How we built the hirex.az platform for job seekers and companies

Hirex.az is a job platform in Azerbaijan that brings together people looking for work and companies looking for staff. A company posts a job for free, the listing appears on the site after it's checked, and a candidate finds the vacancy by field and city and sends an application. The platform was built by the Shaftali.az team.

Below we show how the site works for candidates, companies and the admin, and then talk about which decisions matter for a business that wants to build a job board like this. We counted all the figures on the site itself on 15 November 2026.

What Hirex.az is and who it's for

Hirex.az is an online job listings platform. The site has two audiences, and each has its own path. A job seeker browses vacancies, opens a suitable listing and applies. An employer signs up, writes up its vacancy and receives applications. For companies, both signing up and posting jobs are free, and the site's “FAQ” section says so separately.

As of 15 November 2026, the site has 47 active vacancies. The “Companies” page lists 160 employers, 20 of which currently have open listings. Most listings are for the capital: the Baku page shows 45 vacancies. The positions vary: teacher, waiter, barista, cashier, sales assistant, internal auditor, truck driver. Some listings were written by employers in Russian, while the site's interface is in Azerbaijani.

The hardest thing on a job platform is trust. A candidate wants to know that a listing belongs to a real company, and a company needs to be sure that applications reach it on time and in full. On Hirex.az the rules for each side are set up separately, and we go through them one by one below.

How a candidate finds a vacancy

The home page opens with a search bar, with the number of active vacancies written above it. As soon as a candidate starts typing a position or company name, results appear in a dropdown below. Typing “müəl”, for example, brings up teacher (müəllim) vacancies along with the company name and city. Under the search bar are a Baku button (with the listing count next to it) and the categories that have active listings. Further down, vacancies are laid out in blocks by category, and each block has a “View all” link. The page ends with the latest blog posts, a short text explaining the platform and six questions and answers.

Azerbaijani letters don't get in the way of search. Many people don't type “ə”, “ş” or “ü” on their phones. On Hirex.az the query “muellim” returns the same 7 results as “müəllim”, and “satis” works like “satış” (sales). It looks like a small detail, but without it some candidates would see “nothing found” and leave the site.

The “Vacancies” page shows listings 12 per page, with category buttons at the top showing the number of listings in each field. The “Categories” page has 11 job fields. As of 15 November 2026, listings are split across fields like this:

Each category has its own page and search within that field. Fields with no listings stay in the list, but those pages are hidden from Google (noindex), because an empty list gives someone arriving from search nothing.

A vacancy card shows the position, company, salary or a “Negotiable” note, city, category and when the listing was posted (“1 day ago”, “2 weeks ago”). For a company without a logo, the card shows the first letter of its name, so the list doesn't look empty. Even without opening the listing, a candidate can tell whether it's worth their time.

What's on a vacancy page

On desktop, a listing page has two columns. On the left is the vacancy itself: title, company, salary, city, work schedule, work format, category, the listing date and how many times it's been viewed. Below that comes the “Vacancy details” table, with the position, company, field, location, schedule, format, salary, listing date and application deadline. After the table, the employer's own text begins: duties, requirements and working conditions.

The table matters because the same information sits in the same place in every listing. Each company writes its text in its own style, one at length, another in two lines. But the candidate always finds the salary, schedule and deadline in the table. As of 15 November 2026, 34 of the 47 listings state an amount (30 give a range like “400–800 ₼”, 4 an exact figure), and 13 say “Negotiable”. 41 listings give an application deadline. By work format, 45 listings are office jobs and 2 are hybrid.

The right column holds the application block, a warning about fake listings and an email subscription. The warning is the same on every vacancy: don't transfer money to an employer, and if you're asked to pay to get the job or for paperwork, that should raise suspicion. In the subscription form, a candidate enters their email and gets a message whenever a new listing is published in that category. At the end of the page are similar vacancies from the same field and a link to all listings in that category.

