Interview Management Portal Development

Technology Stack

WordPress
MySQL
CPT UI
Yoast SEO
HTML5
CSS3

The Client

This content management portal contains practice interview questions and answers (Q&As) for job seekers. Recruiters and interviewers can use this portal to create mock interview Q&As for freshers, mid-level executives, senior managers, and military candidates. By going through these mock Q&As, candidates can learn how to answer interview questions confidently and land more job offers.

The Challenge

The above online tool was already up for use, but the client built it on a different PHP framework, which had technical issues and layout distortions. It was time to move the solution to a new platform that would support all custom features. To this end, the client contacted Capital Numbers. He asked us to migrate every asset and content material to WordPress (WP) to make it more flexible and customized.

Our challenge was to lift-and-shift data from the existing PHP format to WP while ensuring a few critical aspects like:

Data safety
Data integrity
Minimum disruptions

We already had success stories where we moved data from old setups to new environments. But, the problem in this project was that the client provided us with huge Excel files from which we had to import data. The files had multiple custom fields. We had to rely on well-thought-out business logic to take care of the migration work so that every custom field in the old setup gets reflected in the new host as is.

The Solution

We started the project by looking at the state of the data in the old setup and the system configurations. We studied the existing database table's objects, fields, and records. Our developers planned the migration process by looking at two parts: data structure and technical elements.

Data structure: Firstly, we checked the data labels/categories in the old setup and looked for inconsistencies (if any).
Technical elements: Secondly, we brainstormed the PHP code that would help us migrate existing data to the new setup.

Since we had past experiences migrating large data sets to new environments, we could carry out the above pre-migration assessments well.

Next, we began setting up the WordPress framework as the new backend structure. We uploaded the Excel files in this new structure and started the import work with the help of custom PHP code. The custom coding scripts helped us parse Excel data and insert them into MySQL tables flawlessly. Our pool of certified PHP professionals, well-versed in custom coding, was quick enough to implement the business logic needed to move data files smoothly. We consistently checked for security flaws during the migration work and even took periodic backups to restore data if anything went wrong.

Once done with the migration work, we focused on creating extra features on WordPress to customize this interview management portal. For example, we integrated assessment lists, interview lists, transaction lists, customer lists, coupon lists, etc.

Since we were developing this software for recruiters to purchase, we needed a robust payment gateway solution. So, we chose Stripe because this payment solution accepts all popular debit and credit cards. Moreover, Stripe is secure and doesn't store card details.

Regarding the frontend part, we took care of various elements using HTML5 and CSS3. We adjusted the aesthetics and ensured it was mobile-compatible. Our PHP experts leveraged the Custom Post Type (CPT) UI plugin to administer various custom posts and taxonomies across the portal.

Finally, after completing the data migration, backend, and frontend work, we conducted manual tests to ensure nothing broke or got misrepresented.

Once we got the product thoroughly QCed, we sent it to the client, who deployed it on their self-hosted server without trouble.

Results

This 4-month project required a significant amount of sitemap planning, wireframing, structuring, mood board creation, theme development, and custom programming - each of which we handled excellently. The resulting product is a custom WordPress site offering good scalability.

Our key contributions the client was pleased with are the following:

Seamless Data Migration

We successfully moved all data and assets from the old host to the new one without causing any disruption in the process.

Custom CMS Development

The new WP host is a configurable, custom CMS portal for managing practice interviews and assessments.

SaaS Solutions

Interviewers can purchase this SaaS product for a fee to set up practice interview questions & answers for those looking for employment.

Feature-based Pricing

The number of questions and answers an interviewer can set entirely depends on the billing package he has opted for.

Multi-tiered Billing

The client/super-admin can upgrade subscribers to upper tiers and downgrade the package whenever required.

Editable Options with ACF

We used the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin to allow interviewers to add editable fields for interview questions and answers.

Yoast SEO Plugin

We leveraged the Yoast SEO Plugin to improve the portal’s searchability and page rank on Google.

Transaction List

We added a module to help the client manage all transaction histories, payments, and billing information in a single place.

Customers’ List

We also created a section where the client can manage his customers’ data and add/remove customers’ names if needed.

Assessment List

We included an assessment list to help the client get an at-a-glance overview of all the assessments set up by the interviewers.

Coupon List

We also integrated a coupon management module to help the client keep track of all the coupons generated for monthly/annual subscribers.

CPT UI

We created an elegant UI with the CPT plugin that categorizes content and offers easy navigation.

Smooth Communication on Basecamp

We carried out all client communications, live chats, collaboration, etc., on Basecamp, streamlining everything and preventing things from falling through the cracks.

Subscription-based Interview Management Portal

The resulting product is a subscription-based interview management portal that the client is happy with, leading him to drop us his positive feedback on Clutch.

A Spike in Revenue

The client even saw a spike in subscription renewals in recent months, which was a significant payoff, instilling his faith in Capital Numbers’ custom solutions even more.