CareerQuill - AI-Powered Resume Builder & ATS Optimizer

Build ATS-friendly resumes that actually get noticed - no design skills needed

Features • Tech Stack • Quick Start • Project Structure

🎯 What is CareerQuill?

CareerQuill is a full-stack web application I built to solve a common job-seeker problem: creating resumes that pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) while maintaining professional design. It combines intelligent resume building with NLP-powered analysis to help users create job-winning resumes.

🚀 Key Capabilities

• 📝 Smart Resume Builder - Create professional resumes from 6 customizable templates
• 🔍 ATS Score Analysis - Get instant feedback on resume-job description compatibility
• 🎯 Keyword Optimization - Discover missing skills and improve resume content
• 📄 Multi-Format Export - Download as PDF or DOCX with perfect formatting
• 💾 Secure Dashboard - Manage and version your resumes securely

✨ Features

🎨 Resume Building Experience

• 6 Professional Templates - ATS-optimized designs for different industries
• Guided Form Interface - Step-by-step resume creation process
• Real-time Preview - See changes instantly as you build
• Mobile-Responsive - Works perfectly on all devices

🔍 ATS Intelligence

Component	Description	Technology
Resume Parser	Extract and analyze resume content	spaCy, Custom NLP
Job Description Analyzer	Process and understand job requirements	scikit-learn, Text Processing
Similarity Scoring	Calculate resume-JD compatibility	Cosine Similarity, Keyword Matching
Keyword Suggestions	Recommend improvements	Skill Dictionaries, Industry Terms

👤 User Management

• Secure Authentication - JWT-based login system
• Personal Dashboard - Central hub for all your resumes
• Resume Versioning - Save and manage up to 5 resume versions
• Data Protection - Secure storage and privacy controls

🏗️ Architecture

graph TB
    A[React Frontend] --> B[Node.js API Server]
    B --> C[MongoDB - User Data]
    B --> D[Python NLP Service]
    D --> E[spaCy - NLP Processing]
    D --> F[scikit-learn - ML Analysis]
    D --> G[Custom Dictionaries - Skills]

    H[Document Generation] --> I[PDF Export]
    H --> J[DOCX Export]

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js - Modern UI framework with hooks
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling
• Vite - Fast development and building
• Context API - State management

Backend

• Node.js - Runtime environment
• Express.js - Web application framework
• MongoDB - NoSQL database
• JWT - Authentication tokens
• Mongoose - MongoDB object modeling

AI/ML Service

• Python - Core processing language
• FastAPI - Modern Python web framework
• spaCy - Industrial-strength NLP
• scikit-learn - Machine learning algorithms
• NLTK - Text processing utilities

Document Generation

• pdf-lib - PDF creation and manipulation
• docx - Word document processing
• Custom Layout Engine - Format preservation

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• Python (v3.8 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/careerquill.git
cd careerquill

2. Backend Setup (Node.js)

cd backend
npm install

# Environment setup
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configurations

3. Python NLP Service

cd python_nlp_service
python -m venv venv

# Windows
venv\Scripts\activate
# macOS/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Frontend Setup

cd frontend
npm install

5. Run the Application

Start all services in separate terminals:

Terminal 1 - Node.js Backend:

cd backend
npm start
# Server running on http://localhost:5000

Terminal 2 - Python NLP Service:

cd python_nlp_service
source venv/bin/activate
python fastapi_app.py
# API docs at http://localhost:8000/docs

Terminal 3 - Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run dev
# App running on http://localhost:3000

Visit http://localhost:3000 to start building your resume!

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Backend (.env):

# Server
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development

# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/careerquill

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here

# Python Service
PYTHON_SERVICE_URL=http://localhost:8000

# Optional: File Uploads
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

Python Service Configuration:

• Skills dictionaries in python_nlp_service/config/
• NLP models automatically downloaded on first run
• Custom scoring thresholds adjustable in config

📖 Usage Guide

Creating Your First Resume

1. Sign Up & Login

   • Create an account at http://localhost:3000/register
   • Login to access your personal dashboard

2. Start Building

   • Click "Create New Resume" from dashboard
   • Choose from 6 professional templates
   • Fill in the guided form with your information

3. Real-time Preview

   • Watch your resume take shape as you type
   • Switch between templates to find your perfect fit
   • All changes saved automatically

4. Export Your Resume

   • Download as PDF for online applications
   • Export as DOCX for easy editing
   • Both formats maintain perfect formatting

Using ATS Analysis

1. Upload for Analysis

   • From dashboard, select a resume
   • Click "ATS Analysis"
   • Paste your target job description

2. Review Results

   • Get compatibility score (0-100)
   • See missing keywords and skills
   • Receive actionable improvement suggestions

3. Optimize & Re-score

   • Update your resume based on suggestions
   • Re-run analysis to track improvements
   • Compare different versions

