Spark-Resume-AI: We Open-Sourced 20 Years of Hiring Expertise (Free Forever)

🎉 Big news: We just open-sourced our AI resume optimizer! After 20 years of watching great candidates get filtered out by ATS systems, we decided to do something about it. And instead of selling it, we're giving it away for free. Forever.

😤 The Problem That Made Us Do This

Here's what frustrated us for two decades in recruitment:

75% of resumes never reach human eyes.

You could be the perfect candidate—skilled, experienced, passionate—but if your resume doesn't have the right keywords or formatting, the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) rejects you automatically.

We've seen:

• Brilliant software engineers rejected because they wrote "led" instead of "managed"
• Healthcare professionals filtered out for using British spelling instead of Australian
• Career changers ignored because their transferable skills weren't "obvious" to robots
• International candidates with incredible experience marked as "unqualified"

It's not fair. And it's fixable.

🎯 Introducing Spark-Resume-AI

The first open-source AI resume optimizer built specifically for the Australian job market.

⭐ GitHub: github.com/feiyu23/spark-resume-ai

What It Does

🤖 AI-Powered Analysis

• Uses Google Gemini to intelligently enhance your resume
• Understands context, not just keywords
• Generates professional summaries and job descriptions

🇦🇺 Australian Market Focus

• Optimized for SEEK, LinkedIn AU, and local ATS systems
• Australian English spelling and terminology
• Cultural fit indicators valued by Aussie employers
• Visa status considerations

📄 Smart File Parsing

• Supports PDF, Word (.docx), and text files
• Uses Microsoft MarkItDown for accurate parsing
• Handles complex layouts and formatting

🎯 30+ Industries Covered

• 10,000+ industry-specific keywords
• Healthcare, IT, Finance, Construction, Education, Mining
• Hospitality, Retail, Legal, Engineering, Government
• And many more...

📊 Real-Time ATS Scoring

• See your compatibility score before applying
• Identify missing keywords
• Get specific improvement suggestions

💼 Job Description Optimizer

• Rewrites experience with strong action verbs
• Adds quantifiable metrics
• Optimizes for Australian workplace culture

🎤 Interview Question Generator

• Prepares you for common questions
• STAR method examples
• Australian workplace culture questions

🛠️ Built With Real Tech

This isn't some toy project. It's production-ready:

• Next.js 15 + TypeScript - Modern, type-safe development
• Google Gemini API - Cutting-edge AI analysis
• Microsoft MarkItDown - Industry-standard document parsing
• Tailwind CSS - Beautiful, responsive UI
• MIT License - Use it however you want

💡 Why Open Source?

People ask us: "Why not sell this for $500 like everyone else?"

Here's why:

1. Job Seeking Is Hard Enough

You're already dealing with:

• Application rejections
• Interview anxiety
• Salary negotiations
• Career uncertainty
• Financial stress

You shouldn't have to pay $500 for a basic resume optimization tool.

2. Knowledge Hoarding Helps No One

We've accumulated 20 years of hiring data, recruitment patterns, and industry insights. What's the point of hoarding it?

When we share knowledge, everyone benefits:

• Job seekers get better tools
• Employers find better candidates
• The hiring process becomes fairer

3. Open Source Makes It Better

Already we've received:

• Bug reports that improve reliability
• Feature suggestions we never thought of
• Code contributions that expand capabilities
• Translations for multilingual support

The community makes it better than we ever could alone.

4. It's the First in a Series

Spark-Resume-AI is the beginning of the Spark Career Tools open source series.

Coming soon:

• 🔮 Spark-Salary-AI - Fair pay analysis and negotiation tools
• 🎤 Spark-Interview-AI - AI-powered interview preparation
• 🚀 Spark-Career-AI - Career planning and development paths

We're building an entire ecosystem of free career tools.

📈 What Makes It Different?

