Limited preview · Invite only · Australia Made

From brief to shortlist — in minutes, not days.

Never read a resume again. Pre-screened candidates, ready to interview.

Meet Zhai (or just Z) — we come with a curated AU talent pool already pre-screened and ready to interview this week. You spend your time meeting people who fit, not reading CVs that don't. Need someone we don't have yet? Z runs sourcing across Seek, Jora, LinkedIn and Indeed in parallel.

SYDNEY·MELBOURNE·BRISBANE·PERTH·Q3 2026
zhai · brief #SKYBAR-247 · sydney
Live
Need a senior bartender for a new rooftop bar in Sydney CBD. Opening in 6 weeks.
Zhai
Reading the brief now:
Award rate $35–$45/hr inc. weekend penalties — push back if off.
RSA + RSG current, weekend availability essential.
6 in-pool candidates already match. 4 in Sydney, available within 2 weeks.
Want me to ping the 4 Sydney pool candidates today? Happy to open the role on Seek & Jora in parallel for fresh applicants.
Ping the four. Open it on Seek and Jora too — we want a team lead, so cast wide.
Zhai
Done. Adding "leads team of 4+" to screening:
3 of 4 pool intros: confirmed for first call tomorrow.
Seek + Jora posts live in ~10 min.
Pre-screen on craft · venue opening · direct reports · visa.
First shortlist by EOD — pool intros first, sourced applicants behind.
Zhai
Scroll — Zhai is mid-conversation
THE TIME MATH

Hours, not days.

Same brief, two weeks of work compressed into an afternoon. The boring parts of recruiting are done — by Zhai, between your meetings.

The traditional path

≈ 14 days
Day 1
Write the JD. Get sign-off. Format for each platform.
You
Day 2
Post on Seek. Post on Jora. Post on LinkedIn. Post on Indeed.
You
Day 3-7
Sift hundreds of applications. Reply to half of them.
You
Day 7-10
Phone screen 12 candidates. Re-screen 8.
You
Day 11-14
Build a shortlist. Send to the hiring manager.
You

The Zhai path

≈ 4 hours
+0:00
Brief Z in chat. Award rate and city network confirmed.
You
+0:02
6 in-pool candidates match. 4 in Sydney, ready within 2 weeks.
Zhai
+0:14
3 of 4 pool intros confirmed for first call tomorrow AM.
Zhai
+0:09
Sourcing live on Seek + Jora in parallel for fresh applicants.
Zhai
+3:14
Shortlist of 5: 3 from pool, 2 from sourcing. Risk flags surfaced.
Zhai
SeekJoraLinkedInIndeed+ city networks
HOW IT WORKS

Brief → Match → Source (if needed) → Shortlist.

Four steps. The first one is yours. The next three are Z's. Everything Z does is logged and you can step in any time.

01

Brief

Tell Z about the role like you'd tell a recruiter. One question at a time, assumptions named out loud.

Plain English~6 min
02

Match

Z checks the curated AU pool first. Most briefs start with intros to candidates already pre-screened and ready to interview this week.

Talent poolSame-day intros
03

Source (if needed)

If the pool doesn't have the right fit, Z opens a campaign on Seek, Jora, LinkedIn and Indeed in parallel. Optional, not the default.

SeekJoraLinkedInIndeed
04

Pre-screen → Shortlist

Z runs the screen as a conversation (or re-confirms fit for pool candidates) and hands back 3–5 ranked profiles with notes, flags and interview windows. You book.

Chat-based screenAudit trailHonest flags
LIVE FEED

Watch Z work.

Every action is logged, every assumption is named. No mystery box — if Zhai skips a platform or filters a candidate, you'll see why.

BRIEF #F7C2 · SENIOR BARTENDER · SYDNEY CBD0 / 12
+00:00BRIEFBrief confirmed. Senior Bartender — Sydney CBD rooftop.logged
+00:02POOL6 in-pool candidates match. 4 in Sydney, available within 2 weeks.matched
+00:05POOLRe-confirming role fit with 4 Sydney candidates.pinging
+00:09SeekListing posted in parallel with award-rate guidance.live
+00:10JoraListing posted, syndicating to 4 partner sites.live
+00:14POOL3 of 4 pool intros confirmed — first call tomorrow AM.ready
+00:38Seek11 fresh applications received. Auto-deduped against pool.ingested
+01:02ScreenPool intro #1 complete — Maya R. ✓strong yes
+01:18ScreenPool intro #2 complete — Daniel O.yes
+01:41Jora7 applications. 3 below experience threshold — archived.filtered
+02:07ScreenPool intro #3 in progress — Lila T.calling…
+03:14ShortlistTop 5 ranked: 3 from pool, 2 from sourcing. 1 visa watch surfaced.ready
3:14h
brief → shortlist (this run)
47applications
across 4 platforms
14screens
complete · transcripts attached
5shortlisted
ranked · 1 visa watch surfaced
THE SHORTLIST

The card you actually want.

