Platform Strategy Case Study

Recruitment Data API

Designing a scalable API ecosystem to democratize access to aggregated job market data. A case study on Product-Led Growth (PLG), technical governance, and tiered monetization.

Core
Job Search
Analytics
Trending
Integration
Email Alert
Component
HTML Widget
User Data
History Log

My Role

API Product Designer

Defined 5 core endpoints, JSON schemas, error protocols, and commercial pricing tiers.

The Business Model

Freemium to Enterprise Funnel:
Designed a "Beta Key" system with strict rate limits to encourage conversion to Production Keys.

Technical Governance

Rate Limiting

Implemented standard HTTP 429 protocols to manage traffic load.

01

Monetization & Unit Economics

BETA KEY

Freemium

$0
  • • 50 Search / day
  • • 50 Trending / day
  • • 10 Email Alerts
Target: Students / Prototypes
GROWTH

Add-on

$45 /mo
  • • 1,000 Search / day
  • • 1,000 Trending / day
  • • 500 Email Alerts
Target: Startups / MVPs
ENTERPRISE

Pro

$449 /mo
  • • 20k Search / day
  • • 20k Trending / day
  • • 10k Email Alerts
Target: Recruitment Agencies

Pricing Logic

Design Rationale: The gap between Free (50) and Pro (20k) was too large. I introduced the $45 Add-on tier to capture the "Mid-Market" segment—developers who have launched but aren't yet at enterprise scale. This smooths the revenue curve.
02

API Design & Schema

GET /api/search

Queries aggregated job postings. Includes optional parameters like full_des (Full Description) and link (Direct Application Link) to support diverse frontend needs.

Param Description Default
j Job string (e.g. "sales+Manager") -
l Location (City/Zip) -
full_des Show full job description 0 (False)
link Bypass JS for direct link 0 (False)
JSON RESPONSE
{
  "count": 2,
  "total": 145,
  "jobs": [
    {
      "title": "Web Designer",
      "company": "Cenfos Holdings Inc",
      "date": "2021-03-31T05:00:00Z",
      "city": ["Vancouver, BC"],
      "industry": "IT / Software Systems",
      "description": "Research and evaluate a variety of interactive media..."
    }
  ]
}
Includes complex fields like `city` arrays and full text `description` to support rich frontend displays.