HireBoost

An AI-powered resume optimizer built to help job seekers improve resume quality, increase ATS score, and tailor resumes for different job roles.

About The Project

HireBoost is a full-stack web application that helps users improve their resumes based on a target job description.

With this app, a user can:

• upload a resume PDF or paste resume text
• paste a job description
• get ATS score and keyword match analysis
• view missing skills and improvement suggestions
• generate an optimized resume using AI
• compare one resume with multiple job descriptions
• export resume content as LaTeX for Overleaf

I built this project to make resume tailoring easier, faster, and more practical for students and job seekers.

Screenshots

Home Page

Features

• Resume upload using PDF
• Manual resume text input
• Job description analysis
• ATS score breakdown
• Present and missing keyword detection
• Bullet point improvement suggestions
• AI-generated optimized resume
• Multi-job resume comparison
• LinkedIn profile text import
• LaTeX export support
• Resume history storage when MongoDB is connected

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React
• Vite
• Tailwind CSS
• Framer Motion
• React Router
• Axios

Backend

• Node.js
• Express
• Multer
• pdf-parse
• Mongoose
• Google Gemini API

Folder Structure

HireBoost/
|-- client/
|   |-- public/
|   |-- src/
|   |   |-- components/
|   |   |-- pages/
|   |   `-- services/
|-- server/
|   |-- config/
|   |-- controllers/
|   |-- middleware/
|   |-- models/
|   |-- routes/
|   `-- services/
|-- test_latex.js
`-- README.md

How It Works

1. The user uploads a resume PDF or pastes resume text.
2. The user pastes a target job description.
3. The backend extracts resume text if a PDF is uploaded.
4. The app compares resume keywords with the job description.
5. Gemini provides deeper analysis, suggestions, and optimization.
6. The user gets ATS score, keyword gaps, bullet improvements, and feedback.
7. The user can also generate an optimized resume and export it as LaTeX.

Environment Variables

Create a root .env file and add:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
PORT=5000
GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash
GEMINI_MAX_RETRIES=3
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://your-frontend.vercel.app

Notes:

• GEMINI_API_KEY is required.
• MONGODB_URI is optional.
• if MongoDB is not connected, the app still runs but history will not be saved.
• PORT defaults to 5000.
• CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS is used in production to allow your frontend domain.

Create client/.env for local frontend setup:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api

For production, set VITE_API_URL in your frontend deployment settings.

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd HireBoost

2. Install backend dependencies

cd server
npm install

3. Install frontend dependencies

cd ../client
npm install

Run Locally

Open two terminals.

Start backend

cd server
npm run dev

Start frontend

cd client
npm run dev

Local URLs:

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend: http://localhost:5000
• Health check: http://localhost:5000/api/health

Available Scripts

Backend

npm run dev
npm start

Frontend

npm run dev
npm run build
npm run preview
npm run lint

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/health	Check backend status
POST	/api/resume/analyze	Analyze resume against one job description
POST	/api/resume/optimize	Generate optimized resume
POST	/api/resume/multi-target	Compare resume against multiple job descriptions
POST	/api/resume/linkedin-import	Convert LinkedIn text into resume format
POST	/api/resume/export/latex	Generate LaTeX output
GET	/api/resume/history	Fetch saved history

Deployment Notes

• deploy frontend and backend separately if needed
• set VITE_API_URL in frontend deployment
• set GEMINI_API_KEY in backend deployment
• set CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS in backend deployment to your frontend domain
• add MONGODB_URI if you want history saving

Common Issues

Backend not starting

Make sure GEMINI_API_KEY is present in the root .env file.

History not saving

Check your MongoDB connection. The app works without MongoDB, but history will stay empty.

Frontend cannot connect to backend

Check these things:

• VITE_API_URL is correct
• backend is running
• frontend domain is included in CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS

PDF upload not working

Only PDF files are supported, and the file size must be under 5 MB.

Future Improvements

• user authentication
• PDF export download
• better resume templates
• dashboard for saved resumes
• more detailed AI suggestions

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.