cord

About cord

Cord operates a hiring platform focused on the technology sector, designed to facilitate direct communication between job seekers and companies. The company was founded in the autumn of 2016 by two friends, Ben Henley-Smith and another individual named Will, who aimed to simplify the job search process. They started the company without prior investment or startup experience, initially creating a basic messaging system for people and companies to connect. The platform operates on a business model that provides companies with direct access to active candidates through a flexible rolling monthly subscription, eliminating hiring fees.

The service is positioned as an all-in-one job search tool for technology professionals. For job seekers, it offers features to discover job openings, message hiring managers directly, manage applications, and benchmark salaries. For companies, Cord provides access to a pool of responsive candidates, with a reported 30% of them exclusively using the platform for their job search. The platform includes AI-powered tools such as candidate recommendations and summaries, programmatic advertising of job positions, an interview scheduler that integrates with Google and Outlook calendars, and tools to reduce unconscious bias in sourcing. It also offers integrations with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Workable, Greenhouse, and Lever. The company serves a range of technology-led businesses, from recent Y-Combinator alumni to publicly listed corporations.

Originally launched as a niche messaging tool for JavaScript developers in London, Cord has expanded significantly. It reports having over 250,000 developers, more than 4,000 companies, and over 16,000 live positions on its platform, establishing it as a substantial job search platform for developers in the UK. The company has facilitated over 150,000 direct conversations between candidates and hiring teams. As the platform has grown, so has its dataset, enabling it to generate insights into hiring trends, such as which companies attract the most applications. The company has stated its mission is to increase the number of people doing their best work by providing better tools to find it.