HireNest — Where Careers Begin

A full-stack job portal that solves real hiring problems through verified employers, real-time application tracking, and AI-powered skill matching.

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The Problem

Today's job market has serious problems that platforms like Naukri, LinkedIn and Indeed have not fully solved:

Problem	Reality
Fake Job Postings	Anyone can post a job without verification
Zero Transparency	After applying, candidates hear nothing back
Poor Skill Matching	Random jobs shown regardless of your skills
Freshers Get Lost	LinkedIn favors connections over skills
Expensive for Small Companies	Naukri charges heavily for job postings

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How HireNest Solves This

Problem	HireNest Solution
Fake Jobs	Every employer manually verified by admin before posting
Zero Transparency	Real-time status: Applied → Shortlisted → Selected/Rejected
Poor Matching	AI-powered semantic skill matching engine
Freshers Get Lost	Equal visibility based purely on skills, not connections
Expensive	Completely free platform for all job seekers

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Project Overview

HireNest is a production-ready web-based job portal built with Spring Boot and MySQL. It supports three user roles — Job Seeker, Employer, and Admin — each with a dedicated dashboard and feature set. The platform features JWT-based authentication, role-based access control, email notifications, and an AI-powered recommendation engine.

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Key Features

Job Seeker

• Register and build a complete profile with skills and resume
• Browse all active job listings with search and filters
• Get AI-powered job recommendations based on skill matching
• View skill match percentage for each job
• Apply with cover letter in one click
• Track application status in real time
• Receive email notifications on every status change

Employer

• Register and complete company profile
• Post job listings with required skills and deadline
• Manage all job listings (close/reopen)
• View all applicants for each job
• Download applicant resumes (PDF)
• Update application status (Shortlist/Select/Reject)
• Email notifications sent to seekers automatically

Admin

• Manually verify and approve employer accounts
• Block or unblock any user
• Monitor all job listings and remove inappropriate ones
• View platform-wide statistics dashboard

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AI-Powered Skill Matching Engine

HireNest uses a Semantic Skill Matching Algorithm that goes beyond simple keyword search:

Traditional matching:  "Java" only matches "Java"

HireNest AI matching:  "Java" also matches
                       → Spring Boot (Java framework)
                       → J2EE (Java enterprise)
                       → Hibernate (Java ORM)
                       → Maven (Java build tool)

How it works:

1. Seeker adds skills to their profile
2. Engine expands each skill using synonym mapping
3. Expanded skills compared against job requirements
4. Match percentage calculated with title bonus scoring
5. Jobs sorted by match percentage — highest first

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Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Backend	Java 17, Spring Boot 3.x
Security	Spring Security, JWT (JSON Web Token)
Database	MySQL 8.0, Spring Data JPA, Hibernate
Frontend	Thymeleaf, Bootstrap 5, Bootstrap Icons
Email	JavaMailSender, Gmail SMTP
Build Tool	Maven

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Project Structure

src/main/java/com/hirenest/
├── controller/
│   ├── AuthController.java
│   ├── DashboardController.java
│   ├── JobController.java
│   ├── ApplicationController.java
│   ├── AdminController.java
│   └── ResumeController.java
├── model/
│   ├── User.java
│   ├── JobListing.java
│   ├── Application.java
│   ├── SeekerProfile.java
│   └── EmployerProfile.java
├── repository/
│   ├── UserRepository.java
│   ├── JobListingRepository.java
│   ├── ApplicationRepository.java
│   ├── SeekerProfileRepository.java
│   └── EmployerProfileRepository.java
├── service/
│   ├── UserService.java
│   ├── JobService.java
│   ├── ApplicationService.java
│   └── AdminService.java
├── security/
│   ├── JwtUtil.java
│   ├── JwtFilter.java
│   ├── SecurityConfig.java
│   ├── CustomUserDetails.java
│   └── CustomUserDetailsService.java
├── dto/
│   ├── LoginRequest.java
│   ├── RegisterRequest.java
│   └── JobListingRequest.java
└── util/
    ├── EmailService.java
    └── SkillSynonymUtil.java

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Database Schema

users
├── user_id (PK)
├── name, email, password
├── role (SEEKER/EMPLOYER/ADMIN)
└── is_active, created_at

seeker_profile
├── profile_id (PK)
├── user_id (FK → users)
├── phone, location, skills
├── education, experience
└── resume_path, profile_summary

employer_profile
├── profile_id (PK)
├── user_id (FK → users)
├── company_name, company_description
├── website, location, industry
└── company_size, is_approved

job_listing
├── job_id (PK)
├── employer_id (FK → users)
├── title, description, required_skills
├── location, salary_range, job_type
└── deadline, is_active, posted_at

application
├── application_id (PK)
├── job_id (FK → job_listing)
├── seeker_id (FK → users)
├── cover_letter, status
└── applied_at

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Security Architecture

Every request → JwtFilter
               → Reads JWT from HTTP-only cookie
               → Validates token signature
               → Sets authentication in SecurityContext

Role Based Access:
/seeker/**   → SEEKER role only
/employer/** → EMPLOYER role only
/admin/**    → ADMIN role only
/login, /register → public

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Modules Built

Module	Description
Module 1	Project setup, entity classes, database configuration
Module 2	JWT authentication, Spring Security, role-based access
Module 3	Seeker and employer profile management
Module 4	Job posting, search, filters, recommendations
Module 5	Application management, email notifications
Module 6	Admin panel, employer approval, platform management
Module 7	AI semantic skill matching, resume download

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How to Run Locally

Prerequisites

• Java 17+
• MySQL 8.0+
• Maven 3.6+

Steps

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/KalyaniKangle/hirenest.git
cd hirenest

2. Create MySQL database

CREATE DATABASE hirenest_db;

3. Configure src/main/resources/application.properties

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/hirenest_db
spring.datasource.username=root
spring.datasource.password=YOUR_PASSWORD
spring.mail.username=YOUR_GMAIL@gmail.com
spring.mail.password=YOUR_16_DIGIT_APP_PASSWORD

4. Run the application

mvn spring-boot:run

5. Open browser at http://localhost:9090

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Application Flow

Seeker applies for job
        ↓
Email confirmation sent to seeker
        ↓
Employer reviews application
        ↓
Employer updates status (Shortlisted/Selected/Rejected)
        ↓
Automatic email sent to seeker
        ↓
Seeker tracks real-time status in dashboard

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About the Developer

Kalyani Kangle
B.E. Computer Science and Engineering
MGICOET Shegaon

Full Stack Developer — Java, Spring Boot, MySQL, JWT, Spring Security, Bootstrap 5, Thymeleaf, Maven(Build Tool)

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This project is built for educational and portfolio purposes.