Campus Connect

Sidebar showing role switching
Profile dropdown
Application regarding a post section
Create post as a finder
Applicaion status dashboard
Finder dashbaord
Seeker dashboard
Messaging section
Opportunites section with filter
Recommendation system
Interview modal
applicant details modal
profile section along with chatbot
finder dashboard
Saved post section

Inspiration

I noticed that campus recruitment is often messy—students miss opportunities because of fragmented communication, and recruiters struggle to track hundreds of applicants manually. I wanted to build a "One-Stop Shop" that makes the transition from campus to career seamless, professional, and entirely tech-driven.

What it does

CampusConnect is a dual-purpose recruitment ecosystem built for the modern university environment. For Students: It allows them to create professional profiles, get AI-driven help, and track their application status in real-time. For Recruiters: It’s a full management suite to post jobs, manage candidates, and launch instant video interviews. The Core: A sleek Royal Blue UI that houses a smart chatbot and live notification system

How we built it

As a solo developer, I engineered the entire stack from the ground up using the following technologies: Frontend: Built with React (Vite) and Tailwind CSS for a blazing-fast, responsive experience. Backend: Powered by Node.js and Express.js with a MongoDB database. Real-Time Engine: Integrated Pusher to handle live application status updates without page refreshes. AI Intelligence: Integrated the Gemini AI API to create a responsive assistant for users. Security: Implemented Passport.js to allow secure Google and GitHub OAuth 2.0 logins. Video Infrastructure: Integrated Jitsi Meet for a high-quality, open-source video interviewing solution.

Challenges we ran into

Building a production-grade app alone in a short timeframe was intense. My biggest hurdles were: The Video API Pivot: Most video APIs were either expensive or had complex billing. I successfully pivoted to Jitsi Meet, providing a professional solution for free. Real-Time Tracking Logic: Syncing Pusher events with my database to ensure students see status changes instantly was a major logic puzzle. The OAuth Struggle: Configuring Redirect URIs and CORS for Google and GitHub authentication across different environments required deep troubleshooting. AI Integration: Prompt engineering for the Gemini API to ensure the chatbot stayed helpful and relevant to recruitment.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building a system of this scale solo requires wearing five different hats at once."

The 17-Hour Coding Sprint: I am incredibly proud of coding for 17 hours straight to move this project from a basic idea to a feature-complete ecosystem.

Full-Stack Mastery: Successfully managing the flow from OAuth security to Real-time Pusher updates and AI integration as a single developer.

Resourceful Engineering: Pivoting to open-source tools like Jitsi Meet when faced with budget-heavy API constraints.

The Dual-Role UI: Creating a seamless logic where one account can toggle between Student and Recruiter modes while keeping all data perfectly synced.

What we learned

DevOps is Key: I learned that building the app is only half the battle; configuring security and environment variables is where the real "engineering" happens.

AI Productivity: I learned how to use AI-assisted problem solving to architect complex notification logic when I didn't have a team to brainstorm with.

Persistence: Coding for 17 hours taught me that "breakthrough moments" usually happen right after you feel like giving up on a bug.

What's next for Campus Connect

This is just the beginning for CampusConnect. My roadmap includes: AI Resume Scorer: Using the Gemini API to give students instant feedback on their resumes. Mobile Application: Rebuilding the frontend in React Native for on-the-go notifications. Skill Verification: Adding a quiz module where students can earn "Verified Badges" for their profiles. Automated Interview Scheduling: Syncing with Google Calendar to automate the entire hiring timeline.