SME  /  TECH & INNOVATION

By FedEx | First published: March 31, 2022    Updated: December 6, 2024

Described as 'speed dating for your career', Kalibrr matches job candidates with quality employers, driving career and business growth in the Philippines, Southeast Asia and beyond.

• AI-powered hiring platform Kalibrr has been matching Filipino employers with candidates for over a decade.
• With market presence across Southeast Asia and offices in San Francisco, Manila and Jakarta, Kalibrr aims to become one of Asia’s leading jobs portals and employer branding companies.
• After taking one of the four finalist spots in the 2021 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, Kalibrr has been expanding services, leaning into AI to empower jobseekers.

Today’s small businesses are reshaping the global economic landscape. From providing affordable healthcare to advancing digitalization, many start-ups are transforming their communities by leveraging innovation and technology. 

Asia is a globally recognized hotspot for start-up activity. Every year, FedEx recognizes four companies offering groundbreaking solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, collaborating with Forbes Asia to award start-ups in the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest (SGBC).      

Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs 

SGBC enables small businesses to achieve their full potential, providing a launchpad for regional exposure to new audiences. One of 2021’s winning startups was Kalibrr, an online hiring platform that uses AI to simplify the applicant screening process for SMEs and employers. 

We caught up with Kalibrr CEO and co-founder Paul Rivera, who shared insights on job matchmaking, AI technology in recruitment, e-commerce talent in the Philippines, and global growth.

Let’s start off with your most meaningful milestone so far. What’s your biggest success, and how did it contribute to Kalibrr earning a special mention in the FedEx SBGC?

Paul Rivera: I think we earned that recognition because our business is anchored in our mission to transform the way businesses find great talents, and talents find career opportunities. 

For the past 11 years, our team has been a careers platform for over six million applicants, helping over 300,000 customers find jobs globally. For me, these figures represent 300,000 dreams and lives we’ve helped change for the better.

Currently, we’re processing 10 million job applications annually and we’re working towards beating our own record in the coming years.     

What is Kalibrr’s main purpose? How do you make sure you get the job done efficiently?

Helping people land their dream role is the top goal for Kalibrr. But we were one of the first recruitment start-ups to use AI to solve a discovery and match problem. We let jobseekers discover opportunities rather than search for them. 

Our AI leverages the jobseeker’s profile history and behavior to deliver relevant job opportunities at the click of a button. Kalibrr increases the number of compatible company-jobseeker matches and reduces the time to hire by over 50% compared to regular job boards. It has a 25-30% success rate, around 5-6 times higher than the industry average.

On the hiring end, Kalibrr’s algorithm helps companies screen applicants more efficiently by analyzing the skill level, work environment, responsibilities and education needed for the position. 

Our AI-powered system and qualification tests scan and filter the profiles of candidates, matching them based on employers’ preferences and online patterns. The service we provide is smart, fast and consistent across all clients, big or small.

How would you describe today’s job market? Can you tell us the skills or talents that companies are looking for these days?

The pandemic dramatically altered the job market globally. The labor market today is truly global, and opportunity is no longer defined by where you live. Many companies leveraged technology to adapt and survive the pandemic, and they’ve now got a headstart in digital adoption.

Employers are moving towards candidates who possess at least basic knowledge and skills in AI, technology, coding, digital marketing, analytics, crypto and blockchain.

What tips can you give to other recruitment startups?

First off, be patient. Be consistent in putting in the work and you’ll soon see that you’ve come so much farther than expected. 

Second, listen to your customers. It may be a no-brainer, but how you handle feedback, positive or otherwise, can make or break your business.

And finally, your team defines how far and fast you can go. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, be with like-minded people.

The future of AI recruitment and digital-first entrepreneurship

Paul is making sure that SMEs have the means to adapt to the ever-changing local job economy. With a US$13,000 (Php600,000) grant from the 2021 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, Kalibrr offered small businesses free premium subscriptions. SMEs could utilize the company’s smart features and hire talent to transform and scale their businesses.  

As an enabler of cross-border trade, FedEx continues to fuel the growth momentum of small businesses, providing them with digital solutions and services for network expansion and international growth.