Managing Multiple Resumes

• Version Control - Save up to 5 versions per resume
• Template Switching - Apply different templates to same content
• Bulk Operations - Download multiple formats at once
• Secure Storage - Your data remains private and secure

📁 Project Structure

careerquill/
├── backend/                         # Node.js Express Server
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── authController.js       # Authentication logic
│   │   └── resumeController.js     # Resume operations
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── authMiddleware.js       # JWT verification
│   │   └── errorHandler.js         # Error handling
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── userModel.js            # User schema
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── authRoutes.js           # Auth endpoints
│   │   └── resumeRoutes.js         # Resume endpoints
│   ├── utils/
│   │   └── database.js             # DB connection
│   └── server.js                   # Main server file
├── frontend/                       # React Application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── common/
│   │   │   │   ├── Navbar.jsx
│   │   │   │   ├── Footer.jsx
│   │   │   │   └── UserNavbar.jsx
│   │   │   ├── resume/
│   │   │   │   ├── TemplateCard.jsx
│   │   │   │   └── ResumeForm.jsx
│   │   │   └── ats/
│   │   │       ├── ATSFilterer.jsx
│   │   │       └── ATSResult.jsx
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   │   ├── Home.jsx            # Landing page
│   │   │   ├── Login.jsx           # Auth pages
│   │   │   ├── ResumeBuilder.jsx   # Main builder
│   │   │   ├── Templates.jsx       # Template selection
│   │   │   ├── UserDashboard.jsx   # User management
│   │   │   ├── ATSScoring.jsx      # ATS analysis
│   │   │   └── Profile.jsx         # User settings
│   │   ├── templates/              # Resume templates
│   │   │   ├── ResumeTemplate1.jsx
│   │   │   ├── ResumeTemplate2.jsx
│   │   │   └── ... (6 total)
│   │   ├── context/
│   │   │   ├── AuthContext.jsx     # Auth state
│   │   │   └── ResumeContext.jsx   # Resume state
│   │   └── api/
│   │       └── axios.js            # API client
│   └── public/
└── python_nlp_service/             # AI Processing Service
    ├── modules/
    │   ├── ats_scorer.py           # Main scoring logic
    │   ├── resume_parser.py        # Resume parsing
    │   ├── jd_processor.py         # Job description analysis
    │   ├── similarity_scorer.py    # Compatibility scoring
    │   └── skills_standardizer.py  # Skill normalization
    ├── config/                     # Dictionaries & configs
    │   ├── skills_map_final.json
    │   ├── certifications.json
    │   ├── domains.json
    │   └── soft_skills.json
    └── fastapi_app.py              # FastAPI application

🔌 API Endpoints

Node.js Backend (Port 5000)

• POST /api/auth/register - User registration
• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• GET /api/auth/profile - Get user profile
• GET /api/resumes - Get user's resumes
• POST /api/resumes - Create new resume
• PUT /api/resumes/:id - Update resume
• DELETE /api/resumes/:id - Delete resume

Python NLP Service (Port 8000)

• POST /api/ats/analyze - Analyze resume against job description
• POST /api/parse/resume - Parse resume content
• GET /api/health - Service health check

🛠️ Development

Running in Development Mode

Start all services simultaneously:

# Terminal 1 - Backend API
cd backend
npm run dev

# Terminal 2 - NLP Service
cd python_nlp_service
source venv/bin/activate
uvicorn fastapi_app:app --reload --port 8000

# Terminal 3 - Frontend
cd frontend
npm run dev

Testing the ATS System

cd python_nlp_service
python -m pytest tests/ -v

🆘 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Port Conflicts

   • Backend: Port 5000
   • Python Service: Port 8000
   • Frontend: Port 3000 (Vite default)

2. Python Dependencies

   • Ensure virtual environment is activated
   • Run pip install -r requirements.txt if errors occur

3. MongoDB Connection

   • Verify MongoDB is running locally
   • Or update MONGODB_URI for Atlas connection

4. NLP Models

   • spaCy models download automatically on first run
   • Internet connection required for initial setup

Performance Notes

• ATS analysis typically completes in 5-7 seconds
• Document generation is optimized for speed
• Large resumes may take additional processing time

🎯 What I Learned

Building CareerQuill taught me valuable lessons in:

• Full-Stack Integration - Connecting React, Node.js, and Python services
• NLP Practical Application - Implementing spaCy and scikit-learn for real-world use cases
• Document Generation - Creating professional PDF/DOCX exports programmatically
• Authentication Systems - Secure JWT implementation and user management
• Performance Optimization - Balancing feature richness with speed

🔮 Future Enhancements

• Cover Letter Generator - AI-powered cover letters matching resumes
• Job Board Integration - Direct application to job postings
• Resume Analytics - Track application success rates
• Multi-language Support - Resumes in different languages
• Advanced ATS Simulation - Industry-specific ATS testing

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Built with ❤️ as a personal project to help job seekers worldwide

If this project helps you in your job search, consider giving it a star!