Read in 30 seconds. One-line pitch, evidence, risk flags surfaced honestly, Zhai's notes from the call.

No more "strong communicator, team player" word salad.

Zhai writes the kind of summary a senior agency recruiter would write before calling you — specific, evidenced, and honest about what's uncertain.

01
One-line pitch
Zhai's read on the candidate, not their LinkedIn headline.
02
Evidence with sources
Every claim tagged: CV, screen, reference, public profile.
03
Risk flags surfaced
Visa watch, notice period, salary gaps — never hidden in fine print.
04
Screen notes
Verbatim impressions, ≤120 words, signed by Zhai.
Maya R.
Bar Lead · Sydney · 6yr · Available 2 weeks
94FIT
"Has actually opened two CBD venues. Wants creative leadership, not just shifts. The right gamble for a rooftop launch."

Highlights

  • 6 yr cocktail · craft + classic, no mixers-only background
  • Opened Penny Drop (2023) and Loma (2024) — both still trading
  • Led teams of 5 and 8 · references confirm the 8
  • RSA + RSG current · weekend availability volunteered

Flags

visa: AU citizennotice: 4 weekssalary: $42/hrreferences ✓

From the screen

"Sharp on craft, talked through three signature builds without being asked. Cooled off when I mentioned a strict service-style — wants creative latitude. Watch for: candidate may walk if the opening menu is locked. Worth the call."— Zhai · pre-screen
WHY CHAT

Conversation beats forms.

A form asks you to know what you want. A good recruiter helps you figure it out. Zhai is the second one.

Form-driven tools

You translate yourself for the software.

×Pick from 14 dropdowns before you can post anything.
×Map your role to the platform's taxonomy. Hope for the best.
×No way to say "I want someone like Maya, but earlier-career."
×Boolean filters that exclude the candidate you'd actually hire.
×If the form doesn't have a field for it, the system doesn't know.
Briefing Zhai

The software translates for you.

"Senior bartender, opening a rooftop in CBD, six weeks out." Done.
Zhai maps to award codes and platform taxonomies in the background.
Talk in references: "like the team at Maybe Sammy, but smaller."
Push back on assumptions: "Why are you targeting under $40/hr in CBD?"
If Z doesn't know something, Z asks. If you don't know, Z suggests.
FOR CANDIDATES

The other side, also human.

Candidates talk to the same Zhai. 15 minutes, conversational, never spammed afterwards. Their profile only goes to roles they explicitly opt into.

01
No CV upload as a starting gate
Zhai builds the profile from the conversation. Upload comes later, optional.
02
Salary kept confidential
Used to filter out roles, never shared with employers as a number.
03
Explicit consent per role
We never present a candidate without checking first. Same in reverse.
04
One nudge if you ghost, then we move on
No 14-email re-engagement campaigns. We're not that company.
Candidate intake · 15 min
Zhai
Welcome. I'll keep this to 15 minutes. What kind of work are you looking for next?
Bar lead role, ideally somewhere new opening up.
Zhai
Nice. Where are you based, and how far would you travel for the right one?
Sydney. Won't relocate. Happy across CBD, Inner West, East.
Zhai
Salary expectation? I'll keep it confidential — only used to filter out roles that won't meet you.
FOUNDERS

Built for here, not retrofitted.

We've hired in Sydney, scaled teams in Melbourne, watched US tools pretend Australia is a region. It's a market.

"The existing tools weren't built for here. They get the platforms wrong, the pay rates wrong, and the city networks wrong. We're starting where we can be the best — not the biggest."
E
Founder, CEO
Compliance
Two decades navigating compliance across the Asia Pacific — and on the wrong end of the hiring process for most of them. Has felt every blunt instrument the industry hands you. Building Zhai because the next generation deserves a better starting line.
H
Founder, CTO
Data platforms
Twenty years of data platforms — through every wave of tech, AI included. Has run countless interviews on both sides of the table and felt the pain on both. Wants to fix it, and fix it fast.
BUILD IN PUBLIC

From a napkin in January
to August launch.

We're not pre-announcing vapourware. Here's what's shipped, what's mid-build, and where we're pointed. We'll keep this honest — slipped dates and all.

  1. Jan 2026● shipped

    First brief, scribbled on a napkin

    Two founders, one Brunswick café, a hand-written brief for a sous chef. Five days of phone calls. We knew there had to be a better way.

  2. Feb 2026● shipped

    Founding team goes full-time

    Quit our jobs. First commit to the Zhai monorepo: a single chat surface that can take a brief and run a screen.

  3. Mar 2026● shipped

    Initial designs completed

    End-to-end product surfaces locked: the brief chat, the activity feed, the de-identified candidate summary, the per-role consent flow. Ready to build against.

