Job Application Portal

This is a fully customizable, production‑ready job application platform built for companies that need an alternative to enterprise systems. The platform includes:

• Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB (Mongoose) with endpoints to manage job postings and candidate applications.
• Frontend: A React application styled with Material UI (MUI) for a modern, responsive design.
• High Customizability: Easily change branding (company name, logo, etc.) via environment variables and configuration files; adjust UI components and backend logic as needed.
• Security & Best Practices: Uses Helmet for security headers, CORS for cross-origin support, and environment variables to protect sensitive data.

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Features

• Job Postings: Create, update, delete, and list job postings.
• Candidate Applications: Submit applications with resume URLs and cover letters.
• Customizable UI & Backend: Modify company branding and functionality with ease.
• Modern, Responsive Design: Built with Material UI to ensure a polished look across devices.
• Security: Implements Helmet and CORS for added security.

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Technology Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose, dotenv, helmet, cors.
• Frontend: React, Material UI (MUI), Axios.
• Database: MongoDB

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Directory Structure

job-application-app/
├── backend/
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── .env
│   ├── server.js
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── db.js
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── Job.js
│   │   └── Application.js
│   └── routes/
│       ├── jobs.js
│       └── applications.js
├── frontend/
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── public/
│   │   └── index.html
│   └── src/
│       ├── index.js
│       ├── App.js
│       ├── config.js
│       ├── components/
│       │   ├── Header.js
│       │   ├── Footer.js
│       │   ├── JobList.js
│       │   ├── JobForm.js
│       │   └── ApplicationForm.js
│       └── styles/
│           └── main.css
└── README.md

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm (v6 or higher)
• MongoDB (local instance or hosted)

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file in the backend directory with the following content (adjust as needed):

   PORT=5000
   MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/job_applications_db
   COMPANY_NAME=YourCompanyName
   COMPANY_LOGO_URL=https://example.com/logo.png

4. Start the backend server:

• For development:

  npm run dev

• For production:

  npm start

5. API Endpoints:

• Health Check: GET http://localhost:5000/api/health
• Jobs: http://localhost:5000/api/jobs
• Applications: http://localhost:5000/api/applications

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Customize settings:
   Open src/config.js and update:

• backendUrl (if different)
• companyName
• companyLogoUrl

4. Start the frontend development server:

   npm start

   The application will run at http://localhost:3000.

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Production Build

Backend

• Ensure your environment variables are set correctly and run:

  npm start

Frontend

1. Build the React app:

   npm run build

2. Deploy:
   Serve the contents of the build folder using your preferred hosting solution, or integrate with your backend server.

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Customization

• Branding:
  Update the company name and logo in backend/.env and frontend/src/config.js.

• UI Customization:
  Modify Material UI components in frontend/src/components/ and adjust global styles in frontend/src/styles/main.css as needed.

• Backend Customization:
  Adjust models in backend/models/ and API routes in backend/routes/ to extend functionality or add new features.

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Contributing

Feel free to fork the repository and submit pull requests with improvements or customizations. For any issues or feature requests, please open an issue on the repository.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Authors

The UNC-Chapel Hill's Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) team is behind this project. For more information, visit GDSC UNC GitHub Page.

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