# Your Competitors Are Free Research

> How a simple competitive analysis of LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor shaped the feature set of a job search app, and how to run one that leads to real decisions.

- **By**: [Mohamed Amin](https://aminuix.com)
- **Published**: Jul 28, 2026
- **Category**: Research

![Competitive analysis of LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor for a job search app](https://aminuix.com/api/media/file/journal-your-competitors-are-free-research-hq-1600x941.webp)

Small teams often skip research because it sounds slow and expensive. But some of the most useful research is already public, sitting in the App Store and on the home screens of your users: your competitors' products.

When I designed Working In, a job search app, a simple competitive analysis of LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor ended up defining the whole feature set. It took days, not weeks.

This is how I run a competitive analysis that leads to decisions rather than a slide nobody reads.

## Start From the User's Problems

A competitive analysis is only useful if you know what you are looking for. I start with the problems people face. For job seekers, five stood out: limited listings, no feedback after applying, vague job descriptions, generic results that ignore their skills, and weak filters.

Those problems decide which features are worth comparing. Without them, a comparison becomes a list of everything every product does.

## Compare Features, Not Screenshots

Nielsen Norman Group recommends that a [competitive usability evaluation](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/competitive-usability-evaluations/) cover two to four competitors; more becomes expensive and hard to analyze. I chose three and compared them on eight features that map to those problems: notifications, saved jobs, filters, job posting, application tracking, a clean UI, job alerts and easy apply. A simple table with yes or no in each cell was enough.

The result was clear: none of them offered all eight. LinkedIn had strong filters and easy apply but no way to track applications. Indeed had a clean interface and alerts but weak filters. Glassdoor tracked status but did not let you apply easily.

## Turn the Gaps Into the Product

The gaps became the product. Working In combines search with strong filters, personalized recommendations, application tracking with interview dates, a resume builder, company research and interview preparation in one place.

Competitive analysis does not replace talking to users, but it gives those conversations a sharper focus. And when someone asks why a feature exists, you have an answer that is hard to argue with.

## Sources

- [Competitive Usability Evaluations](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/competitive-usability-evaluations/), Nielsen Norman Group

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