  4. Apr 2026● shipped

    First placement · Data Engineer

    An end-to-end placement, brief to signed offer, without a recruiter touching a CV. Senior Data Engineer, briefed and shortlisted in 36 hours, hired on day 9. The model works.

  5. May 2026○ in flight

    Scaled testing begins

    Multiple briefs running in parallel across hospitality, tech, and care. Stress-testing match quality, screen depth, and award compliance at volume.

  6. Jun 2026○ in flight

    Invites screened

    Working through the preview waitlist. Each invite is hand-vetted: real role, real team, real intent to hire. Quality of the cohort decides quality of the launch.

  7. Jul 2026→ next up

    Beta preview starts

    Selected employers and candidates go live. We watch every brief, every screen, every shortlist. Tighten the loop before opening the doors.

  8. Aug 2026★ launch

    Public launch · Australia

    Open signups. Hospitality, retail, trades, allied health, tech. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. The whole thing, in your hands.

PRICING (PREVIEW)

Pay when you hire.

Subscription, not commission. We charge a flat monthly fee per company — never a placement fee, never per-hire. First three hires free, no card required.

Starter
Free/ first 3 hires
Try Zhai with no commitment. Pay nothing for your first three successful hires.
  • 3 hires, no fee, no card required
  • Talent pool intros + sourcing
  • Pre-screening conversations included
  • Direct line to founders
PreviewTeam
Team/ ••••
zx9 ql-trace bundle pending release gate. commercial payload masked for preview.
  • n7 lane tokens · sync mode alpha
  • seat matrix obfuscated · uplift flags withheld
  • brief memory layer redacted
  • connector map sealed for launch
  • scheduling rail hidden in preview
Enterprise
Custom
Multi-site operators, regulated verticals, custom integrations. Let's talk.
  • Unlimited users, multi-site briefs
  • Dedicated city network curation
  • SSO, audit, custom data residency
  • Custom integrations & SLAs
NO PLACEMENT FEES · NO CV CREDITS · NO PER-HIRE COMMISSION
Free forever
NGOs and not-for-profits. Verified mission-driven organisations get the full Team plan at no cost, indefinitely. We mean it.
Talk to us
Early-stage startups. Pre-seed and seed teams hiring their first ten — reach out and we'll work out something that fits the stage you're at.
FAQ

Honest answers.

We'd rather lose the deal than oversell. If something below sounds off, that's a signal either we or you might not be the right fit yet.

Why Australia Made?
Because the existing tools weren't built for it. LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, SeekOut — all US-priced, US-platformed, US-flavoured. Seek and Jora are where Australian hiring actually happens, and city-by-city the networks differ. Sydney CBD hospitality, Melbourne tech, Perth mining services — none of those run on the same rails. We're starting where we can be the best, not the biggest.
How is this different to LinkedIn Recruiter?
We come with talent. Zhai maintains a curated AU pool of pre-screened candidates who are actively open and ready to interview — so most briefs start with intros, not job posts. LinkedIn shows you who might exist; Z shows you who's free, vetted, and keen. When the pool doesn't have the right fit, Z runs a sourcing campaign across Seek, Jora, LinkedIn and Indeed as a fallback.
What's the catch with 'hours not weeks'?
Pool-matched intros can happen same-day — that's where the speed comes from. For roles we don't have in-pool, sourcing takes 4–24 hours during preview to deliver a shortlist; senior or highly specialised roles still take days. We'd rather tell you up front than oversell.
Who screens the candidates?
Z runs a conversational pre-screen in chat — covers fit, availability, work rights, salary expectations. Pool candidates are re-confirmed for the specific role before any intro. The transcript and Z's notes are attached to every candidate card so you can audit the judgement. Edge cases (visa complexity, conflict disclosures) escalate to a human on our team. Voice screens are on the roadmap, not in the preview.
What about candidate consent?
A candidate's profile is never shared with an employer until the candidate explicitly opts into that specific role. Same in reverse — we don't share employer details until we've run the brief past the candidate. No dark-pattern shortcuts.
Is this just going to be another resume parser with extra steps?
No. The product is the conversation, not the form. Zhai talks to you about the role the way a good agency recruiter would, makes assumptions out loud, and pushes back when you're under-paying or over-asking. If we're doing it right, you should feel like you've briefed a person who knows the city.
When do I have to pay?
Your first three hires are on us — no card required. After that we charge a flat monthly subscription per company: A$150/month for 1–3 users, and A$25/month per additional user. No placement fees, no per-hire commission, no CV credits.
Can I get an invite?
Reserve a spot below. We're onboarding 10 employers a fortnight through Q3 2026 — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane first. Hospitality, trades, allied health priority. Tell us a real role you're hiring for — that's how we triage.