Applications go three ways

Each company chooses how it wants to receive applications, and the button on the vacancy page changes accordingly. If the form on the site is chosen, the button opens the application form. If email is chosen, the “Send email” button opens the mail app, and the address is written under the button. If the company has its own application page, the button leads there. As of 15 November 2026, of the 47 active listings, 35 accept applications by email, 10 through the site form and 2 via the company's own link.

The form on the site asks for first name, last name, phone, email and a CV file; a cover letter is optional. The CV can be PDF, DOC or DOCX, up to 4 MB. The send button is locked at first. The candidate clicks “Send code”, a 6-digit code arrives by email, and the code is valid for 10 minutes. After the code is entered, the email is confirmed and the application can be sent. No account is needed for this. Only the real owner of the address can get the code, so applications don't go out with a mistyped email, and the company can reply to the candidate.

The text on the apply button is also being tested. Some people who open a vacancy see a calm “Apply now”, others a version that urges them to apply today. On a job site this is the most important button, and a test like this shows which text brings more applications.

The path connecting a candidate with an employer is built differently on every platform. On the icare24.az rental platform, the renter calls the listing owner or messages them on WhatsApp, because speed is what counts there. An employer, though, needs a CV and wants to receive applications in one place and in the same format. That's why on Hirex.az applications come with a CV file both through the form and by email.

Company account and listing review

Company sign-up is a short form: company name, email, phone and password. Above the form it says upfront that admin approval is required. According to the site's “FAQ” section, the company fills in its profile details and logo and can post vacancies once the account is approved. A listing's path looks like this:

1. the company opens an account and the admin approves it;
2. the company writes the vacancy and chooses the field, city, schedule, salary and application method;
3. the listing goes to the admin for review;
4. an approved listing immediately appears on the site, on the category and city pages, in the sitemap file and in the RSS feed;
5. when the company edits the listing, it goes through a short review again;
6. applications arrive in the “Applications” section of the company panel, where CV files and candidates' contact details are collected and the status of each application is changed.

Review has its cost. A listing doesn't appear instantly, and someone has to look at new listings and new companies every day. In return, fake and duplicate listings stay off the site and the list stays clean. We tell clients who order a listings platform this at the start of the work: moderation is one feature in the software, but it takes someone's time every day, and that person needs to be decided on in advance.

Every company has its own page. It shows the contact phone, email and open vacancies, with other companies that are hiring below. On the “Companies” page, 160 employers are sorted by number of listings, and the list can be searched by name. A candidate sees all of one company's listings in one place, and a company can send its page to candidates as a link.

Candidate dashboard and CV builder

No account is needed to apply, but a candidate can sign up if they want. The form asks for first name, last name, email and password, and then the email is confirmed. The login page sums up what the dashboard is for in one sentence: managing your CV and tracking your applications.

According to a guide on the site's own blog, the dashboard has a CV builder. The CV is divided into sections: personal details, work experience, education, skills (each with a level from 1 to 5), languages and certificates. A candidate who already has a CV uploads the PDF, the system reads the text and fills in the form itself, and the candidate only checks and corrects it. The finished CV is previewed in A4 format and downloaded as a PDF.

The same guide says that a profile with the main details filled in appears in the candidate database, and only companies approved by the admin can access that database. Set up like this, the platform works in two directions: candidates search for vacancies, and companies search for candidates by field, city and skills. We also built a catalog made of profiles for the Tutor.az tutoring platform.

The candidate dashboard is one of the most time-consuming parts of the project. A CV editor, reading from PDF, previews and a candidate database for companies mean separate screens, separate checks and protection of personal data. That's why we often plan features like these as a separate stage.

How protection against fake listings works

On a job site, fake listings are one of the most serious problems. A listing that asks for “payment to get the job” deceives the candidate and damages the platform's name as well. On Hirex.az the protection has several layers:

• a company account starts working only after admin approval;
• every vacancy is checked before it's published and checked again after editing;
• every vacancy page has a warning against transferring money to an employer;
• when applying through the site, the candidate's email is confirmed with a code;
• the contact form has a captcha with a simple arithmetic question;
• the folders with CV files are blocked from search engine crawlers in robots.txt.

