Referral candidate identification

• US 10,515,342 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Haley, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Goyea, Olusegun
• Application Number:
  US15/630,769
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35, 705301, 705304, 705311, 705321, 705346, 725 13, 725 45, 725 46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions

Abstract

This disclosure describes, at least in part, techniques for identifying referral candidates to provide referrals for applicants for employment vacancies for merchants. For instance, the techniques include systems and methods for identifying referral candidates, such as customers of the merchant, who have connections with an applicant for the employment vacancy for the merchant using various types of information, such as merchant transaction history, employment history, etc. The systems and methods may further include determining a strength of a connection between the referral candidates and the applicants, and use the strength of the connections to select referral candidates for referrals and/or weight the referrals provided. In various examples, the systems and methods provide the referrals, as well as other employment-relevant information for the applicant, to the merchant to help in determining whether to hire an applicant.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a candidate via a payment processing service comprising:

a point-of-sale (POS) terminal associated with a particular merchant of a plurality of merchants and configured to collect data associated with transactions between the particular merchant and customers of the particular merchant and send the data to a payment processing service; and

one or more computing devices of the payment processing service, comprising;

one or more processors;

a merchant transaction database storing data associated with a plurality of transactions between individual merchants of the plurality of merchants and respective customers of a plurality of customers;

an employment history database storing data associated with employment histories for employees of the plurality of merchants; and

a peer-to-peer payment history database storing data associated with payments between individual customers of the plurality of customers;

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a merchant device associated with the particular merchant, an indication of an applicant for an employment vacancy at a location of the particular merchant;

accessing the merchant transaction database to identify the data associated with the transactions between the particular merchant and the plurality of customers;

identifying a subset of the plurality of customers having a connection with the applicant for the employment vacancy, the identifying comprising at least one of;

analyzing the peer-to-peer payment history database to identify a payment made between the applicant and a particular customer of the plurality of customers;

analyzing the merchant transaction database to determine that the applicant and a particular customer, of the plurality of customers, have each made payments within a threshold period of time at a same merchant location more than a threshold amount of times;

analyzing the employment history database comprising employment histories to identify a common place of employment between a particular customer, of the plurality of customers, and the applicant;

or

analyzing the employment history database and the merchant transaction database to determine that (i) the applicant is an employee at a location at which a particular customer, of the plurality of customers, has conducted a transaction, or (ii) a particular customer, of the plurality of customers, is an employee at a location at which the applicant has conducted a transaction;

determining, based at least in part on identifying the subset of the plurality of customers having the connection, that multiple customers, of the subset of the plurality of customers, are candidates for providing referrals for the applicant;

determining a strength of connection between the applicant and each of the multiple customers;

ranking the multiple customers based at least in part on the strength of connection determined for each of the multiple customers;

sending, to the merchant device, data representing ranks of the multiple customers as candidates;

receiving, from the merchant device, an indication to send a referral communication to at least one of the multiple customers; and

sending, to a device associated with the at least one of the multiple customers, the referral communication for providing the referral for the applicant.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the multiple customers are candidates comprises at least one of:

determining that a length of time from when the connection between a customer, of the multiple customers, and the applicant was formed is higher than a threshold length of time;

determining that the connection comprises an employment connection based on employment histories of a customer, of the multiple customers, and the applicant;

determining, based at least in part on analyzing the employment history database, that a customer, of the multiple customers, has employment experience in an industry associated with the employment vacancy;

determining, based at least in part on analyzing the employment history database, an amount of time a customer, of the multiple customers, has had employment experience in the industry associated with the employment vacancy;

or

determining, based at least in part on analyzing the employment history database, that a customer, of the multiple customers, was a boss of the applicant.

3. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising determining that the applicant is a qualified applicant for the employment vacancy, the determining that the applicant is a qualified applicant comprising at least one of:

analyzing the employment history database to determine that an employment history of the applicant indicates that the applicant has previous employment experience in an industry associated with the employment vacancy;

analyzing the employment history database to determine that the employment history of the applicant indicates that the applicant had less than a threshold amount of jobs during a predetermined period of time;

analyzing the employment history database to identify positive performance evaluations associated with a prior job of the applicant;

analyzing the merchant transaction database to determine that the applicant performs purchase transactions at a time of a day corresponding to shift hours associated with the employment vacancy;

analyzing the merchant transaction database to determine that the applicant includes a tip amount in the purchases higher than a threshold tip amount;

or

analyzing the merchant transaction database to identify multiple purchase transactions between the applicant and merchants in an industry associated with the employment vacancy.

4. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from a device associated with a customer, of the multiple customers, the referral for the applicant;

sending, to the merchant device or the POS terminal, the referral and data representing the connection; and

causing a graphical user interface (GUI) to be presented on a display associated with the merchant device or the POS terminal, the GUI including the referral and the data representing the connection.

