The Career Fox Foundation
Empowering first-time job seekers
My Role
Product Designer leading UX, UI, user research, brand development, project management, service design, and learning experience design
The Team
Co-founded and created with Mandy Kerr & Emma Shimmens (Curriculum writing, Content Design, operations, marketing strategy)
Skills Applied
Tools Used
Figma, SquareSpace, Framer, Canva, CapCut, Asana
The Mission
Career Fox Foundation was born to bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity. We set out to empower job seekers at all career stages to confidently land their next role—especially those facing barriers in the job market. Through accessible, expert-led courses, we're transforming the intimidating job search experience into an achievable path to meaningful careers.
The Challenge
The Gap We Discovered
As professionals with extensive backgrounds in hiring and recruitment, my team and I had reviewed thousands of resumes and applications. We noticed a critical gap: most people are never properly taught how to navigate a job search successfully. This gap is especially challenging for first-time job seekers who lack the experience needed for traditional application materials.
The Core Problem
How might we help first-time job seekers develop the confidence and skills needed to successfully navigate their career search?
Our Objectives
We aimed to establish Career Fox as the trusted go-to resource for job search guidance by creating three tailored courses designed for specific career stages, with a special focus on those just beginning their professional journey.
Key Goals
Build a trusted career resource
Establish Career Fox Foundation as a credible, go-to destination for job search guidance by delivering expert knowledge in an approachable, engaging format.
Empower through practical skills
Transform abstract job search concepts into concrete, actionable skills that build genuine confidence and measurable results for an inexperienced user navigating their first job search processes.
Bridge the gap
Design specialized curriculum that equips first-time job seekers with the strategies and tools to effectively present themselves despite limited professional experience.
My Approach & Process
Conducting the research
Competitor Analysis
I discovered most career resources were tied to educational institutions, making them inaccessible to those not enrolled. These programs were typically optional, understaffed, and appointment-based with scattered resources rather than cohesive learning journeys.
With many career coaching or mentorship programs we found that they were too generalized and not focused on early career candidates.
✻ Too general
There were a few companies focusing on our user group, but they were not geared towards helping a candidate understand how to manage a job search. They were focused on providing access to jobs.
✻ Job board focus
Programs that had similar features, resources and goals to the Career Fox Foundation were only offered to students enrolled in a university or bootcamp program.
✻ Enrollment only
User Interviews
I discovered most career resources were tied to educational institutions, making them inaccessible to those not enrolled. These programs were typically optional, understaffed, and appointment-based with scattered resources rather than cohesive learning journeys.
Key insights
Our research revealed that while hiring managers have lower expectations for early-career resumes, they highly value candidates who demonstrate eagerness, curiosity, and engagement. Young job seekers wanted specific, actionable advice with clear examples, not generic guidance. Parents and teachers sought accessible, affordable programs that would help young people develop responsibility while earning income.
Synthesizing my findings
User Personas
The First Time Job Seeker (18-26): Looking for their first "real" job with limited experience and unfamiliar with professional job search tools
The Hiring Manager: Seeking responsible junior candidates while managing the risk of hiring untested professionals
The College Career Counselor: Overworked professionals looking for trusted resources to support students when they can't provide individual attention
Strategic Site Architecture
I designed a straightforward sitemap focused on our key pages (home, about, blog) with special attention to the course section hosted on Thinkific.
Essential User Flows
Finding the right course: Guiding users to courses tailored to their specific career stage
Enrolling in a course: Creating a simple, motivating enrollment process
Completing a course: Designing an engaging learning journey from start to finish
Creating Our Brand
Brand Strategy
I defined our "True North" as bridging the gap between aspiration and opportunity, particularly for those facing barriers. Our personality needed to embody a "cool aunt" or mentor figure—warm, encouraging, professional, and engaging.
Visual Identity
For the logo, I chose a geometric design that communicates stability and guidance. The color palette features a trustworthy blue as primary and vibrant orange as secondary—a nod to our name while creating an energetic, optimistic feel. I introduced additional secondary colors to differentiate courses and marketing materials.
Final UI Kit
Design Development & Iterations
Home & Key Pages
Designed to immediately communicate our mission of offering free, self-paced career advancement courses while making navigation to appropriate courses intuitive
Individual Courses
Developed layouts that clearly outline course benefits, structure, and value before prompting enrollment
Course Catalog
Created visually distinct but cohesive course tiles that clearly communicate each course's focus and target audience
Testing & Refinement
After developing our initial courses with videos, presentations, and written content, I facilitated user testing of the complete experience. Based on feedback, I:
Redesigned enrollment emails to better set expectations
Created more conversational, less overwhelming assessment surveys
Balanced text-heavy sections with more interactive and video content
Final Results
Tangible Outcomes
We successfully launched Career Fox Foundation with:
A distinctive, mission-driven brand identity
An intuitive, welcoming website architecture
Three comprehensive courses targeting specific career stages
What our users say
"Transformational course with hands-on practice and real life scenarios to help you understand what's expected in each stage of the hiring process...and how to ace it. I learned a lot and appreciated the depth of insight provided by the instructors who actually work in the hiring industry."
Reflection & Forward Vision
Overcoming Challenges
Building a non-profit from scratch required focus and prioritization. Our biggest challenge was creating content that was both engaging and deeply valuable—striking the balance between approachable and substantive.
Personal Growth
This project expanded my toolkit significantly. I mastered new platforms like Thinkific, developed my video editing skills, and gained invaluable experience in building a mission-driven organization from the ground up.
Looking Ahead
We're now focused on enhancing our courses with additional professional interviews and insights. We're also developing community features to connect hiring managers with our graduates and foster peer support networks—creating not just courses but a true career ecosystem.