Rao Waqas Akram

Create freelance job proposals and cover letters with the help of OpenAI and Docker

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Rao Waqas Akram
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3 min read

Table of contents

Background

As a freelancer, it is crucial to craft an attractive proposal when bidding for jobs on platforms like Upwork to increase the chances of landing clients. In some cases, when applying for a full-time job, a cover letter is required. This letter provides an opportunity to showcase one's qualifications, suitability for the role, and motivation for applying. However, some service providers charge a fee for providing cover letter writing services.

As a software engineer, I was intrigued by this issue and decided to explore how these services work. I subsequently developed an open-source solution that provides a comprehensive solution for Cover Letter and Job Proposal writing.

What do you need to set up this?

Steps

Step 1 : Create OpenAI Key

Sign up to obtain the OpenAI Key. Copy the key and save it in a secure place.

Step 2:

Create a docker-compose.yml file in your system and paste the following content.

version: '3'
services:
  proposal-genius:
    image: raowaqasakram/proposal-genius:1.0
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - logging.level.root=INFO
      - openai.model=gpt-3.5-turbo
      - openai.api.url=https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions
      - openai.api.key=<YOUR-OPEN-AI-KEY-HERE>

Step 3 :

Modify the docker-compose.yml file by substituting the OPEN AI key in the environment variable openai.api.key=<YOUR-OPEN-AI-KEY-HERE> with your own key.

Step 4 :

Run the following command in the directory where the docker-compose.yml the file is placed.

sudo docker-compose up -d

Step 5 :

Now visit http://localhost:8080/ on your browser and test it.

A) Generate a "Job Proposal"

B) Generate a "Cover Letter"

OpenAI Pricing

Understand Pricing :

1000 tokens are roughly 750 English words. Each time you call the API, you are charged for your Input tokens and your Output tokens.

So if your prompt had 1000 tokens on the Input and 300 tokens on the output, you are charged 1300 tokens.

Free Trial Usage :

So with $18 worth of credit in the free plan, you have a total of 9,000,000 tokens available to use for a limited time period.

After Free trial :

Following the conclusion of the free trial period, it is more cost-effective to use the "proposal-genius" solution for a job proposal or a professional cover letter compared to other available service providers.

With gpt-3.5-turbo charging only $0.002 per 1,000 tokens (approximately 1 PKR per proposal), it is a highly affordable option.

Pricing varies by model, so check the Pricing page for the latest.

Conclusion

Compared to other service providers that charge a high fee for cover letters and job proposal writing, my open-source solution is a much cheaper option.

As a freelancer or job seeker, creating a compelling cover letter and job proposal is essential for success, but it can be costly to hire professional services.

Therefore, I've developed an open-source solution that provides a comprehensive cover letter and job proposal writing service. By utilizing an OpenAI Key, job seekers can access this cost-effective alternative to highly paid cover letter writing services, enabling them to showcase their skills and increase their chances of securing their desired job.

References

Open Sourcecover letterSpringbootWeMakeDevsopenai