CareerCanvas

Welcome to CareerCanvas, a web application designed to connect job seekers and employers. Built using Django, HTML, Tailwind CSS, and JavaScript, this platform now includes AI-powered job recommendations using the Gemini API from Google. Users can post job listings, apply for jobs, manage their profiles, and receive personalized job suggestions. The application features a modern, responsive design tailored to the job market.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Usage
• Project Structure
• Screenshots
• Contributing
• License
• Contact

Features

Authentication & User Management

• User registration with account creation
• User login and logout functionality
• User session management and authentication

Job Management

• Job posting/creation with comprehensive details (title, company, location, salary, description, requirements)
• Job listing display with organized layout
• Job details view with complete information
• Job search functionality across multiple fields (title, company, location, description, requirements)
• Real-time job filtering and search results

Advanced AI Features

• AI-powered job recommendations using Google Gemini API
• Intelligent job suggestions based on search queries
• Fallback recommendation system using keyword matching
• Smart job matching algorithms

Application System

• Job application submission with cover letter
• Application tracking and management
• User-specific application history

User Interface & Experience

• Responsive design using Tailwind CSS
• Modern, clean interface optimized for all devices
• Toast notifications for user feedback and status updates
• Pagination for job listings (6 jobs per page)
• Intuitive navigation and user-friendly design

Administrative Features

• Django admin panel for backend management
• Job and application management through admin interface
• User management and moderation capabilities

Technical Features

• Environment variable configuration for security
• Database management with SQLite
• Static file handling and optimization
• Error handling and validation
• Secure API integration with Google Gemini

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Django 4.2 or higher
• Git (for version control)
• A code editor (e.g., VS Code)
• Google Gemini API key (obtainable from https://aistudio.google.com/)
• Additional Python packages: python-dotenv, google-genai

Installation

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/AnowarOHossain/CareerCanvas.git
cd CareerCanvas

Set Up a Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate  # On mac: source venv/bin/activate

Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install python-dotenv google-genai

Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root (CareerCanvas/) with the following content:

DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=django-secret-key
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-new-gemini-api-key

Replace your-new-gemini-api-key with a valid key from https://aistudio.google.com/.

Add .env to .gitignore to prevent committing sensitive data:

.env

Apply Migrations

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Create a Superuser

python manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to set up an admin account.

Collect Static Files

python manage.py collectstatic

Run the Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Open your browser and visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/ to see the application.

Usage

• Register/Login: Use the "Register" or "Login" links to create an account or sign in.
• Post a Job: Logged-in users can navigate to "Post Job" to create a new job listing, including title, company, location, salary, description, and requirements.
• Apply for Jobs: View job details and submit applications with a cover letter if logged in.
• Search Jobs: Use the search bar to find jobs by keyword, with AI recommendations appearing based on your query.
• Admin Panel: Access /admin/ with superuser credentials to manage jobs and applications.

Project Structure

CareerCanvas/
├── job_portal/          # Django project configuration
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── wsgi.py
│   └── asgi.py
├── jobs/               # Django app for job functionality
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── migrations/
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── tests.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── views.py
│   └── ai_utils.py     # AI logic for job recommendations
├── templates/          # HTML templates
│   ├── base.html       # Base template with navigation and footer
│   ├── index.html      # Homepage with search and job listings
│   ├── job_detail.html
│   ├── job_create.html
│   ├── login.html
│   └── register.html
├── static/             # Static files (CSS, JS)
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── style.css
│   └── js/
│       └── script.js
├── staticfiles/        # Collected static files for production
├── Screenshots/        # Application screenshots
│   ├── Screenshot1.png
│   └── Screenshot2.png
├── manage.py
├── requirements.txt    # Project dependencies
├── .env                # Environment variables (not committed)
└── README.md           # This file

Screenshots

Homepage

AI Job Recommendations

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute to CareerCanvas, please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch: git checkout -b feature-branch.
3. Make your changes and commit: git commit -m "Description of changes".
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature-branch.
5. Open a pull request on GitHub.

Please ensure your code follows Django best practices, is tested before submitting, and does not expose sensitive data (e.g., API keys).

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Note for Students and Learners:

This project is free to clone, fork, and use for learning and educational purposes. Feel free to explore, modify, and enhance it as part of your development journey.

Contact

• Author: Anowar Hossain
• GitHub: AnowarOHossain
• To Message me: Click Here