TalentSync - O*NET Integrated Recruitment System

TalentSync is a centralized, web-based recruitment platform designed to streamline the hiring process for IT organizations. By integrating the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database, TalentSync allows HR managers to create standardized, skill-accurate job profiles and manage the full recruitment lifecycle from job posting to candidate selection.

Live Demo: http://13.59.20.157/talentsync/

Project Status: Sprint 2 Complete

Our team has successfully delivered the complete hiring workflow — from job creation with O*NET integration to applicant management with real-time status tracking — deployed on AWS EC2 with CI/CD via GitHub Actions.

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Technical Architecture

Cloud Infrastructure

• Application Server: AWS EC2 (Amazon Linux) with Apache/PHP
• Database: AWS RDS (MySQL) — centralized, high-availability data environment
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions — auto-deploys to EC2 on every push to main
• Version Control: Git/GitHub with branch protection

Tech Stack

• Backend: PHP 8.x
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6)
• Styling: Custom CSS with Flexbox/Grid, responsive media queries (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Database Logic: Complex SQL JOINs for O*NET skill mapping and AJAX for real-time occupation searching
• Deployment: AWS EC2 + GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline

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Key Features

Sprint 1 Features

1. O*NET Job Profile Builder — HR managers search standardized SOC codes to auto-populate skills, responsibilities, and salary data from O*NET
2. HR Command Center (Dashboard) — Centralized view for managing job listings and viewing real-time database statistics
3. Secure Authentication — Login/Signup system with encrypted passwords, session management, and role-based access (HR vs Applicant)

Sprint 2 Features

4. Job Application System — Applicants can browse open jobs, view detailed job descriptions (skills, responsibilities, salary), and submit applications
5. HR Application Management — HR managers can view all applications per job and update applicant status (Interviewing / Offered / Rejected)
6. Applicant Dashboard — Displays application stats (Interviewing, Offered, Rejected, Total) with a searchable table of submitted applications
7. Stage History Tracking — Every status change is logged in a stage_history table for audit trail
8. AWS EC2 Deployment — Production deployment with CI/CD pipeline via GitHub Actions
9. Duplicate Application Prevention — One application per user per job enforced at database level

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Repository Structure

• /api — Server-side PHP logic for O*NET searching, skill fetching, job saving, and application management
• /assets — CSS stylesheets and UI images
• /includes — Reusable components (navigation bars, footers)
• /config — Configuration templates (Note: db.php is git-ignored for security)
• /.github/workflows — CI/CD pipeline (deploy.yml for automated EC2 deployment)

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Database Schema

Core Tables

• users — User accounts with role-based access (HR / Applicant)
• jobs — Job postings with O*NET occupation codes, skills, and salary data
• applications — Job applications (job_id, user_id, full_name, email, phone, cover_letter, status)
• stage_history — Audit trail tracking all application status changes with timestamps
• O*NET Tables — Imported relational tables for occupations, skills, and SOC mappings

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Group 3 - Team Responsibilities

Our team followed an Agile/Scrum methodology across both sprints, with specific roles assigned to ensure successful delivery.

Sprint 1

• Kratika Patidar: Cloud Infrastructure (AWS RDS Setup & Migration), O*NET Integration (Search logic & Skill Tag generation), Backend Database Architecture
• Ozge Arslan: Secure Authentication System (Login/Signup/Logout API logic), Session Management and User Security
• Qiushi Zhang: Dashboard Statistics & Analytics, GitHub Repository Management and Version Control
• Yutong Jiang: Frontend Lead (Global Stylesheet, Homepage Design, UI Assets, Navbar & Footer Components)
• Lee: Login/Signup UI Pages
• Vaishnavi Samani: HR Dashboard Module, Create Job Frontend Page, UI Components

Sprint 2

• Kratika Patidar: AWS EC2 Deployment, CI/CD Pipeline (GitHub Actions), Submit Application Backend, Application Error Fixes, Dashboard Routing
• Ozge Arslan: Update Application Status API
• Qiushi Zhang: Browse Jobs Page, Job Applications Page
• Yutong Jiang: CSS Styling, Navbar & Footer Reusable Templates, Mobile Responsive Design
• Lee: Apply Job Page, Job Detail Page
• Vaishnavi Samani: Applicant Dashboard

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Sprint Deliverables

Sprint 1

• Requirement Specifications: Level-0 & Level-1 DFDs, Relational Database Models
• Scrum Management: Product Backlog (20+ User Stories), Burndown Chart tracking
• Core Product: Functional HR Portal with Cloud-connected O*NET data

Sprint 2

• Complete hiring workflow: Job Posting to Application Management
• Applicant-facing features: Browse Jobs, Apply, Track Applications
• HR management: View Applications, Update Status (Interviewing/Offered/Rejected)
• Cloud deployment on AWS EC2 with automated CI/CD
• Stage history audit trail for compliance tracking

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How to Run Locally

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/Krats05/talentsync.git
2. Set up MAMP/XAMPP with Apache and PHP 8.x
3. Create config/db.php with the following parameters (Ask team for AWS credentials):

   $host = 'your-rds-endpoint';
   $user = 'admin';
   $pass = '********';
   $dbname = 'talentsync_db';

4. Place the project in your web root (e.g., htdocs/talentsync)
5. Access via http://localhost/talentsync/

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Deployment

The application is deployed on AWS EC2 with automated CI/CD:

• Every push to main triggers a GitHub Actions workflow
• The workflow SSHs into EC2 and deploys the latest code
• Database config (db.php) is preserved across deployments
• Live at: http://13.59.20.157/talentsync/