Building the Virtual HR

I’ll Walk you through how I built a Virtual HR system an internal tool for my previous company where I worked using Express, the Slack Bolt API, and n8n. The system includes two primary features: a Leave Automation System and a Resume Parsing System.

Express.js for building the backend API.

Slack Bolt API to integrate Slack for seamless communication and workflows.

n8n for automating workflows and integrating multiple services.

Managing leave requests manually can be a time-consuming process for HR teams, so I built a leave automation system that leverages Slack for communication and n8n for automating the approval process.

Steps Involved:

Slack Integration via Slack Bolt API: Slack is the primary communication platform in many organizations, so integrating leave management into Slack made sense. I used the Slack Bolt API to create a Slack app that allows employees to submit leave requests directly from within Slack. Employees simply type a command like /leave followed by the dates and reason for the leave.

Automating Leave Requests with n8n: Once an employee submits a leave request through Slack, the request triggers an automation workflow in n8n. N8n is a powerful tool for workflow automation, so I configured a workflow that:

If HR approves the leave, the employee is notified on Slack, and their leave is marked as approved in the database.

Approval Notifications: HR can approve or reject the leave request directly within Slack. Once the decision is made, the Slack app updates the employee with their leave status, making the entire process seamless and automated.

Benefits:

Saves HR teams time by automating leave approvals.

Simplifies the leave request process for employees.

Reduces human error in managing leave data.

Hiring new talent can be a complex process, and manually going through resumes is time-consuming. The Resume Parsing System I built automatically processes resumes and extracts key information to make the hiring process more efficient.

Steps Involved:

Collecting Resumes via Slack: Just like with the leave automation system, I integrated the resume parsing feature with Slack. HRs submit the resumes they get via emails, linkden etc directly in Slack by uploading them to a designated channel. Slack’s file upload feature, combined with the Slack Bolt API, allows me to capture resumes directly.

Parsing Resumes with n8n: The resumes, once uploaded to Slack, trigger an n8n workflow. In the workflow, I used GroqAI inference engine with llama to automatically extract key information from resumes, such as:

Storing and Analyzing Data: Once the resume is parsed, the extracted information is stored in a structured format in database (MongoDB) for easy access and analysis. HR can then review the data, search for specific skills, and quickly evaluate candidates based on the parsed resume content.

Slack Notifications: HR receives a Slack notification whenever a new resume is parsed, along with a summary of key details like the candidate's name, skills, and relevant experience. This enables quick follow-ups and decision-making without the need to manually sift through resumes.

Benefits:

Speeds up the hiring process by automatically extracting important details from resumes.

Reduces manual effort in screening resumes.

Helps HR teams quickly analyze large volumes of resumes.

Express.js serves as the backbone of the application, handling incoming HTTP requests, serving API endpoints, and managing the application’s logic.

The Slack Bolt API integrates Slack into the system, making it easy for employees and HR personnel to interact with the Virtual HR system.

n8n automates workflows like leave request approval and resume parsing, connecting various services and systems to streamline processes.

By leveraging Express, Slack Bolt API, and n8n, I was able to create a Virtual HR system that automates two critical HR tasks—leave management and resume parsing. The integration of Slack makes it easy for employees and HR teams to communicate and interact with the system, while n8n’s automation powers the workflows that keep everything running smoothly.

The benefits of automating HR processes are clear: improved efficiency, time savings, and reduced errors. This project shows how powerful integrations and automation tools can transform traditional HR operations into seamless, modern workflows.