job-forge/GETTING_STARTED.md

🚀 Getting Started - Day-by-Day Implementation Guide

This guide provides a practical, day-by-day approach to implementing the JobForge MVP. Follow this roadmap to build the system incrementally.

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📅 Week 1: Foundation & Environment

Day 1: Environment Setup ✅

• Set up Docker development environment
• Configure database with PostgreSQL + pgvector
• Create project structure and documentation
• Validate all services are running

Validation Steps:

docker-compose ps  # All services should be "Up"
curl http://localhost:8000/health  # Should return when backend is ready

Day 2: Backend Foundation

Goal: Create FastAPI application structure and health check endpoint

Tasks:

1. Create src/backend/main.py with FastAPI app
2. Add health check endpoint (/health)
3. Set up database connection with AsyncPG
4. Add basic CORS and middleware configuration

Validation:

• curl http://localhost:8000/health returns {"status": "healthy"}
• curl http://localhost:8000/docs shows Swagger UI

Day 3: Database Models & Authentication

Goal: Implement user model and JWT authentication

Tasks:

1. Create src/backend/models/ with Pydantic models
2. Create src/backend/services/auth_service.py
3. Implement user registration and login endpoints
4. Add JWT token generation and validation

Endpoints to implement:

• POST /api/v1/auth/register
• POST /api/v1/auth/login
• GET /api/v1/auth/me

Validation:

# Register user
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/v1/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"test@example.com","password":"testpass123","full_name":"Test User"}'

# Login
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/v1/auth/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"test@example.com","password":"testpass123"}'

Day 4: Frontend Foundation

Goal: Create basic Dash application with authentication UI

Tasks:

1. Create src/frontend/main.py with Dash app
2. Create login/register components
3. Set up API client for backend communication
4. Implement basic navigation structure

Validation:

• Visit http://localhost:8501 shows login page
• Can register and login through UI
• Successful login redirects to dashboard

Day 5: Application CRUD - Backend

Goal: Implement job application management (backend)

Tasks:

1. Create application models and database schema
2. Implement src/backend/services/application_service.py
3. Add application CRUD endpoints
4. Test with Row Level Security policies

Endpoints to implement:

• POST /api/v1/applications
• GET /api/v1/applications
• GET /api/v1/applications/{id}
• PUT /api/v1/applications/{id}
• DELETE /api/v1/applications/{id}

Validation:

# Create application (with auth token)
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/v1/applications \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"company_name":"Google","role_title":"Developer","job_description":"We are looking for..."}'

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📅 Week 2: Core Features

Day 6: Application CRUD - Frontend

Goal: Create application management UI

Tasks:

1. Create application list/sidebar component
2. Create application form component
3. Implement application creation workflow
4. Add basic application status display

Validation:

• Can create new applications through UI
• Applications appear in sidebar
• Can view application details

Day 7: AI Agents - Research Agent

Goal: Implement the first AI agent for job research

Tasks:

1. Create src/agents/research_agent.py
2. Implement Claude API integration
3. Create prompts for job description analysis
4. Add research report generation endpoint

AI Agent Structure:

class ResearchAgent:
    async def analyze_job_description(self, job_desc: str) -> JobAnalysis
    async def research_company_info(self, company_name: str) -> CompanyInfo
    async def generate_research_report(self, application_id: str) -> ResearchReport

Validation:

• Can trigger research phase for an application
• Research report is generated and stored
• Content is relevant and well-formatted

Day 8: Resume Management

Goal: Implement resume library functionality

Tasks:

1. Create resume models and endpoints
2. Add resume upload and storage
3. Create resume management UI
4. Implement resume selection for applications

Endpoints:

• GET /api/v1/resumes
• POST /api/v1/resumes
• GET /api/v1/resumes/{id}
• PUT /api/v1/resumes/{id}

Day 9: AI Agents - Resume Optimizer

Goal: Implement resume optimization agent

Tasks:

