UCF Alum Develops Analytics Tool to Improve Hiring for Companies, Applicants

The most challenging part of the job search isn't always the interview - it's getting past the applicant tracking system, which scans and filters resumes based on keywords.

Justin Press '24, a UCF photonic science and engineering major, may have developed a solution that benefits both employers and applicants. His brainchild, Hire Match AI, is an analytics layer that integrates with existing applicant tracking systems to better analyze and interpret hiring data.

"We reparse resumes, structure candidate data more accurately and use statistics to identify which combinations of skills and experiences tend to stay longer and perform better in a company over time," Press says. "That helps teams look past what I call 'checklist champion' resumes, where a candidate appears perfect on paper but is really just optimized for a filter."

Press says what sets his digital tool apart is its focus on analytics, fit and compliance.

From Frustration to Framework

He developed the idea as head of professional development for the Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute - part of UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science - where students develop professional skills through a certificate program, specialized courses, maker spaces and mentorship. In that role, he helped students optimize their resumes for job listings and quickly realized the process wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.

"At UCF, I was going through hundreds of applications and postings each year, and it became obvious how much of the process was turning into a game," Press says. "That gave me a firsthand look at how inefficient and frustrating the process was for both applicants and the people trying to help them."

Launching What Hiring Lacks

From that frustration came Hire Match AI. Press brought the idea to the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, where he received guidance on turning the concept into a business. Now, as he prepares for launch, several businesses have already expressed interest in using the platform to analyze their hiring data more deeply. Press says the goal is to make data analytics more accessible, no matter which ATS a company uses.

"The bigger vision is to make hiring more data-driven, more transparent and less dependent on surface-level filtering."

"We want Hire Match AI to plug into every major ATS so companies can get better visibility into candidate fit, hiring patterns and compliance risk without having to switch the systems they already rely on," he says. "Down the line, that means expanding into larger platforms like Workday and other major enterprise systems. The bigger vision is to make hiring more data-driven, more transparent and less dependent on surface-level filtering."

Engineering with Purpose

Press says he was drawn to the field of photonic science and engineering by a desire to create technology that improves people's lives. His advice to students with similar ambitions: focus on what makes their idea unique.

"For engineering students especially, having a wide range of experiences is a huge advantage," Press says. "A lot of the best ideas come from [understanding] how technical problems connect to business problems, user behavior or broken systems in the real world. That matters even more now, with tools like large language models making it easier to build quickly."

Companies interested in using Hire Match AI can visit the website to learn more or sign up for early access.

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