Connect Edge: Employment Services Applications

Abstract

Campus placements play a crucial role in bridging the gap between education and employment. Traditional placement systems often rely on manual processes, fragmented tools, and lack personalized interaction between stakeholders such as students, companies, and administrators. To address these limitations, we present Connect Edge—a comprehensive, full-stack web application designed to automate, streamline, and enhance the campus placement process using modern technologies and AI integration. Connect Edge features role-based dashboards for Admin, Student, and Company users, allowing secure, permission-based access to relevant functionalities. Companies can post job opportunities which are reviewed and approved by the Admin. Upon approval, students are notified via email and can view and apply for these positions. The platform also incorporates a community blogging section where students and alumni share placement insights and preparation tips, fostering peer learning and mentorship. A built-in resume builder helps students create professional resumes, while an integrated Gemini AI module evaluates resumes using ATS (Applicant Tracking System) standards and provides personalized improvement suggestions. This paper discusses the development lifecycle, architecture, and impact of Connect Edge in improving placement efficiency, student engagement, and recruitment transparency. The system not only bridges communication gaps but also supports career readiness by guiding students in building industry-aligned resumes and accessing relevant opportunities. With scalability and future enhancements in mind, Connect Edge sets a new benchmark for digitized placement systems in educational institutions.

Introduction

Connect Edge: A Comprehensive Campus Placement Management System

Campus placement is a vital step for students transitioning to professional careers. Traditional placement processes often rely on manual, inefficient methods prone to delays and errors. Connect Edge addresses these issues by offering an integrated, automated, and secure full-stack web application tailored to campus recruitment needs.

Key Features:

• Role-Based Access Control: Separate dashboards and permissions for admins, companies, and students enhance security and usability.

• Job Posting & Approval Workflow: Companies submit job openings for admin approval, ensuring quality and preventing spam.

• Automated Email Notifications: Timely updates reduce communication gaps and improve engagement.

• Community Blogging Platform: Enables students, alumni, and industry experts to share insights and motivation.

• Resume Builder with Gemini AI Integration: Helps students create professional resumes and provides AI-driven feedback to improve ATS compatibility, boosting interview chances.

• Scalable Architecture: Built on the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) for robustness, responsiveness, and flexibility.

• Security: JWT-based authentication and authorization protect sensitive data.

• Transparency and Analytics: Students track applications; admins monitor trends for strategic decisions.

• Responsive Design: Accessible across devices for convenience.

• Stakeholder-Centric Development: Features shaped by input from students, recruiters, and placement officers.

The system automates repetitive tasks, fosters a supportive community, and integrates AI to modernize and streamline the placement process, benefiting students, employers, and institutions alike.

Literature Review Highlights:

• Traditional campus placement systems are largely manual and lack integration.

• General job portals don’t meet campus-specific needs like eligibility and approvals.

• Existing platforms seldom combine role-based access, AI resume tools, community blogging, and automated workflows in one system.

• Connect Edge fills this gap by unifying these elements to improve efficiency, engagement, and outcomes.

Development Methodology:

• Requirements gathered from all stakeholders.

• Modular MERN-based architecture with RESTful APIs.

• Role-specific dashboards and automated workflows.

• Embedded AI resume analysis via Gemini AI.

• Agile development, thorough testing, and cloud deployment ensure reliability and scalability.

Conclusion

The Connect Edge platform represents a significant advancement in bridging the gap between academic institutions, students, and recruiting companies. By integrating intelligent automation, a role-based system, and AI-driven tools, the application offers an efficient and intuitive ecosystem for handling placement activities. The project\'s modular architecture and clear separation of concerns — via dedicated dashboards for Admins, Companies, and Students — ensure that users are provided with a role-specific experience, improving usability and workflow efficiency. Job posting, approval, and application features are streamlined through automated notifications, maintaining a transparent and time-sensitive process between recruiters and job seekers. One of the most impactful additions is the AI-powered resume analysis system, where students not only build structured resumes but also receive ATS-based evaluations and tailored suggestions. This enables them to iteratively improve their profiles, directly increasing their chances of clearing application screenings by real-world recruiters. Additionally, the blogging feature allows for a community-driven knowledge base where students and professionals can share placement experiences, tips, and insights. This cultivates a collaborative learning space, transforming the platform from a mere job board into a dynamic employment ecosystem. The extensive use of automation — from resume scoring and job approval to email alerts and analytics — minimizes manual intervention, boosts productivity, and ensures data accuracy. The use of modern tech stacks like React, Node.js, and MongoDB, paired with scalable deployment environments, equips the application to handle real-time institutional usage. In summary, Connect Edge successfully solves multiple challenges in the placement lifecycle by automating critical tasks, enhancing resume quality, and fostering a collaborative environment. It empowers students to be better prepared, helps companies find the right talent efficiently, and equips administrators with the tools to manage placements seamlessly.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Prof. Jyoti Dhumal, Sneha Sah, Neha Donekar, Harshal Patil, Ambuj Singh . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.