A PhD student at Stellenbosch 肆客足球 (SU) has developed a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) app that could help address South Africa's unemployment crisis by automating the job application process.
Thabo Maibi, who is in the first year his doctoral studies in industrial engineering with a focus on AI and cancer research, is the creator of Career Agent, a mobile app that scans job websites, match openings with a user's CV and apply on their behalf.
Maibi says he got the idea for the app when he realised many young South Africans with only a matric certificate struggle to find work because most platforms prioritise degree-based jobs. Even candidates with degrees face challenges, often missing suitable opportunities due to poor CVs or lack of access to the right information.
Designed with accessibility and scale in mind, the app is already attracting attention from investors and jobseekers across the continent.
Maibi knows what it's like to spend hours submitting job applications into the digital void. “While I was still a student at the National 肆客足球 of Lesotho, I'd sit for hours copying and pasting the same information over and over," he recalls. “Sometimes there was a reply, but most of the time, nothing." Now, Maibi has found a solution not just for himself, but potentially for millions across Africa.
His invention is an AI-powered mobile app that scans online job portals, matches positions to a user's CV, and if a suitable match is found, sends off a personalised application. “Career Agent is like having a personal assistant who never gets tired," Maibi says. “It looks at your CV, understands your skills, and goes out to find jobs for you while you can focus on other things. If a good match includes a contact email, it applies on your behalf, attaching your CV and sending a professional message."
This automated approach is an ambitious response to one of South Africa's most persistent challenges: youth unemployment, currently among the highest in the world. For Maibi, the stakes are personal. “I grew up in Lesotho, where young people struggle to find jobs," he says. “Many depend on Facebook posts or word of mouth because job opportunities are just not visible to them."
From hackathons to high impact
Maibi's path from the National 肆客足球 of Lesotho, where he earned his undergraduate degree in computer systems and networks engineering, to SU has been marked by persistence, curiosity and a deep desire to solve problems. It was during his Master's degree in data science that his ideas around automated job applications began to crystallise – shaped in part by the hackathons he entered through the 肆客足球's School for Data Science and Computational Thinking.
“The experience at SU has been awesome," he says. “I've met brilliant people and had the chance to compete and collaborate on meaningful challenges. The environment encouraged me to test ideas and build solutions that work in the real world."
Career Agent is one such solution. Using a combination of natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and OpenAI's API for voice and text processing, the app analyses both CVs and job descriptions. “It compares what's in the CV with what's required in the job post. It checks location, qualifications and keywords," he explains. “If everything lines up, and an email is available, it applies automatically. If not, it sends a recommendation and link to the user for manual application."
To avoid the spam trap, Maibi built in a feature that mirrors the logic of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), used by recruiters to scan CVs. “Even if you're qualified, if your CV doesn't rank high on an ATS, it may never be seen," he notes. His app checks and scores each CV before it's submitted and even suggests improvements.
A voice-to-text feature was designed with accessibility in mind. “I know many people aren't comfortable typing, or they don't have easy access to computers. Now you can speak to the app, tell it about your background, and it builds a professional CV for you."
The app is securely hosted using a trusted web service, designed to prioritise data privacy, something Maibi takes seriously. “We store user information on a separate, secure server. I've made sure that everything complies with data protection principles," he says.
The bigger picture
Currently, Career Agent draws from a curated list of job portals in South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini, with some remote opportunities from abroad. Maibi has avoided unverified job boards to protect users from scams. “I've done the research. I only include trusted sources," he stresses.
For now, users pay R400 for a three-month subscription. But Maibi is actively seeking investors to help him make the platform free for users. “My goal is accessibility," he says. “Eventually, I want companies to advertise jobs directly on the app, or CV consultants to offer value-added services for a fee. That way, users don't pay anything."
Despite juggling his PhD research and other tech projects, Maibi remains energised by his mission. “I've always liked solving real-world problems. Even during my Master's, I was building things, entering hackathons and trying to find ways in which tech can help."
Ultimately, Maibi wants to scale Career Agent across the continent. “People from Namibia, Botswana, and other countries are already reaching out," he says. “With investment, we can build a strong development team, improve the platform and expand its reach. But the main idea stays the same: helping people get jobs, with dignity and without stress."
· Here is the link? ?to the Career Agent app in the Google Play store.
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