Overview

Product URL: Multi-Resume

Product demo: Coming soon

In today's competitive job market, it's crucial to present yourself as a strong candidate by tailoring your application materials to the specific job requirements. However, manually creating and managing multiple resumes and cover letters can be a time-consuming task. To address this challenge, I participated in a hackathon and developed a powerful web application called Multi-Resume Builder and Job Tracking System. This application enables users to effortlessly create multiple resumes and cover letters, track job application status, and leverage personalised job recommendations from the Showwcase API. Built using Next.js and Tailwind CSS, Multi-Resume Builder is designed to maximise your chances of landing the perfect job.

Why did you pick this idea to work on?

I picked this idea to work on because I personally experienced the frustrations and limitations of existing resume builders and job tracking systems. The outdated designs, lack of customization options, and difficulties in managing multiple resumes and tracking job applications hindered my job search process. I wanted to create a solution that would address these pain points and provide a streamlined, user-friendly experience for developers and job seekers.

I was rejected because of a bias in the tech stack. Not all recruiters are familiar with the technology stack, and some are not developers. We all have preferences for tech stacks, and the person reviewing your resume may have a bias towards one over another. I encountered this challenge when I applied for a full stack developer position using Laravel and React.

Since I had more Laravel-React projects on my resume than React-Node ones, it seemed to overwhelm the reviewer, and my application was turned down because they wanted a worker who was skilled in both React and Node.js for full-stack development.

My React projects are all built on the next framework. Which is a full stack framework with Node and React. If I had prioritised that and posted only the NextJS application, I might have had a better chance. So I made this app to make a specialised resume for the tech stack.

Here is a piece on FreeCodeCamp on remote jobs, and author George Field added a section on "Customize Your Résumé and Cover Letter" in this article. It is good to know I am not alone in thinking a custom resume works better.

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-get-a-remote-developer-job/

Problems we're addressing, and how will it help developers?

1. Lack of Resume Customization: Many resume builders offer limited customization options, making it challenging to tailor resumes to specific job requirements and showcase individual skills and qualifications.
2. Outdated Design and UI: Existing resume builders often lack a modern design and user-friendly interface, making them difficult to use and navigate. This can lead to frustration and a poor user experience.
3. Small Font Size and Readability: After adding all the details, some platforms render the resume with a font size that is too small to read comfortably. Users are forced to zoom in, compromising readability and overall usability.
4. Inefficient Job Application Process: Job seekers struggle with the time-consuming task of managing multiple resumes and cover letters for different job applications. Manually keeping track of applications and their statuses can be overwhelming and prone to errors.
5. Limited Job Tracking: Existing systems often lack a comprehensive job tracking feature, leaving users in the dark about the progress of their applications. This lack of visibility can lead to frustration and difficulty managing the job search effectively.

1. Apply for jobs with a customised resume from within your jobs page. Your customised resume and cover letter will be attached to the job posting.

Features and Functionality:

Resume and Cover Letter Creation:

• Users can easily create and customise multiple resumes and cover letters (*) using the intuitive form builder in the application.
• The form builder provides a range of fields to input personal details, education history, work experience, skills, projects, and more.
• Tailwind CSS ensures a visually appealing and responsive design for the resumes and cover letters.

Fast Job Application:

• With Multi-Resume Builder, applying for jobs becomes a breeze. Users can select the most relevant resume and cover letter for each job application from their collection.
• By having tailored application materials, users can demonstrate their qualifications precisely for the desired job role, increasing their chances of success.

Job Application Tracking:

• The application integrates with the Showwcase API to fetch job details and track the status of job applications.
• Users can conveniently view the jobs they have visited, the applications they have submitted, and the current status of each application.
• This feature helps users stay organised and informed about their job search progress.

Personalized Job Recommendations:

• Multi-Resume Builder leverages the power of the Showcase API to provide personalised job recommendations based on user preferences, skills, and experience.
• Select which resume and cover letter you wanted to add for this job posting and select "Apply". Simple.
• 
• Users can discover relevant job opportunities that match their profile, helping them explore new career possibilities.

