I'm Felipe.

Front-End Developer

Empreguei

🌿
react django python android firebase material-design mui machine-learningci-cd

Empreguei

Tinder, but for jobs. You swipe right on opportunities, companies swipe right on you, and when there’s a match - boom, you’re chatting about employment instead of dinner plans.

The Product

Empreguei was a job matching platform with mobile apps for job seekers (swipe interface) and a web app for companies to post positions and manage candidates. The magic was in the matching algorithm - not just filtering by keywords, but actually trying to connect the right people with the right opportunities.

Check out empreguei.com.br for the full technical deep-dive.

The Numbers

  • 100k+ Google Play downloads (CV says 100k, my notes said 50k - memory is fuzzy but it was a lot)
  • 1000+ companies actively hiring through the platform
  • Endorsed by one of Brazil’s largest mall groups
  • Eventually acquired

What Made It Special

The Matching Algorithm

The core challenge was building a matching system that actually worked. We considered location, salary ranges, required skills, experience levels - the usual stuff. But as user data grew, we built a Machine Learning model that ranked matches based on actual outcomes. Which matches led to hires? Which candidates engaged with which types of jobs? The algorithm learned and improved.

Real-Time Everything

After a match, the app opened a chat interface. But not just text - we had automated interview features with voice and video responses. Companies could set up async interviews, candidates could respond on their own time. All of this needed real-time sync across three different apps (two mobile, one web).

Firebase was the backbone for the real-time stuff.

Tech Stack Firsts

This project was my introduction to several technologies that became staples of my career:

  • React for the web app - turned out to be a great bet
  • Django and DRF for the backend - also a great bet
  • Material Design and MUI for UI consistency
  • Native Android Java for the mobile app
  • CI/CD pipelines with automated deployments

The Solo Engineer Life

For most of the company’s existence, I was the only engineer. Every feature, every bug fix, every deployment, every 3 AM “the server is down” panic - all me.

It was exhausting and educational in equal measure. You learn fast when there’s no one else to ask for help.

The Ending

The company eventually shut down. Even with a solid product, strong traction, and a team that believed in the mission, startups can fail. Market timing, funding, competition - a million factors beyond code quality.

It’s a humbling reminder that building something great isn’t enough. But I’m still proud of what we built and grateful for what it taught me.

Backlinks

← CV