None of these layers solves everything on its own. Together, they make it harder for a fake listing to appear on the site and keep candidates' personal data out of search.

How we prepared the platform for Google

A job seeker often types a position and a city into Google, for example “teacher vacancy Baku” or “barista job”. Search engines recognize a job listing from the JobPosting markup (Schema.org) on the page. On Hirex.az every vacancy has this markup: job title, employer, date posted and valid-through date, employment type, city and, if a salary is given, the minimum and maximum amount in AZN. On top of that:

• every vacancy, category, company and city has its own readable URL, for example /vacancies/cap-operatoru-401 and /vakansiyalar/baki;
• the title tag of list pages includes the number of active listings, and the figure updates by itself;
• only active vacancies and companies with open listings go into the sitemap.xml file, which had 89 URLs as of 15 November 2026;
• search results, empty categories and candidate login pages are closed with noindex;
• robots.txt blocks the admin panel, company dashboard, application forms and CV folders from crawlers;
• questions and answers on the home page and the “FAQ” page carry FAQ markup, and pages have a canonical tag and breadcrumbs;
• there are two separate RSS feeds, for new vacancies and for blog posts.

The fate of expired listings has been thought through as well. According to the “FAQ” page, a listing past its deadline drops out of the active lists, and its page says that it has expired. Someone arriving through an old link doesn't see a blank page, and the sitemap file keeps only live listings.

The “Career Blog” section has 8 posts: how to write a CV, how to make a free CV on the site, LinkedIn profiles, job hunting in Baku, and jobs in education and marketing. Posts like these also bring in people who aren't looking at vacancies yet but are thinking about work.

How the platform works on a phone

Most job seekers open the site on a phone. That's why the mobile version has a fixed menu at the bottom of the screen: Vacancies, Categories, “Post a job” with a round “+” button in the middle, Companies and “Log in”. Tapping “Log in” opens a panel from the bottom with two options: “Candidate login” (with “I'm looking for a job” underneath) and “Company login” (with “I'm hiring and posting a job” underneath). People simply pick their situation without having to work out which account they need.

On 15 November 2026 we checked the site in Chrome's phone mode (Pixel 7 screen). Pages fit the width of the screen, with no sideways scrolling. In most measurements, the main content of the home page and the vacancy list appeared in about 0.7–0.8 seconds, and a vacancy page's in 0.7–1.2 seconds. These numbers vary with internet speed. The site is written in Laravel on PHP 8.2, and the interface is built on Bootstrap 5.

A job platform or a careers section on your site

Not every company that wants to show vacancies needs a portal. It all depends on who will be posting the listings. If a company is only hiring for itself, a “Careers” page and an application form inside a corporate website are enough. A project where other companies post listings too and candidates create accounts is a portal, and it needs entirely different parts:

A portal can also be built in stages. In the first stage, vacancies, categories, the company dashboard and moderation go live. The candidate dashboard, CV builder and subscription are left for later stages. This way the site launches quickly, listings start coming in, and the remaining features are added based on how real users behave.

How a portal like this is built and what it costs

A job platform like Hirex.az (two account types, moderation, category and city pages, an application form, subscription, a blog and SEO) falls into the portal range in our price list. With us, a project like this starts at 1,500 AZN and takes 1–2 months, sometimes longer, with the work done in stages. This is our regular price and doesn't reflect Hirex.az's budget; the exact amount depends on the features. All our rates are on the prices page. The stages usually go like this:

1. Days 1–5Roles and listing fields What candidates, companies and the admin can do, which fields a vacancy will have (salary, schedule, format, deadline), and which ways applications will be accepted.
2. Days 6–14Design Home page, vacancy list, vacancy and company pages, dashboards and the application form. We think through every screen for the phone first.
3. Days 15–40Development Vacancy database, search, category and city pages, two account types, email confirmation, CV upload, admin panel and moderation.
4. Days 41–50Notifications and SEO Subscription emails, RSS feeds, JobPosting markup, sitemap, robots.txt, title and description tags.
5. Days 51–60Testing and launch Testing every path from sign-up to application, checks on the phone, connecting Search Console and posting the first listings.

