🚀 CareerCastAI

A Next.js 15 platform offering two powerful AI-powered services: Podcast Generator, CV Reviewer and Job Application Tailor. Create professional podcasts, get AI-powered CV analysis to match with job descriptions or Tailor your CV with the Job Description with a Cover letter.

📋 Overview

CareerCastAI is a comprehensive web platform that provides three distinct AI-powered services:

🎙️ Service 1: Podcast Generator

Transform simple prompts into professional podcast episodes. The platform generates realistic debate-style podcasts between two AI voices, creates accompanying PDF briefs, and manages the entire workflow from prompt to publication.

📄 Service 2: CV Reviewer

Upload your CV and job description to get AI-powered analysis. The system evaluates your CV against job requirements, provides match percentage, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and offers actionable recommendations to improve your job application.

🪄 Service 3: Job Application Tailor

Upload your CV and job description to generate a job-specific application. The system tailors your CV and optional cover letter by rephrasing, reorganizing, and optimizing existing content for ATS systems — without fabricating experience. Get role-aligned documents, match score improvements, and detailed explanations of every change.

✨ Key Features

Podcast Generator Features

• 🤖 AI-Powered Content Generation: Transform simple prompts into full podcast episodes
• 🎤 Multiple Voice Options: Choose from various AI voices for realistic conversations
• 📄 Automatic PDF Generation: Get detailed briefs and summaries automatically
• 🎨 Image Generation: AI-generated cover images using DALL-E
• ⏱️ Customizable Duration: Create 1, 5, 10, or 20-minute podcasts
• 🎚️ Voice Speed Control: Adjustable playback speed

CV Reviewer Features

• 📊 AI-Powered Analysis: Analyzes CVs against job descriptions
• 🎯 Match Scoring: Provides percentage match and detailed feedback
• 💪 Strengths Identification: Highlights your key qualifications
• ⚠️ Weakness Detection: Identifies areas for improvement
• 📝 Actionable Recommendations: Suggests specific improvements
• 🔍 Missing Skills Detection: Identifies critical skills gaps
• 📈 Experience Assessment: Compares required vs. actual experience

Job Application Tailor Feature

• 🎯 Job-Specific CV Tailoring: Customize your CV for each job description without rewriting from scratch
• ✍️ Smart Content Rewriting: Rephrases summaries and experience using role-relevant language.
• 🔄 Skills Reordering & Emphasis: Highlights the most relevant skills for the target role
• 🤖 ATS Optimization: Integrates job keywords naturally to improve ATS compatiblity
• 📝 Cover Letter Generation: Create tailored cover letters with customizable tone and length
• 📊 Before & After Match Scores: See measurable improvement in job alignment
• 🔍 Keyword Gap Analysis: Identifies missing or underutilized job-critical keywords
• 🧾 Change Tracking & Transperency: Shows exactly what was changed and why
• 🔒 Authenticity Guaranteed: No fabricated skills or experience - strictly CV-based
• ⚙️ Custom Tailoring Controls: Lock sections, adjust focus, and control optimization depth

Platform Features

• 🔐 Secure Authentication: Better Auth with role-based access control
• 💳 Subscription Management: Free and Pro tiers with Polar integration
• 🎯 Admin Dashboard: User management and analytics
• 🌙 Dark Mode: Full dark mode support
• 📱 Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach
• 🔑 Credential Management: Securely store and manage OpenAI API keys

🏗️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• Next.js 15 (App Router) - React framework
• React 19 - UI library
• TypeScript - Type safety
• Tailwind CSS v4 - Styling
• Radix UI - Accessible components
• TanStack Query v5 - Data fetching & caching
• Framer Motion - Animations
• Sonner - Toast notifications

Backend

• Next.js API Routes - Server endpoints
• tRPC v11 - Type-safe APIs
• Prisma ORM - Database toolkit
• PostgreSQL - Database
• Better Auth - Authentication
• Inngest - Background job processing

Services & Integrations

• OpenAI - GPT-4, TTS, DALL-E
• UploadThing - File storage
• Polar - Subscription management
• Sentry - Error tracking
• Upstash - Rate limiting (Redis)

