Hackathons are always full of surprises, but this one took a twist that I’ll never forget. My team and I participated in a hackathon where we aimed to solve a real-world problem in the hiring process using Generative AI. The result? We built an end-to-end GenAI-based hiring funnel that ended up taking second place—or so we thought.
Our project focused on streamlining the recruitment process, particularly in situations where HR managers or recruiters aren’t deeply technical. It’s a common challenge: non-technical HR personnel often struggle to assess the complexity and robustness of tech projects. So, we set out to change that.
Our funnel began by automatically extracting resumes directly from recruiter emails. Once the resumes were in, we used Generative AI to analyze and rank candidates based on factors such as project difficulty, code quality, and overall skillset. This provided the HR team with a clear, easy-to-understand ranking of candidates, even without technical expertise.
We didn’t stop there, though. To take it a step further, we added a feature to schedule mock interviews with top candidates. This allowed recruiters to automatically set up interviews, ensuring that the best candidates moved through the hiring process seamlessly. The solution we built was not just a concept—it was fully functional, covering the entire recruitment flow from resume extraction to interview scheduling.
After all was said and done, we were proud of our project, but we finished second in the competition. We celebrated the second prize—goodies, recognition, and the satisfaction of knowing we had built something impactful.
Then, a few days later, something unexpected happened. We received a message that the first-place winners had been disqualified due to a rule violation. Just like that, we went from second to first place! I couldn’t believe it. That’s how I won my first hackathon, not in the way I’d imagined, but in a way that made the victory even more memorable.
Looking back, the experience taught me a lot about resilience, innovation, and the importance of never underestimating the unexpected twists that come your way. Winning isn’t always immediate, but the work you put in will eventually pay off.
Published on: rahulsingh.xyz
Written by: Me