Interviewer Agent (Beginner Friendly Setup)

This app runs a mock interview based on your resume and gives feedback at the end.

• Frontend: React + Vite (in client/)
• Backend: Node.js + Express (in server/)
• AI Provider: Groq API key (required)

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1) What you need before starting

Install these first:

1. Git
2. Node.js (LTS) from https://nodejs.org

After installation, open Terminal and check:

git --version
node --version
npm --version

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2) Clone the project

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd interviewer-agent

Replace <your-repo-url> with your actual GitHub repo URL.

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3) Get your Groq API key

1. Go to https://console.groq.com
2. Sign in / create account
3. Open API Keys page
4. Click Create API Key
5. Copy the key (it starts with gsk_...)

Keep this key private. Do not share it publicly.

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4) Add your API key to backend env file

Open server/.env and make sure it looks like this:

GROQ_API_KEY=your_gsk_key_here
PORT=5000

Important:

• If GEMINI_API_KEY exists in server/.env, remove it or leave it empty if you want to use Groq only.
• Never commit real API keys to GitHub.

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4.1) Configure frontend API URL (for separate deployment)

Create client/.env for local development:

VITE_DEV_API_PROXY_TARGET=http://localhost:5000

Optional: if your frontend and backend are deployed on different domains, set this in your frontend environment:

VITE_API_BASE_URL=https://your-backend-domain.com

Behavior:

• If VITE_API_BASE_URL is set, frontend requests go directly to that backend URL.
• If VITE_API_BASE_URL is not set, frontend uses relative /api/... calls (works with Vite proxy in local dev).

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5) Install dependencies

Run these commands from project root:

cd server
npm install
cd ../client
npm install

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6) Run the app locally

You need 2 terminals open.

Terminal A (backend)

cd interviewer-agent/server
npm start

You should see something like:

Interviewer API running on http://localhost:5000

Terminal B (frontend)

cd interviewer-agent/client
npm run dev

Open the URL shown in terminal (usually http://localhost:5173).

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7) How to use

1. Enter your target job role
2. Upload resume PDF (or paste resume text)
3. Answer interview questions
4. Submit all answers
5. View AI-generated interview feedback/results

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8) Troubleshooting

"Missing API Key" error

• Check server/.env exists
• Confirm GROQ_API_KEY is set and starts with gsk_
• Restart backend after editing .env

Frontend opens but API fails

• Make sure backend is running on port 5000
• Confirm frontend is running from client/ with npm run dev
• If frontend/backend are on different domains, set VITE_API_BASE_URL in frontend env
• If you see JSON.parse: unexpected character, frontend is likely receiving HTML from the frontend host instead of backend JSON; set VITE_API_BASE_URL and redeploy frontend

Port already in use

• Change PORT in server/.env (for example PORT=5001)
• If changed, set VITE_DEV_API_PROXY_TARGET in client/.env (for example http://localhost:5001)

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9) Security note

If you accidentally exposed an API key anywhere, revoke it in Groq dashboard and create a new one immediately.