📁 Project Structure

careercast-ai/
├── app/                      # Next.js App Router
│   ├── (auth)/              # Authentication routes
│   │   ├── sign-in/
│   │   └── sign-up/
│   ├── (community)/         # Community features
│   │   ├── community/
│   │   ├── contact/
│   │   └── how-it-works/
│   ├── api/                 # API endpoints
│   │   ├── auth/
│   │   ├── generate/
│   │   ├── generate-image/
│   │   ├── trpc/
│   │   └── uploadthing/
│   ├── podcast/             # Podcast Generator routes
│   ├── reviewer/            # CV Reviewer routes
│   └── layout.tsx           # Root layout
├── components/              # React components
│   ├── ui/                  # Reusable UI components (Radix)
│   ├── podcast-form/        # Podcast creation forms
│   ├── cv-reviwer/          # CV review components
│   ├── home/                # Homepage components
│   └── ...
├── actions/                 # Server actions
│   ├── index.ts             # AI helpers (text, TTS, summary, image)
│   └── cv-reviewer.ts       # CV analysis logic
├── trpc/                    # tRPC setup
│   ├── routers/             # API routers
│   ├── client.tsx           # Client setup
│   └── init.ts              # Server setup
├── utils/                   # Utility functions
│   ├── auth.ts              # Auth configuration
│   ├── db.ts                # Prisma client
│   ├── uploadthing.ts       # UploadThing client
│   └── pdf-utils.ts         # PDF generation
├── lib/                     # Shared libraries
│   ├── encryption.ts        # Credential encryption
│   ├── ratelimit.ts         # Rate limiting
│   └── utils.ts             # Helper functions
├── prisma/                  # Database
│   ├── schema.prisma        # Database schema
│   └── migrations/          # Migration files
├── features/                # Feature-level code
│   ├── create-podcast/
│   └── subscriptions/
├── hooks/                   # Custom React hooks
└── public/                  # Static assets

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• PostgreSQL database
• OpenAI API Key
• UploadThing Account
• Polar Account (for subscriptions)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd careercast-ai

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   # or
   pnpm install

3. Set up environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

   Fill in the required values in .env:

   # Database
   DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname"
   
   # Authentication
   AUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key"
   AUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
   
   # OpenAI
   OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
   
   # UploadThing
   UPLOADTHING_SECRET="sk_..."
   UPLOADTHING_APP_ID="..."
   
   # Polar (Subscriptions)
   POLAR_ACCESS_TOKEN="..."
   POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET="..."
   
   # Sentry (Optional)
   SENTRY_DSN="..."
   SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN="..."
   
   # Upstash (Rate Limiting)
   UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL="..."
   UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN="..."

4. Run database migrations

   npx prisma migrate dev
   # or for production
   npx prisma migrate deploy

5. Generate Prisma Client

   npx prisma generate

6. Start development server

   npm run dev

   Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

🏗️ Build & Deployment

Development

npm run dev

Production Build

npm run build
npm start

Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm start - Start production server
• npm run lint - Run ESLint
• npx prisma studio - Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)

🔄 Core Workflows

🎙️ Podcast Generator Flow

1. User fills out podcast form (title, description, voices, duration)
2. User selects credential (OpenAI API key)
3. User generates/selects cover image
4. Form submission triggers createPodcast tRPC mutation
5. Inngest job processes:
   • Generates script via OpenAI
   • Generates audio via TTS
   • Creates PDF brief
   • Uploads files to UploadThing
   • Saves to database
6. User receives notification with links

📄 CV Reviewer Flow

1. Upload CV: User uploads their CV in PDF format
2. Select Credential: User chooses their OpenAI API credential
3. Paste Job Description: User pastes the complete job description
4. AI Analysis: System analyzes the match and provides:
   • Match Percentage: Overall compatibility score (0-100%)
   • Match Verdict: Boolean indicating if candidate is a good fit
   • Matched Skills: Skills from job description found in CV
   • Missing Skills: Critical skills not found in CV
   • Strengths: 4-6 specific strengths with evidence
   • Weaknesses: 3-5 areas where CV falls short
   • Recommendations: 5-7 actionable improvements
   • Experience Match: Comparison of required vs. actual experience
   • Key Highlights: Standout achievements from CV
5. Review Results: User receives comprehensive analysis report