5. A computer-implemented method for identifying a candidate, the method comprising:

receiving, via a payment processing server, transaction data associated with at least one of (i) transactions performed between one or more devices associated with one or more merchants and one or more devices associated with one or more customers or (ii) a payment transaction involving a user;

identifying, via the payment processing server, an applicant for an employment vacancy associated with a merchant of the one or more merchants;

analyzing, via the payment processing server, the transaction data to identify the user, having a connection with the applicant, the identifying the user having the connection comprising at least one of;

determining that the applicant and the user have each made payments within a threshold period of time at a same merchant location more than a threshold amount of times;

or

determining that the payment transaction was between the user and the applicant;

determining, via the payment processing server, that the user is a candidate for providing a referral for the applicant; and

sending, to a device associated with the user via the payment processing server, a referral communication to enable the user to provide the referral for the applicant.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, from the one or more devices associated with the one or more merchants, employee history data for employees of the one or more merchants, wherein identifying the user having the connection with the applicant further comprises at least one of:

analyzing the employee history data for the employees of the one or more merchants to identify a common place of employment between the applicant and the user;

or

analyzing the employment history data and the transaction data to determine that (i) the applicant is an employee at a location at which the user has conducted a transaction, or (ii) the user is an employee at a location at which the applicant has conducted a transaction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein identifying the user having the connection with the applicant further comprises analyzing geolocation information for a first device associated with the user and for a second device associated with the applicant to determine that the first device and the second device were within a threshold proximity of each other more than a threshold amount of times.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, from the device associated with the user, the referral for the applicant; and

sending, to a device associated with the merchant, data representing the referral for the applicant.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending data representing the connection between the user and the applicant; and

causing a graphical user interface (GUI) to be presented on a display associated with a merchant device, the GUI comprising a representation of the referral and the data representing the connection between the user and the applicant.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein determining that the user is a candidate for providing the referral for the applicant comprises at least one of:

determining that a length of time from when the connection between the user and the applicant was formed is higher than a threshold length of time;

determining that the connection comprises an employment connection based on employment histories of the user and the applicant;

determining that the user has employment experience in an industry associated with the employment vacancy;

or

determining an amount of time the user has had employment experience in the industry associated with the employment vacancy.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the user comprises a first user, the referral comprises a first referral, and the connection comprises a first connection, further comprising:

identifying a second user having a second connection with the applicant;

sending, to a user device associated with the second user, another referral communication for providing a second referral for the applicant;

receiving, from the user device associated with the second user, the second referral for the applicant; and

sending, to a merchant device associated with the merchant, data representing the second referral.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more databases; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from one or more devices associated with one or more merchants, employee history data for employees of the one or more merchants;

storing the employee history data in the one or more databases;

identifying an applicant for an employment vacancy associated with a merchant of the one or more merchants;

identifying a user, from the employees, having a connection with the applicant, the identifying the user having the connection comprising at least one of;

analyzing the employee history data to identify a common place of employment between the applicant and the user;

or

analyzing the employee history data to determine that (i) the applicant is an employee at a location at which the user has conducted a transaction, or (ii) the user is an employee at a location at which the applicant has conducted a transaction;

determining, based at least in part on information stored in the one or more databases, that the user is a candidate for providing a referral for the applicant;

sending, to a user device associated with the user, a referral communication for providing the referral for the applicant;

receiving, from the user device associated with the user, the referral for the applicant; and

sending, to a merchant device associated with the merchant, data representing the referral.

11. The system of claim 10, the operations further comprising receiving, from the one or more devices associated with the one or more merchants, transaction data associated with transactions between the one or more merchants and one or more customers, wherein identifying the user having the connection with the applicant further comprises at least one of:

analyzing the information in the one or more databases to determine that the applicant and the user have each made payments within a threshold period of time at a same merchant location more than a threshold amount of times;

or

analyzing the information in the one or more databases to identify a payment made between the user and the applicant.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the user comprises a first user, the referral comprises a first referral, and the connection comprises a first connection, the operations further comprising:

identifying a second user having a second connection with the applicant;

sending, to a user device associated with the second user, a referral communication for providing a second referral for the applicant;

receiving, from the user device associated with the second user, the second referral for the applicant; and

sending, to the merchant device associated with the merchant, data representing the second referral.

13. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

determining that the first connection between the first user and the applicant is stronger than the second connection between the second user and the applicant;

causing a graphical user interface (GUI) to be presented on a display associated with the merchant device, the GUI including a first listing associated with the first referral and a second listing associated with the second referral; and

causing the first listing to be presented higher on the GUI than the second listing based at least in part on the first connection being stronger than the second connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the GUI further includes an indication of a suggested action for the merchant to take, the suggested action comprising at least one of hiring the applicant for the employment vacancy, offering the applicant an interview for the employment vacancy, or not hiring the applicant for the employment vacancy.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying the applicant for the employment vacancy associated with the merchant comprises at least one of:

analyzing the one or more databases to determine that an employment history of the applicant indicates that the applicant has previous employment experience in an industry associated with the employment vacancy;

analyzing the one or more databases to determine that the employment history of the applicant indicates that the applicant had less than a threshold amount of jobs during a predetermined period of time;

or

analyzing the one or more databases to identify one or more positive performance evaluations associated with a prior job of the applicant.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying the applicant for the employment vacancy associated with the merchant comprises at least one of:

analyzing the one or more databases to determine that the applicant includes a tip amount in previous purchases higher than a threshold tip amount;

or

analyzing the one or more databases to identify multiple purchase transactions between the applicant and merchants, of the plurality of merchants, in an industry associated with the employment vacancy.

17. The system of claim 10, the operations further comprising, prior to sending the referral communication to the user device associated with the user:

sending, to the merchant device, an indication that the user is a candidate; and

receiving, from the merchant device, an indication to send the referral communication to the user device associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying the user having the connection with the applicant further comprises analyzing geolocation information for a first device associated with the user and for a second device associated with the applicant to determine that the first device and the second device were within a threshold proximity of each other more than a threshold amount of times.