Gradhire - Student Internship Platform

Associated Link :

https://github.com/GradHire/GradHire-website

February 1, 2024 (1y ago)

Introduction

Gradhire is a web platform I helped develop as part of a four-person academic team at IUT Montpellier-Sète. The platform serves as a critical bridge between computer science students and potential employers, streamlining the internship and apprenticeship search process. My role in this project involved designing and implementing key components of the application architecture, focusing particularly on the authentication system, database design, and several core functional modules.

The platform addresses a critical pain point in the academic-professional transition: connecting students with relevant local opportunities matched to their skills while providing companies with a streamlined system to find qualified candidates. Gradhire emerged as a solution to centralize and simplify this process, replacing fragmented systems with a unified platform serving the needs of students, academic staff, and businesses in the Montpellier region.

Project Scope and Initial Challenges

Project Scope: The Gradhire project had several well-defined requirements:

Initial Challenges: Several technical challenges had to be addressed early in the development process:

Technology Stack and Architectural Decisions

To address these challenges, we carefully selected a technology stack optimized for both robust backend functionality and a responsive frontend experience:

Backend Architecture:

Frontend Technologies:

Additional Tools and Libraries:

The system followed a rigorous Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture to maintain separation of concerns, improve code maintainability, and streamline the development process. This approach allowed team members to work on different components simultaneously without conflicts.

Core System Components

Authentication System

I developed a dual-authentication system to accommodate both university members and business users:

LDAP Authentication: For university members (students and staff), the platform integrates with the institution's LDAP server, allowing users to log in with their existing university credentials. This approach eliminated the need for students to create and remember additional accounts.

Business Accounts: For companies and external tutors, I implemented a traditional email-based registration system with secure password handling using salting and peppering techniques with SHA-256 hashing. The system includes email verification and password recovery functionalities.

Role-Based Access Control: Once authenticated, users gain access to different sections of the platform based on their roles:

Database Architecture

The PostgreSQL database design was one of the most critical components of the system, with 29 tables structured to track all aspects of the internship process. Key architectural decisions included:

Table Inheritance: I leveraged PostgreSQL's inheritance capabilities to create specialized offer types (internships and apprenticeships) while maintaining a unified base structure, simplifying queries and ensuring data integrity.

Materialized Views: To optimize dashboard performance, I implemented seven materialized views that pre-compute statistics and are automatically refreshed through triggers when relevant data changes.

Functions and Procedures: The database includes 23 custom functions and 18 stored procedures that encapsulate complex operations, such as user creation, role retrieval, and parameter management, reducing application code complexity.

Triggers: Nine database triggers maintain data integrity and automate processes, including:

Custom Types: PostgreSQL's type system was utilized to create enumeration types for roles and other categorized data, ensuring only valid values can be inserted.

Offer Management System

The offer management system forms the core of the platform, allowing companies to post internship and apprenticeship opportunities while students can browse and apply for positions matching their skills:

Offer Creation:

Validation Workflow: To maintain quality standards, all company-submitted offers go through an approval process by administrative staff before being published. This ensures only legitimate, well-structured offers reach students.

Search and Filtering: Students can browse offers using an advanced filtering system that narrows results by:

Newsletter Integration: Students can subscribe to themed newsletters, automatically receiving email notifications when new offers matching their selected categories are published.

Application Tracking System

The application process was designed to be transparent and efficient:

Application Workflow:

  1. Students submit applications with their CV and cover letter
  2. Companies receive notifications and review applications
  3. Companies accept or reject applications
  4. Students confirm acceptance of offers
  5. Academic tutors are assigned to accepted students
  6. Company tutors are designated to supervise students

Document Management: The system handles the secure storage and retrieval of application documents, including CVs, cover letters, and eventual internship reports.

Status Tracking: All participants can track the current status of applications through a unified interface, with different views optimized for students, companies, and staff.

Advanced Features

Dashboard and Analytics

For administrators and businesses, I designed a statistical dashboard using SVG-based visualizations that provides insights into platform activity:

Key Metrics:

Performance Optimization: To ensure fast loading times despite complex calculations, the dashboard uses materialized views that are automatically refreshed when relevant data changes, providing near real-time statistics without query performance penalties.

Custom Router and Form System

To improve development efficiency and create a consistent user experience, I developed two core internal frameworks:

Custom Router:

Form Builder System:

Internship Convention Management

The platform includes a comprehensive system for managing the administrative aspects of internships:

Convention Generation:

Visitation Scheduling:

Evaluation System:

Security Measures

Security was a primary concern throughout development. Key security implementations included:

SQL Injection Prevention: All database queries use prepared statements that separate SQL commands from user data, preventing injection attacks.

XSS Protection: User-submitted content is filtered and encoded before display, preventing cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.

Password Security: Business user passwords are secured using:

Role-Based Access Controls: Fine-grained permission system ensures users can only access appropriate features and data.

Data Archiving: Instead of permanent deletion, user accounts and offers are archived, maintaining data integrity while complying with user privacy requests.

Deployment Strategy

For deployment, we utilized a containerized approach:

Docker Implementation:

AWS EC2 Hosting:

Project Management and Workflow

The project followed an Agile Kanban methodology using the Github organisation :

Continuous Delivery Approach: Rather than fixed sprints, features were delivered as soon as they were completed, allowing for rapid iteration and feedback incorporation.

Asynchronous Coordination: While we held regular stand-up meetings three times weekly, most coordination happened asynchronously through GitHub, maximizing productive coding time.

Version Control: All code was managed through GitHub with proper branching strategies, code reviews, and issue tracking.

Outcomes and Impact

Gradhire successfully fulfilled its academic project objectives and delivered tangible benefits:

Technical Achievements:

User Benefits:

Learning Outcomes:

Conclusion

The Gradhire project exemplifies how academic learning can be applied to create practical solutions for real-world challenges. By developing this comprehensive internship platform, our team not only fulfilled course requirements but also created a valuable tool for the university community.

From a technical perspective, the project demonstrated the effectiveness of MVC architecture, the power of PostgreSQL's advanced features, and the efficiency gains possible through custom frameworks like our router and form system. The security implementations show a mature understanding of web application vulnerabilities and appropriate mitigation strategies.

The most significant takeaways from this project include:

  1. Architecture Matters: The early investment in solid architecture paid dividends throughout development, making feature additions and modifications straightforward.

  2. Database Design is Critical: The sophisticated PostgreSQL implementation with inheritance, materialized views, and triggers provided both performance and data integrity benefits.

  3. Custom Frameworks Improve Efficiency: Building internal tools like the router and form system dramatically reduced code complexity and improved consistency.

  4. Security Cannot Be an Afterthought: By implementing security measures from the beginning, we avoided the common pitfall of retrofitting security onto an insecure foundation.

  5. User Experience Drives Adoption: Focusing on intuitive interfaces and clear workflows ensured the platform would be useful to all stakeholders, regardless of technical proficiency.

As the codebase is available on GitHub, future student cohorts can continue to enhance and expand the platform, building on our foundation to create an even more powerful tool for connecting students with valuable professional experiences.

Technologies Used

LinkedIn
🇬🇧