Who out there wouldn’t love to have some help when it comes to nailing a job interview?
When Aryan Panchan came to Canada as an international student three years ago, he was 18, had no work, and lacked the communication skills necessary to get full-time work.
“When I first came to Canada, I was really insecure about the way I spoke, and due to my poor communication skills, I used to get rejected from hundreds of jobs that I used to apply to, and I took that feedback personally,” he said.
That’s when Panchan took matters into his own hands and developed InterviewPal, an AI-powered mock interview platform. It helps job seekers, particularly immigrants, improve their interview skills through personalized and real-time response feedback.
Right now, he’s finishing up his fourth year of studying business at the University of Calgary. He’s locked up a $150,000 grant from AltaML to help drive InterviewPal moving forward.
“We have more than 500 users since we launched our prototype, like three months ago,” he said.
“In the last one month, more than 10 people found jobs after using Interview Pal as well.”
Users enter the platform and provide their basic job-seeking information: Resume, previous work experience, education and your background. Then, you input a job description or a job title that you want to practice for.
“Based on the job description of a job title, interview pile generates custom interview questions based on three categories, technical, behavior and cultural questions,” Panchan said.
“Now you can record yourself speaking to those interview questions, and then InterviewPal will provide you with personalized feedback on your response, with a transcript so that you can refer back.”
Knowledge is abundant with the Alberta Catalyzer program: Panchan
Panchan said the weekly sessions he had with entrepreneurial experts have been one of the highlights of participating in the Alberta Catalyzer – Velocity program. Getting tapped into the experience of the panelists is invaluable, he said.
“Learning about stuff like that and through those workshops and balance, that’s the number one thing.”
He also said the connections that he’s been able to make with coaches and other entrepreneurs have really provided the support he needs when he’s had questions.
Panchan said he hopes this all catapults him towards more users. But, his goals are clear for the short term. They want to bring on at least two paid customers in the post-secondary field. They’re a group that can tap into the international student market to help them secure jobs.
“Then, the second goal is that we are raising $700,000 and we have a few investors lined up, but they want to see more traction, and that’s why we want to achieve that first goal of getting more paid customers,” Panchan said.
“Once we get that, they’ll be able to raise that money. The third thing is we have this goal of hitting 20,000 users in the next four to five months.”
Long term, he said there’s a vision to help people communicate better – whether it’s for jobs or for other personal interactions. That could include for personal development or for larger corporate training centres.
“The first part is around communication and helping people become better communicators. That can mean different things in different industries,” he said.
- Join Alberta Catalyzer to fast-track your startup with know-how and expert guidance. Alberta Catalyzer offers merit-based, pre-accelerator programs for early-stage tech entrepreneurs in Alberta at no cost. These programs are developed and delivered by Platform Calgary and Edmonton Unlimited, with support from partners and organizations across the Alberta Innovation Network. They are made possible by the generous support of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program, run by a consortium led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium includes the Government of Alberta, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), The City of Edmonton through Edmonton Unlimited, and the City of Calgary’s Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It’s part of the Alberta government’s goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.
