This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yan Levin
Thirty days.
That’s how long it took to turn an idea scribbled in my notes into a live alpha — SkillHunt.pro.
No funding. No team. Just one laptop, too much coffee, and a clear mission:
fix the broken hiring process.
🚀 The Beginning
It started with frustration.
I was mentoring developers, helping people find jobs, and going through interviews myself.
Everywhere I looked - hiring was messy.
Too slow. Too opaque. Too fragmented.
I wanted to build something that felt human, fast, and transparent.
So I set a challenge:
Build the first working version in 30 days.
🧩 Step 1: Defining the Core
The goal wasn’t to build everything.
It was to build something that works — even if it’s small.
I wrote one question on my whiteboard:
“What is the minimum version that delivers real value?”
That became the filter for every decision.
I cut out everything that didn’t directly help candidates or companies connect:
no fancy dashboards
no payment system
no AI fluff (yet)
Just jobs, profiles, filters — and the first mentors.
🧱 Step 2: Building the MVP
The first milestone wasn’t “launch.”
It was getting something real to click.
I built:
- Public candidate profiles
- Vacancy feed
- Dashboard for tracking
- Simple AI evaluation (keywords + relevance)
- Mentor cards and onboarding
- Telegram notifications
When I deployed the first version, I had exactly 0 users.
Two days later — the first mentor joined.
Then a candidate. Then another.
Momentum started.
✂️ Step 3: What I Cut
To move fast, I had to say “no” a lot.
Company accounts? → later.
Analytics dashboard? → later.
Subscriptions? → later.
AI matching? → partially mocked.
If a feature didn’t help validate the core value — it waited.
That’s how I shipped the alpha on time.
👥 Step 4: First Users and Feedback
The first 10 users taught me more than any product book.
They didn’t care about “AI.”
They cared about clarity, visibility, and speed.
One message stuck with me:
“For the first time, I actually see who posted the job.”
That’s when I realized — transparency is the feature.
💡 What I Learned
Constraints are your best friend.
Deadlines force focus.
Launch ugly.
Users forgive design — they don’t forgive silence.
Talk to real people.
Every conversation = validation.
Ship > plan.
Every release teaches more than another Notion doc.
🌱 The Next Chapter
Now SkillHunt has:
- 15+ registered users
- Real vacancies
- First mentors onboard
- AI evaluation prototype
- A public alpha live at skillhunt.pro
The mission remains the same:
Make hiring transparent, fast, and human.
It’s still early — but this is just the start.
🧭 Final Thoughts
Building SkillHunt alone was intense — but deeply rewarding.
It reminded me that momentum matters more than perfection.
If you’re building something — start small, ship fast, and listen hard.
The rest will follow.
Thanks for reading🚀
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yan Levin
Yan Levin | Sciencx (2025-11-12T10:38:33+00:00) From Idea to Alpha in 30 Days — Building SkillHunt as a Solo Founder. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/12/from-idea-to-alpha-in-30-days-building-skillhunt-as-a-solo-founder/
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