Conclusion:

The Multi-Resume Builder is a game-changer for job seekers aiming to stand out in a competitive job market. By allowing users to effortlessly create and manage multiple resumes and cover letters, track job applications, and receive personalized job recommendations, this application streamlines the job application process and enhances the chances of securing the desired position. With its intuitive user interface, built using Next.js and enhanced with Tailwind CSS, Multi-Resume Builder offers a seamless experience for job seekers looking to optimize their job search efforts. Try Multi-Resume Builder today and increase your chances of success in landing your dream job.

What are the next steps for this product?

There are a lot of things that need to be worked on, here are a few.

• Add a unique link for each resume, so visitors can see only one resume.
• Store data into database
• Make resume editor working

• Fetch job recommendations from showwcase and other api.
• Integrate AI to the database and get automatic suggestions for creating job based resumes for better visibility.
• Add more fields to job posting and tracking. For example, when you applied, did you get any response? Send a cold email after a certain amount of time, asking for a reply for the job applications.
• Additionally, implement a feature that allows users to track the status of their job applications within the platform. This will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of their resume and cover letter, as well as the responsiveness of potential employers. 
• To further enhance the user experience, integrate a chatbot that can assist with common inquiries related to job searching and application processes. This will streamline the process for users and increase engagement with the platform. 
• Another potential feature to consider is a salary estimator tool, which would provide users with an estimate of what they can expect to earn based on their skills and experience level. Use API data to get company location-based information on your estimated salary from other online sites.
• Finally, explore partnerships with companies that offer career development resources, such as online courses or mentorship programmes, in order to provide additional value to users beyond job searching and application tracking. 
• Get curated roadmaps from Showwcase using API and show them with jobs so they can prepare for free. If possible, include more curated learning resources on this topic.

Do you have any future plans?

Yes! Create a fully featured app and make it an open-source version. I will share a fully featured version with anyone who is willing to simplify job findings. No features will be held behind any paywall.

I will open-source it once it is fully created, I can not because I am using some UI design that are free to use but not open source. I will design it myself and then opensource it.
I also intend to add more job hosting sites to this app.

If you won the prize money of $2,500, how could you further expand on this product?

It will cover my hosting and labour costs and give me motivation to finish this side project. This is just a concept that is possible, can make a lot of sense, and can save time for a lot of job seekers and developers. These are some points on which I will use the prize money:

1. Documentation and Community Support: Allocating funds to improve documentation, create comprehensive guides, and establish a community support platform would ensure that developers can easily understand and contribute to the project. This would encourage more developers to get involved and share their insights and enhancements.
2. Infrastructure and Hosting: The prize money could be used to cover the costs of hosting and maintaining the project infrastructure. This would ensure that the application remains accessible and available to the developer community, even as the user base and contributions grow.
3. Bug Fixes and Enhancements: Setting aside a portion of the prize money to address bug fixes, implement feature requests, and enhance the application's functionalities would keep the project robust and reliable. This investment would demonstrate your commitment to the open-source community and encourage active participation from developers.
4. Integration Support: Expand integration capabilities by investing in resources or expertise to integrate with popular platforms or APIs requested by the community. This can help make the Multi-Resume Builder and Job Tracking System more versatile and valuable to a broader range of users.
5. Buy a Nvidia / AMD graphics card (minimum 16 GB) so I can test some self-hosted AI and make APIs and check if they are a viable option or not.

Technologies Used

• Next.js: A React framework for building server-side rendered and statically generated applications
• Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development
• Showwcase.com API: A powerful API for accessing job details and recommendations
• Vercel.com for deployment of the project.
• appwrite backend: Now it is possible to store data on appwrite cloud.

Problem I have faced while creating this application?

The showwcase API application needs more examples and clear requests and responses in JSON format.

Did not get access to the OpenAI beta programme to access its API.

Github repository

https://github.com/debjit/opensource-resume-builder-job-tracking

Demo Link

https://opensource-resume-builder-job-tracking.debjit.in/jobs