🤖 I automated candidate onboarding for a job assistance agency (from 45min to 30 seconds per file)
I recently completed an automation project for a client who runs a job search assistance service in Belgium. ❌ The problem before: For each new candidate registered via a form, she had to manually: - Create a Google Drive folder with 3 subfolders - Download and organize the CV, cover letter, diplomas - Search for matching job offers on the Forem website (Belgian public employment service) - Compare the candidate's profile with available offers - Update a Google Sheets dashboard - Send a notification for follow-up ⏱️ Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes per candidate With 10-15 new registrations per week, that easily represented 6 to 10 hours of repetitive work every week. ✅ The solution: A 33-node n8n workflow that does everything automatically as soon as a candidate submits the form: 1. Data reception → Webhook connected to Tally form 2. Smart matching → Double-filter algorithm that compares the profile to job offers (job title, location, skills, contract type...) 3. Client folder creation → Complete structure on Google Drive 4. Document organization → CV, letters, diplomas uploaded automatically 5. Dashboard updated → All info + links to matched offers 6. Notification → Telegram alert to inform that a new candidate is ready 🏆 Results: - Before: 30-45 min/candidate → After: ~30 seconds - Before: Manual job search → After: Automatic matching with scoring - Before: Risk of forgetting/errors → After: 100% standardized process - Before: 6-10h/week → After: Time freed up for human support According to stats, automation can reduce candidate processing time by up to 50% and HR teams can save up to 15 hours per week. 🔧 Challenges encountered: 1. Tally data mapping → The form had 50+ fields with different formats (checkboxes, multi-select, files...). I had to create a "cleaning" node to normalize everything. 2. The matching algorithm → Finding the right balance between "too strict" (few results) and "too broad" (irrelevant results). I opted for a 2-level system: broad filter then precise scoring. 3. File management → Downloading files from Tally and uploading them to Google Drive with the correct naming in the correct folder.