HireU

Information retrieval to identify grant eligibility of employers as per grant forms
Hiring status
Candidate match report
Candidate match identification chat
Grant eligibility result

Inspiration

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but many struggle with hiring due to limited resources and funding constraints. During our research, we discovered that a significant number of small businesses are unaware of the grants and funding opportunities available to support their hiring needs. We wanted to create a solution that not only simplifies the hiring process but also bridges the information gap around potential funding, helping small businesses thrive.

What it does

HireU is hiring solution designed specifically for small businesses to help them hire their preferred candidate with ease. It automates the offer rollout process, from generating offer letters to completing the human centric segment of the recruiting process, reducing administrative burden. Beyond hiring, hireU empowers businesses by identifying relevant grants and funding opportunities. The app provides tailored insights into when specific grants might cover hiring costs and guides users through the legal complexities of employment which can vary from candidate to candidate.

How we built it

We built this project by integrating a multi-component architecture that combines a React.js frontend, a Python Fast API backend, and an LLM-powered AI server. The backend handles database connections, API endpoints, and logic for processing employee expectations and candidate responses. The MongoDB database stores structured data, ensuring efficient retrieval and analysis. Our LLM server, powered by Ollama, facilitates dynamic question generation, context-aware follow-ups, and final report generation, helping assess candidate suitability against employee-defined requirements. We also implemented an eligibility checker to identify applicable government grants based on hiring criteria. By combining AI-driven insights with structured reporting, our solution enhances decision-making in the hiring process.

Challenges we ran into

The main challenges we faced were:

Hallucination by LLMs
Building contextual prompts to provide the required amount of information
Time consuming repeated testing with prompts
Working with streaming data on the frontend
Updating our UI as per the LLM responses, which can be varied in nature
Integrating 3 components: LLM server, backend database and APIs and the frontend

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building an end-to-end system that standardizes the hiring process part after the technical round without much human intervention.
Cutting down the average cost of the final step of hiring to $1 which otherwise costs anywhere around 1000s of dollars.
Utilizing the power of LLMs to achieve a task of this magnitude within 24 hours.
A flawless user interface.
Prompt engineering detailed to the minutest level.
A useful report that helps employers identify candidates that are the best fit for them, as well as learn about financial aid through grants.

What we learned

The main learning point of this project was understanding how to leverage the power of LLMs to resolve real world problems and add value through technology. We also gained a lot of insight into prompt engineering and how to better leverage its capabilities to work smarter and have the world's knowledge at our fingertips. We explored this problem statement and delved deep into the the issues faces by small businesses, including financial, workforce and legal problems that arise during the hiring process. The essence of our research also included understanding what the grant system in this country looks like, and how we can better connect our small businesses with them to improve their funding oppurtunities, while streamlining their hiring process using industry standard questionnaires aimed towards matching them with their best fit candidate.

What's next for hireU

Moving forward, we plan to expand our grant database and incorporate more private and nonprofit funding sources. We aim to enhance the legal guidance module by integrating real-time legal support through partnerships with employment law professionals. Additionally, we’re exploring opportunities to add features that help businesses manage the entire employee lifecycle—from recruitment to offboarding—making hireU an indispensable tool for small business growth.