Hi, I’m Stefan, a software engineer building a tool I wish existed earlier.
I recently started working on a side project called Devapply, a bot that automatically finds developer jobs, creates personalized application documents using AI, and even sends the applications for you—while you sleep.
This wasn’t a sudden idea. It came from watching the market and the community.
Even though I’m not actively looking for a job right now, I’ve been seeing developers all around me—especially in Portugal—sharing their struggles: fewer openings, more competition, and the burnout of endless job applications.
So I thought, maybe there’s something I can build that actually helps. A tool to spot the best job openings early (only listing with less then 24 hours), prepare a personalized application instantly, and give developers a head start before the rest of the market even knows the role exists.
And it’s also a great excuse to practice and apply some real-world software engineering and AI architecture concepts:
- Scalability & parallel job processing
- Queue-based architecture (BullMQ)
- Agentic AI document generation workflows
- Multimodal AI (different models used for different steps based on strengths)
- Email automation & delivery tracking
- Background workers and event-driven systems
- Personalization at scale
- GDPR-aware user data handling
And yes—this is built for developers in Portugal, and only scrapes job opportunities from Portuguese sources for now.
😓 The Problem: Applying for Jobs Sucks
If you’ve been job hunting as a developer, you know the pain:
- Rewriting your resume 10 times for similar roles
- Trying to stand out with generic cover letters
- Spending hours copying/pasting job requirements
- Writing awkward emails to recruiters
It feels like a full-time job in itself.
And it’s especially bad if you’re:
- Already working full-time and trying to switch
- Freelancing but want stability
- Getting ghosted despite doing all the right things
So I thought:
What if I automate all of it?
🤖 The Idea: Automate the Entire Developer Job Application Pipeline (Portuguese market only)
Devapply is a tool built specifically for developers. Here's how it works:
- Finds New Dev Jobs in Portugal:
- It looks for new jobs daily from sources inside Portugal.
- Filters them based on your preferences (location, stack, remote/flex).
- Generates Tailored Applications:
- Uses a multimodal AI workflow to build your resume, cover letter, and application email.
- Each model is used based on its specific strengths (e.g., summarizing vs. writing).
- Sends the Application for You:
- For job posts with recruiter emails, it applies in your name.
- You wake up to a notification: “3 applications sent. Docs ready.”
🏛️ Why I Chose to Focus on Developers First
There are plenty of resume tools out there, but:
- None are focused on developers
- None handle the full application lifecycle
- Most stop at: "Here's a resume template. Good luck!"
I wanted to create something that understands developer workflows, tech stacks, and expectations. Something that doesn’t just offer tips — it takes action.
Also, devs are:
- Open to automation
- Often juggling multiple opportunities
- Willing to pay for tools that save time and mental energy
So Devapply is developer-first by design.
🚀 What I’ve Built So Far
- The scraper for Portuguese job boards is live and working
- The AI document builder (resume + cover letter + email) is up and running
- The email sender uses dynamic reply-to setup for user identity
- The pipeline is queue-based with BullMQ for reliability and speed
- Most pieces are built — now I’m integrating them into one seamless flow
It already works for me.
Now I want it to work for others.
🚀 What’s Next
- Finish the user dashboard (see jobs, generated kits, application status)
- Write more technical articles about how I built each part (this is the first)
I'm planning to charge later, but early adopters will get free access during the beta. My goal is to learn with real users, refine the system, and see if it truly solves the problem.
🌐 Why I’m Sharing This
If you’re a dev in Portugal, recruiter, indie hacker, or just curious — I’d love your feedback.
- Would you use something like this?
- Do you think its something worth building?
- What would make it better?
This is not just a product. It’s an experiment — and your input helps shape what it becomes.
📅 Follow the Journey
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be publishing more details on:
- How I scrape developer jobs in Portugal
- Queue-based automation and scaling workers
- Multimodal AI workflows for document generation
- Email delivery + identity handling
- GDPR compliance considerations
- Real feedback from users (and what breaks!)
If that sounds interesting, follow me.
You can also:
- Join the waitlist
- DM me on X (@Ste_ravy)
- Or drop your thoughts in the comments — I’m open :)
Thanks for reading,
Stefan
Top comments (4)
Love seeing a truly dev-first approach that goes way beyond a resume builder. Any plans to open up to other countries soon?
Thanks @dotallio
And Yes, I’m planning to expand to other countries very soon. I’m starting with Portugal for testing purposes, to refine the app in a more controlled environment before scaling up.
The technical challenge is very interesting!!
I will be around to learn how you tackle each road block !
Thanks @kevenandrade
I was trying to find an excuse to use those concepts and finally have.
I will make sure to share as much as possible during the build