Dashboards and roles affect the timeline the most. When the candidate dashboard, CV builder, reading from PDF and the candidate database go into the first stage, the project can take longer than two months. Domain, hosting and SSL are free for the first year, basic SEO setup is included in the price, and corporate email is also set up free of charge for our website clients.

What to prepare before ordering a job platform

If the answers to these questions are ready before work starts, the project goes faster and more smoothly:

• who does what on the platform: candidate, company, admin and, if needed, a separate moderator;
• which vacancy fields are required: salary, city, schedule, work format, deadline;
• the list of categories and cities, and which of them will be created in advance;
• how applications will be accepted: through the form on the site, by email, via the company's own link, or all three;
• who will review listings and company accounts, and how much time a day will go to it;
• how the platform will make money: free listings plus ad space, paid listings, or neither for now;
• whether the candidate dashboard, CV builder and candidate database are needed in the first stage;
• texts on terms of use and personal data protection, since the site will collect CVs and phone numbers.

Posting jobs on Hirex.az is free, and there's an ad block on the home page and in the vacancy list. Right now it carries Shaftali.az's own ad. The revenue model has to be chosen in advance, because paid listings or promoted placement need separate work in the database, the dashboard and the payment system.

We go through most of these questions together at the first meeting and make decisions there on the ones that don't have answers yet.

Frequently asked questions

Is posting a vacancy on Hirex.az paid?

No. According to the site's “FAQ” section, company sign-up and posting vacancies are free. The company account and every listing go through an admin check, and the listing appears on the site after approval.

Do you need to sign up to apply for a vacancy?

No. In the form on the site, the email is confirmed with a 6-digit code and a CV file is attached. In some listings, applications go by email or via the company's own link. The candidate account is for building a CV and tracking applications.

How many vacancies and companies does Hirex.az have?

As of 15 November 2026, it has 47 active vacancies and 11 job fields. The “Companies” list has 160 employers, 20 of which have open listings. The numbers change every day.

How much does a job listings platform cost and how long does it take?

With us, portals and listings platforms start at 1,500 AZN, and the work goes in stages over 1–2 months or more. Domain, hosting and SSL are free for the first year, basic SEO setup is included in the price, and corporate email is set up free of charge.

Why do listings need to be reviewed?

To keep fake and duplicate listings off the site. On Hirex.az the company account is checked first, then every vacancy, and an edited listing goes back for review. In return, someone has to spend time on new listings every day.

What happens to an expired vacancy?

A listing past its deadline drops out of the active lists, and its page says that it has expired. Only active vacancies go into the sitemap file.

Is the platform easy to use on a phone?

Yes. The mobile version has a fixed menu at the bottom of the screen, the “+” button in the middle leads to posting a job, and “Log in” separates candidate and company logins. Pages fit the width of the screen, with no sideways scrolling.

What technology is Hirex.az built with?

The site is written in Laravel on PHP 8.2, and the interface is based on Bootstrap 5. Vacancy pages have JobPosting markup, and the site has a sitemap and two RSS feeds.

Key points

Hirex.az is a two-sided platform, and its main job is to keep trust between the two sides. Checking company accounts and every listing, information given the same way in a table, applications with a confirmed email and the warning on every vacancy all serve that purpose. Search, category and city pages, subscriptions and JobPosting markup bring candidates to the listings.

If you want to launch your own job platform, start with the roles and the listing fields. Once it's clear who does what, what goes into a listing and where an application goes, the rest becomes a matter of design and development.