Resume Crafting Skill

Analyze job descriptions and generate tailored, honest, one-page resumes. Produces Markdown source and professional PDF output via bundled script.

How to Use

Basic: provide a job description and your background

Tailor my resume for this role:

[paste job description or URL]

My background:
- 5 years as software engineer at TechCorp
- Led team of 4 on cloud migration project
- Python, AWS, Terraform
- B.S. Computer Science

With existing resume

Tailor my resume for this position:

Job: [paste JD]
My resume: [paste or attach current resume]

Career transition

I'm moving from DevOps to product management. Tailor my resume for:
[paste JD]

Transferable experience:
- Led cross-functional infrastructure projects
- Managed stakeholder relationships as TAM
- Built internal tools adopted by 100+ users

Core Principles

Ask questions, don't make things up. Unsure about a claim? Ask the user. Never fabricate experience, metrics, or titles.
Accuracy over seniority. A truthful resume beats an inflated one every time.
One page, no exceptions. Trim bullets, consolidate skills, cut filler.
Match the audience. A regional bank reads differently than a FAANG. Adjust tone, terminology, and emphasis to fit.
Keywords matter, but naturally. Incorporate JD language without keyword-stuffing.

Workflow

1. Gather Materials

Check for the user's source resume or experience document. If none exists, ask for:

Current resume or experience summary
Target role URL or job description text
Specific preferences or constraints

Do not proceed without understanding the user's real background. If information is vague, ask clarifying questions before writing.

2. Analyze the Job Description

Separate must-have vs nice-to-have requirements
Note specific technologies, tools, certifications mentioned
Identify skill gaps between user's experience and JD
Flag red flags (vague JD, "wear many hats", excessive "fast-paced") and green flags (salary disclosed, clear tech stack, team structure)
Determine the audience: startup vs enterprise, technical vs business, FAANG vs regional

3. Craft the Resume

Header

# FULL NAME (18pt bold, centered)
Contact info on one line, pipe-separated: City, State | email | phone | linkedin
Never put the target role as a subtitle. That implies you currently hold that title. Use no subtitle or the candidate's actual title/tagline.

Summary (2-3 sentences max)

Lead with years of experience + core domains + industries
Keep claims realistic and grounded
Avoid filler: "proven track record", "results-driven", "passionate", "dynamic"
Match tone to audience -- "senior technical advisor" not "executive advisor" for non-FAANG

Skills (4-5 rows max)

Lead with skills mentioned in the JD
Remove skills not relevant to the role
Format: **Category:** Skill1, Skill2, Skill3
Do NOT use markdown tables -- the PDF parser can't handle them
Include certifications inline when relevant: AWS (Solutions Architect Pro)

Experience (reverse chronological)

Always list in strict reverse chronological order. Most recent first. Double-check dates before finalizing.
Reorder bullets within each role to lead with most JD-relevant
Rewrite bullets using JD keywords naturally
Quantify impact: users, %, time saved, $ amounts
Say "internal users" for internal tools (not "users" which implies external)
Format: [Action Verb] + [What] + [How/Result] + [Impact/Metric]
Trim older roles to 2 bullets max
Remove bullets that don't support the target role

Certifications & Education

List relevant certifications by name, not count ("Solutions Architect Pro" not "12 certifications")
For expired certs: omit dates or say "earned 2020"
Include degree, school, and year

Community / Advocacy (optional)

One line max. Don't mix unrelated info here.

4. One Page Check

If the resume spills to a second page:

Trim least relevant bullets first
Consolidate skills rows
Shorten section headers
Remove filler words
Reduce spacing only as last resort

5. Post-Generation Review

After presenting the tailored resume, provide:

Strengths: What makes this candidate competitive for this specific role Gaps: Requirements not fully met and how to address them (courses, projects, reframing) Recommendations: Cover letter hooks, interview talking points, or skills to highlight

6. Generate PDF

Convert Markdown to professional PDF using the bundled script:

pip install reportlab  # one-time setup
python scripts/generate-resume-pdf.py resume.md resume.pdf

Markdown Format for PDF Compatibility

The PDF script parses a specific markdown structure. Follow this exactly:

# FULL NAME

City, State | email@example.com | 555-123-4567 | linkedin.com/in/handle

---

## PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Two to three sentences. Grounded and specific.

## SKILLS

**Category One:** Skill A, Skill B, Skill C
**Category Two:** Skill D, Skill E, Skill F

## PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

### Company Name | City, State
**Job Title** | Start Date -- End Date

- Quantified achievement bullet
- Another achievement bullet

## CERTIFICATIONS & EDUCATION

**Certifications:** Cert A, Cert B
**Education:** B.S. Field of Study, University Name, Year

Critical rules:

**bold** for skill categories and role titles, never markdown tables
Contact info uses | pipe separators on one line
--- only once (after contact info) as header divider
## for section headers, ### for company names, - for bullets

Special Considerations

Career changers: Lead with transferable skills. Reframe past experience using the target role's language. Address the transition in the summary.

Technical roles: Include a prominent skills section. List languages, frameworks, tools. Link to GitHub/portfolio if relevant.

Senior / executive roles: Focus on strategic impact, team building, revenue. Keep technical details lighter. Can extend to 2 pages if 15+ years.

Recent graduates: Lead with education. Include relevant coursework, projects, internships. Emphasize leadership in student orgs.

Non-traditional backgrounds (no degree, career gap, self-taught): Lead with experience and certifications. Don't hide gaps -- frame them positively. Certifications and projects speak louder than degrees.

PDF Spacing Reference

| Element | spaceBefore | spaceAfter | |---------|-------------|------------| | Name (H1) | -- | 8pt | | Contact line | -- | 8pt | | Section header (H2) | 8pt | 6pt | | Company header (H3) | 4pt | 1pt | | Role title | -- | 3pt | | Body text | -- | 3pt | | Bullet points | -- | 2pt | | Skill rows | -- | 2pt |

Common Mistakes

| Don't | Do | |-------|-----| | Put target role as subtitle | No subtitle or actual current title | | Use markdown tables for skills | **Category:** items format | | "12 certifications" | List by name: Solutions Architect Pro, DevOps Pro | | "proven track record" | Cut it | | Claim titles you don't hold | Describe what you did, not what you want to be | | "C-suite stakeholder management" | "Executive stakeholder engagement" | | List experience out of order | Reverse chronological -- double-check dates | | Overclaim AI/emerging tech | "Applied AI", "GenAI prototyping", "AI-driven automation" | | VP-level tone for all audiences | Match tone to company size and culture | | Fabricate metrics | Ask the user for real numbers or omit | | Include every skill you have | Only skills relevant to this JD | | Generic summary for all jobs | Rewrite summary for each application |

Tips for Best Results

Be specific: Provide the complete job description, not just a title
Share real metrics: Numbers, percentages, team sizes, dollar amounts
Mention constraints: Page limits, format preferences, sections to include/exclude
Iterate: Ask for revisions, alternative emphasis, or different tone
Multiple roles: Generate separate tailored versions for each application
Review before sending: Always verify accuracy -- the skill optimizes, you verify