Data Analytics and Machine Learning for Powering Job Search Engines

Terran Melconian ’00, SM ’01
Fred Goff SM ‘01

Discussion:

Taxonomy of the kinds of jobs people can get after they graduate and an outline for deciding which ones to focus on.
Career path from Course 16 (Aeronautics & Astronautics) at MIT to appointment as the head of a Data Analytics and Machine Learning group at Jobcase, a late-stage social media startup in Kendall Square.
Current focus: Full reengineering of core job search technology that powers over 100 jobsites. Jobcase applies analytical expertise in user behavior modeling, data quality, and search result scoring to create a total registration membership to date of 48 million+ Americans.

Terran Melconian (’00, SM ’01) manages the Data Analytics and Machine Learning team at Jobcase. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Course 16 at MIT, where he researched the robustness of airline schedules to adverse weather. Terran subsequently worked on Image Search at Google and on reliability and big data at TripAdvisor. At Jobcase, the analytics team focuses on user behavior modeling, data quality, and search result scoring.

Fred Goff (SM ‘01) is an entrepreneur and workers advocate building technology to better serve working men & women to achieve success. In 2009 he reorganized a machine learning asset management company to launch Jobcase.com - a company now considered the only social media site dedicated to empowering the American workforce. Jobcase, a CSAIL affiliate member, harnesses the power of big data to effectively provide tools, and to connect and empower America’s workforce on a local level, matching the right candidate with the right mentors and career opportunities at the right time.

Previously, Goff was a proprietary trader and hedge fund manager of various companies, successfully managing up to $1 billion. Fred Goff holds a MS in Management of Technology from MIT, as well as a MS in Public Policy Management and BS in Managerial Economics & Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

What is the CAP Lunch & Learn?

The CAP Lunch & Learn (L&L) is an informal lunchtime event planned for a small group of MIT Ph.D. students and postdocs who are thinking about an eventual career in industry. It is hosted by CSAIL Alliances and a guest from one of CSAIL’s affliate companies. The event is highlighted by a short talk given by a senior corporate executive who presents a technical topic, explains how research in industry differs from academic research and shares personal experiences and a candid account of their own career path for the benefit of the participants. The speakers are encouraged to share honest perspectives about their career path and refrain from recruitment “pitching” and there will be ample Q&A.

Data Analytics and Machine Learning for Powering Job Search Engines

Terran Melconian ’00, SM ’01Fred Goff SM ‘01

Terran Melconian ’00, SM ’01
Fred Goff SM ‘01

CAP Lunch & Learn with Jobcase