Not Just Keyword Stuffing

Other tools just spam your resume with keywords. Spark-Resume-AI:

• Understands context and meaning
• Maintains your authentic voice
• Balances ATS optimization with human readability
• Provides strategic advice, not just tactical fixes

Australian-Specific Intelligence

Built on real data from:

• 15+ years of Australian recruitment patterns
• Thousands of successful job placements
• Direct feedback from hiring managers
• Analysis of what actually works in the AU market

Technical Honesty

We tell you:

• What we can do (optimize for ATS, suggest keywords)
• What we can't do (guarantee you a job)
• Why certain suggestions matter
• When human judgment is still needed

🚀 Get Started in 5 Minutes

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/feiyu23/spark-resume-ai.git
cd spark-resume-ai

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set up your free Gemini API key
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your API key from https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey

# Run locally
npm run dev

# Open http://localhost:3000

Or Just Use the Code

Don't want to run the whole app? Just grab the parts you need:

• ai-service.ts - AI analysis functions
• ats-engine.ts - ATS scoring algorithm
• industry-keywords-database.ts - 10,000+ keywords
• australian-hiring-analyzer.ts - AU market analysis

It's all MIT licensed. Use it however you want.

🤝 How You Can Help

1. Star the Repo ⭐

If you find it useful, star it on GitHub. It helps others discover the tool.

2. Report Bugs 🐛

Found something broken? Open an issue.

3. Suggest Features 💡

Have ideas for improvements? Start a discussion.

4. Contribute Code 🛠️

Pull requests welcome! Especially interested in:

• OCR support for scanned PDFs
• Multi-language support (Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic)
• LinkedIn profile optimizer
• Cover letter generator
• Additional industry templates

5. Share With Job Seekers 📢

Know someone struggling with job applications? Share this tool. It might help them land their dream job.

🦊 About OzSparkHub

This is what we do at OzSparkHub: turn complex data into practical tools that help people.

We've been doing this for 20 years:

• Data analytics and business intelligence
• Australian employment services
• Career development tools
• Job market research

Now we're sharing it all with you.

Explore More Free Resources

• 📚 120+ Career Articles - Job hunting, salary negotiation, career growth
• 💰 What's My Worth Calculator - Salary insights
• 🤖 AI Job Threat Assessment - Future-proof your career
• 😤 Rage Quit Readiness Quiz - Know when to move on
• 🛠️ AI Tools Suite - Premium career tools

🎯 Success Stories (Already!)

We just launched, but already hearing:

"Used Spark-Resume-AI to optimize my resume. Got 3 interview requests within a week. First time in 6 months!" - Sarah, Melbourne

"As an international candidate, this helped me understand what Australian employers actually look for. Game changer." - Raj, Sydney

"Finally a tool that doesn't just spam keywords. It actually improved my resume quality." - James, Brisbane

🌟 The Bigger Mission

This isn't just about resumes.

We're building a future where:

• Career tools are accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford them
• Job seeking is fair, not just for people who know how to game the system
• Technology helps humans, instead of filtering them out
• Knowledge is shared, not hoarded

Spark-Resume-AI is one step in that direction.

🚀 What's Next?

Short Term (1-3 months)

• OCR support for image-based PDFs
• More industry templates
• Video tutorial series
• Community contributions

Medium Term (3-6 months)

• Spark-Salary-AI launch
• Multi-language support
• LinkedIn profile optimizer
• Mobile app version

Long Term (6-12 months)

• Spark-Interview-AI launch
• Spark-Career-AI launch
• Complete Spark Career Tools ecosystem
• Integration with major job boards

💙 Join the Movement

This is bigger than a single tool. It's about democratizing career resources.

Get involved:

• ⭐ Star the repo: github.com/feiyu23/spark-resume-ai
• 📧 Subscribe: Get updates on new Spark tools
• 🐦 Follow: @OzSparkHub for career tips
• 💬 Discuss: Join our GitHub Discussions

📧 Questions?

Technical questions: GitHub Issues

General inquiries: Check our FAQ or browse 120+ career articles

Professional help: Premium services at store.ozsparkhub.com.au

Made with 💙 for job seekers everywhere.

From OzSparkHub - Where Data Meets Human Touch 🦊

P.S. Check out our GitHub avatar - that's Sisi the Fox, the AI companion helping bring these projects to life!