1. Create src/agents/resume_optimizer.py
2. Implement resume analysis and optimization
3. Add resume optimization endpoint
4. Connect to application workflow

Validation:

• Can optimize resume based on job requirements
• Optimized resume is stored and retrievable
• Changes are meaningful and relevant

Day 10: Document Management UI

Goal: Create document viewing and editing interface

Tasks:

1. Create document editor component with markdown support
2. Add document preview functionality
3. Implement save/cancel functionality
4. Add phase navigation between documents

Validation:

• Can view generated documents
• Can edit document content
• Changes are saved and persist
• Navigation between phases works

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📅 Week 3: AI Integration & Polish

Day 11: AI Agents - Cover Letter Generator

Goal: Complete the 3-phase AI workflow

Tasks:

1. Create src/agents/cover_letter_generator.py
2. Implement cover letter generation
3. Add user context input functionality
4. Complete the full workflow integration

Validation:

• Full 3-phase workflow works end-to-end
• Cover letters are personalized and relevant
• User can provide additional context

Day 12: Error Handling & Validation

Goal: Add robust error handling and validation

Tasks:

1. Add comprehensive input validation
2. Implement error handling for AI API failures
3. Add user-friendly error messages
4. Create fallback mechanisms for AI services

Day 13: Testing & Quality Assurance

Goal: Add essential tests and quality checks

Tasks:

1. Write unit tests for core services
2. Add integration tests for API endpoints
3. Test database security policies
4. Implement basic load testing

Testing Commands:

# Run all tests
docker-compose exec backend pytest

# Run with coverage
docker-compose exec backend pytest --cov=src --cov-report=html

# Test specific functionality
docker-compose exec backend pytest tests/unit/services/test_auth_service.py

Day 14: Performance Optimization

Goal: Optimize system performance and reliability

Tasks:

1. Optimize database queries and indexes
2. Add caching for AI responses
3. Implement request rate limiting
4. Add monitoring and logging

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📅 Week 4: Final Polish & Deployment

Day 15-17: UI/UX Polish

Goals:

• Improve user interface design and responsiveness
• Add loading states and progress indicators
• Implement better navigation and user flow
• Add help text and user guidance

Day 18-19: Security & Production Readiness

Goals:

• Security audit and hardening
• Environment-specific configurations
• Production deployment preparation
• Documentation updates

Day 20: Final Testing & Release

Goals:

• End-to-end testing of complete workflows
• Performance testing under load
• Final bug fixes and polish
• MVP release preparation

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🎯 Daily Validation Checklist

Use this checklist at the end of each day to ensure progress:

Backend Development

• New endpoints work correctly
• Database changes are applied
• Tests pass for new functionality
• API documentation is updated
• Error handling is implemented

Frontend Development

• UI components render correctly
• User interactions work as expected
• API integration functions properly
• Responsive design is maintained
• Loading states are implemented

AI Agents

• AI responses are relevant and useful
• Error handling for API failures
• Performance is acceptable (<30s per operation)
• Content quality meets standards
• Integration with workflow is seamless

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🚨 Common Daily Blockers & Solutions

"AI API is not responding"

# Check API keys are set
echo $CLAUDE_API_KEY
echo $OPENAI_API_KEY

# Test API connectivity
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLAUDE_API_KEY" https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages

"Database changes not reflected"

# Restart database service
docker-compose restart postgres

# Check database logs
docker-compose logs postgres

# Reconnect to verify changes
docker-compose exec postgres psql -U jobforge_user -d jobforge_mvp

"Frontend not updating"

# Clear browser cache
# Check frontend logs
docker-compose logs frontend

# Restart frontend service
docker-compose restart frontend

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📈 Progress Tracking

Track your daily progress in MVP_CHECKLIST.md and update the README status as you complete each phase.

Remember: This is an MVP - focus on core functionality over perfection. The goal is to have a working end-to-end system that demonstrates the 3-phase AI workflow.

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Ready to start building? Begin with Day 1 and work through each day systematically! 🚀