Forge Steel: CareerConnect - An Intelligent Web-Based Interview Preparation Platform for Engineering Students

The increasing demand for industry-ready graduates has exposed a critical gap in accessible, integrated career preparation tools for engineering students. Existing platforms address individual components — such as mock interviews, resume building, or coding practice — in isolation, lacking a unified environment with intelligent monitoring and personalised feedback. This paper presents Forge Steel: CareerConnect, a comprehensive full-stack web-based career preparation platform that integrates six functional modules: an AI-powered mock interview simulation using the Gemini API with real-time text and voice evaluation; real-time candidate proctoring via facial landmark detection and Eye Aspect Ratio (EAR) analysis using Mediapipe and OpenCV; a topic-wise DSA coding practice environment with difficulty-level tracking; interactive aptitude and SQL modules with instant evaluation; an ATS-compatible resume builder with AI-powered keyword analysis; and a personalised analytics dashboard backed by MongoDB aggregation pipelines rendered through interactive charts. The platform follows a three-tier client-server architecture built on Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB, deployed via ngrok for external access. Testing conducted across five functional scenarios — user authentication, DSA practice, aptitude and mock tests, AI interview evaluation, and database persistence — confirmed system correctness and stability. The proposed system offers a scalable, modular solution to holistic career readiness, with direct applicability to campus placement training programmes.