🪄 Job Application Tailor

1. Upload CV: User uploads their CV in PDF format. The system extracts and structures the text for safe, non-fabricated tailoring
2. Paste Job Description User pastes the full job description they want to apply for.
3. Select AI Provider & Credential User chooses an AI Provider (OpenAI or Gemini) and selects or adds their API credential
4. Choose Tailoring Options User customizes how the application should be tailored:
   • Enable/Disable CV tailoring
   • Enable optional cover letter generation
   • Select cover letter tone and length (Pro)
   • Optimize for ATS
   • Lock specific CV sections (education, certifications, etc.)
   • Specify target role, company type, and seniority level
5. Submit Tailoring Request From submission triggers:
   • tailorCVFree (Free tier - limited tailoring)
   • or tailorCVPro (Pro tier - full tailoring)
6. AI Tailoring Process The system performs
   • Job-specific CV rewriting and reordering
   • Natural keyword integration for ATS system
   • Skills prioritization by relevance
   • Optional cover letter generation
   • Match score calculation (before vs after)
   • Detailed change tracking and explanations (All changes strictly based on original CV content - no fabrication)
7. Validation & Safety Checks
   • Content is validated against the original CV
   • Fabrication patterns are detected and flagged
   • Locked sections remain unchanged
8. Results Delivery User receives:
   • Tailored CV sections
   • Optional cover letter
   • Match score improvement analysis
   • ATS optimization report
   • Keyword usage and gap analysis
   • Clear summary of all changes made
9. Upgrade Prompt (Free Tier) Free users see:
   • Applied limitations
   • Unlocked Pro features
   • Upgrade recommendation based on detected gaps

📡 API Reference

tRPC Procedures

Public

• getHomePodcast - Get featured podcasts
• getPodcastsWithPagination - Paginated podcast list
• singlePodcast - Get single podcast details

Protected

• getUser - Get current user profile
• updateUser - Update user profile
• getCredential - Get user credentials
• addCredentials - Add new credential
• deleteCredential - Delete credential
• createPodcast - Create new podcast (Podcast Generator)
• changePodcastStatus - Toggle public/private

Premium

• generateImage - Generate cover image (Podcast Generator)
• generateCVReview - Analyze CV (CV Reviewer Pro)

Admin

• allUsers - Get all users
• adminDashboardStats - Dashboard statistics
• deleteUser - Delete user
• getUserByAdmin - Get user details
• getUserPodcastsPublic - Get user's public podcasts

REST Endpoints

• POST /api/generate - Generate podcast (legacy)
• POST /api/generate-image - Generate image (legacy)
• POST /api/uploadthing - UploadThing file router
• POST /api/auth/* - Better Auth endpoints
• POST /api/trpc/* - tRPC HTTP handler
• POST /api/polar-webhook - Polar subscription webhooks
• POST /api/inngest - Inngest webhook

🗄️ Database Schema

Key Models

• User - User accounts, subscriptions, trials
• Podcast - Generated podcasts with metadata (Podcast Generator)
• Credential - Encrypted API keys
• CVReviewer - CV review results (CV Reviewer)
• Session - User sessions
• Account - OAuth accounts

See prisma/schema.prisma for full schema.

🔐 Security

• ✅ Authentication with Better Auth
• ✅ Role-based access control (USER, ADMIN)
• ✅ Input validation with Zod
• ✅ Rate limiting with Upstash
• ✅ Credential encryption with Cryptr
• ✅ Protected API routes
• ✅ CSRF protection
• ✅ Error tracking with Sentry

🎨 Features

User Features

Podcast Generator:

• Create AI-generated podcasts
• Generate cover images
• Manage podcast library
• Share podcasts
• Download PDF briefs

CV Reviewer:

• Upload and analyze CVs
• Get match percentage
• Receive improvement recommendations
• Track review history

Platform:

• Manage credentials
• Edit profile
• Subscription management
• View usage statistics

Admin Features

• User management
• Analytics dashboard
• Content moderation
• Subscription management

💳 Subscription Tiers

Free Tier

• Podcast Generator: 3 trial podcasts
• CV Reviewer: Not available

Pro Tier

• Podcast Generator: Unlimited podcasts
• CV Reviewer: Unlimited CV reviews
• Image Generation: Access to DALL-E image generation
• Priority Support: Faster processing

🧪 Testing

Currently, the project does not include automated tests. Recommended additions:

• Unit Tests: Vitest or Jest
• Integration Tests: Testing Library
• E2E Tests: Playwright or Cypress

📝 Environment Variables

See .env.example for all required variables.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Prisma Client not found

npx prisma generate

UploadThing uploads failing

• Check UPLOADTHING_SECRET and UPLOADTHING_APP_ID
• Verify file size limits

OpenAI API errors

• Verify API key is valid
• Check rate limits
• Ensure model names are correct

Database connection issues

• Verify DATABASE_URL is correct
• Check PostgreSQL is running
• Run migrations: npx prisma migrate dev

CV Review not working

• Ensure you have CV Reviewer Pro subscription
• Verify credential is valid
• Check PDF format is correct

🤝 Contributing

This is a public project. For questions or suggestions, please contact the development team.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• OpenAI for AI capabilities
• UploadThing for file storage
• Radix UI for accessible components
• Next.js team for the amazing framework