A modern job site for Sierra Leone - NetworkMe SL

In 2019 I was contacted by a entrepreneurial friend of mine in Sierra Leone, who runs an organization that helps young Sierra Leonean graduates enter into the job market. Unemployment rates are high amongst young people in Sierra Leone, partly due to a mismatch in the job market. Foreign NGOs and large business would rather look abroad for employees, than to go through the effort of finding local canditates. Within the country, job listings are only advertised through word of mouth, or a few local newspapers.

As a result, I was tasked with building a online job site for my friend's organization, NetworkMe SL, which will connect young job seekers to employers in Sierra Leone.

I have been working on the project in my spare time, and it's currently reached the end of the first development phase. The following products have been built:

1. A React web-app which in broad terms contains the following functionality

i) Users can register to the site - either as an individual job seeker or as an employer organization
ii) Employers can post jobs, and edit their existing job listings iii) Employers can view the applications to their jobs, and manage the status of those applications
iv) Employers can send direct messages to the applicants, to let them know about interviews, job offers, rejections etc.
v) Job seekers can search for jobs by title or organization name.
vi) Job seekers can view a list of the most recent/popular jobs on the platform.
vii) Job seekers can apply to open job listings, and can view their past applications. Applications contain a cover letter, a CV attachment, and supporting documents attachments.
viii) Job seekers can view the messages they have received from employers, and can reply to them.

The React app uses Redux for state management, and is deployed on Firebase.

The GitHub repo for the React app can be found here

2. A Django Rest Framework API linked to a PostgreSQL database, which the React app consumes. The API and database are hosted on Heroku.

The GitHub repo for the DRF API can be found here

3. A landing page and blog, where first-time users can read about the service, and view blog posts that outline tips and tricks on how to get hired. Built in Gatsby JS, using Netflify CMS to easily allow my friend to edit content and add new blog posts. The site is hosted on Netlify.

The GitHub repo for the Gatsby JS site can be found here