed to drop-off during self-serve trials, since candidate views were a prerequisite to employers being able to send interview requests (IVRs), and the responsiveness of Hired’s pool of talent to IVRs was one of the main selling points for the software.  At the time of this project, only 37% of new employers viewed 1+ candidates during their two week trial, and only  ~1% converted to paid customers. 

As Hired scaled the new business, the existing trial experience created tension between growth and risk. Fully opening access to the platform exposed candidate data to bad actors, while restricting discovery prevented high-intent employers from reaching value. We needed a way to unlock meaningful exploration immediately without sacrificing control.

Solution

We created a “Limited Trial Experience” that gave new users full functional access to the platform while their account was under review, with one key constraint: a cap of 10 candidate profile views. This allowed employers to explore, understand the product, and take action, while reducing exposure if an account was later disqualified. On the backend of sign-up, additional protections were put in place to pre-vet bad actors from accessing the platform at all. On the front end, I created a design prioritized transparency over restriction, making limits visible, understandable, and clearly temporary.

I designed a persistent view counter in the global navigation that showed how many profile views remained, setting clear expectations without interrupting flow. Each profile visit reduced the count, reinforcing a simple mental model for the system.

Once a candidate profile was opened, the profile view limit was emphasized through a banner which also  allowed the employer to contact Hired sales directly if they had questions about their access. 

Once the limit was reached, a modal explained the review status and guided users toward productive next steps, such as completing their employer profile or contacting support, framing the restriction as progress rather than blockage.

Learnings

This project reinforced that in marketplace products, value must be accessible immediately—even when trust is still being established. Thoughtfully designed constraints, paired with clear system feedback, can build confidence and accelerate meaningful engagement rather than slow it down.