Resume Builder Skill

Resume Builder Skill

You are helping the user build and maintain their professional resume based on evidence from their actual work—not just memory.

---

CRITICAL: Confidentiality Mandate

Never extract or include company secrets, proprietary information, or sensitive data.

When reviewing any source material:

• DO describe what the person accomplished and the impact they had
• DO identify skills, methodologies, and areas of expertise demonstrated
• DO note metrics if they're public or shareable (growth rates, scale, outcomes)
• DON'T copy proprietary content verbatim (code, strategies, processes)
• DON'T include internal project names, codenames, or client names without permission
• DON'T reveal trade secrets, confidential strategies, or unpublished work
• DON'T include credentials, internal URLs, or private contact information

The goal is to describe what the person did and what skills they demonstrated—not to document their employer's intellectual property. When in doubt, abstract it: "Led go-to-market strategy for enterprise product launch" not "Led the ProjectX launch targeting CompanyY's customers."

---

Evidence Sources

This skill can help gather resume content from multiple sources:

Source	What to Look For
Git Repositories	Commits, tech stack, architecture patterns, project scope
Documents	Reports, proposals, strategies, presentations you authored
Calendars	Projects you led, meetings you ran, initiatives you drove
Webpages	Published articles, portfolio pieces, press mentions, bios
LinkedIn	Role history, recommendations, endorsements, posts
Project Tools	Jira/Asana tickets, completed initiatives, team contributions
Published Work	Papers, articles, designs, patents, open source contributions
Performance Reviews	Documented achievements, feedback, promotions

---

Master vs. Tailored Resume

This skill uses a two-tier approach:

• Master Resume: Your complete, unabridged work history. All roles, all projects, full detail. No length limit. This is your source of truth—maintain it over time, never send directly to employers.

• Tailored Resume: A 1-2 page version derived from the master, customized for a specific job posting. Lead with relevant experience, incorporate keywords, remove less relevant content. Generate fresh for each application.

---

Available Modes

When invoked, ask which mode the user wants:

1. Update Resume - Add new roles, projects, or refine existing content in the master
2. Gather Evidence - Scan available sources for resume-worthy accomplishments
3. Generate Tailored Version - Create a targeted version from the master for a specific job
4. Export to PDF/Word - Convert a markdown resume to PDF or Word format
5. Full Workflow - Walk through the complete resume building process

---

Mode: Update Resume

1. Ask where the user's current resume lives (or start fresh)
2. Ask what they want to add or update
3. For each new item, interview the user:
   • What was the situation or challenge you faced?
   • What actions did you take?
   • What were the results or impact?
   • What skills did this demonstrate?
   • Can you quantify the outcome?
4. Write content using the established format:
   • Situation → Action → Result framing
   • Concrete metrics when available
   • Active voice with strong verbs
   • Appropriate scope (team vs. individual contribution)

---

Mode: Gather Evidence

1. Ask what sources are available to scan
2. For each source type:

Git Repositories:

• Find commits by author and date range
• Identify tech stacks from config files
• Note architectural patterns and project scope
• Suggest bullet points based on contribution volume

Documents & Files:

• Read reports, proposals, or presentations the user points to
• Extract key accomplishments and outcomes mentioned
• Identify themes and areas of expertise

Webpages & Published Work:

• Fetch articles, portfolio pages, or company announcements
• Pull quotes, metrics, or recognition mentioned
• Note the reach or impact of published work

Calendar (if accessible):

• Identify recurring meetings the user led
• Find project kickoffs and completions
• Note cross-functional collaboration patterns

3. Present findings organized by theme or time period with:
   • Source and date range
   • Key accomplishments discovered
   • Suggested resume bullet points
   • Questions to clarify with the user

---

Mode: Generate Tailored Version

Create a resume tailored to a specific job posting.

Input Options

The user can provide the job description via:

• URL — Fetch the job posting directly (e.g., LinkedIn, Greenhouse, Lever, company careers page)
• Pasted text — Job description copied into the conversation
• File path — Local file containing the job description

Process

1. Get the master resume

   • Ask where the user's master resume lives
   • Read and parse the full content

2. Get the job description

   • If URL provided: fetch the page and extract the job posting
   • If text provided: use directly
   • If file provided: read the file

3. Analyze the job requirements

   • Extract required skills and technologies
   • Identify preferred/nice-to-have qualifications
   • Note years of experience requirements
   • Identify key responsibilities
   • Look for cultural or soft skill signals

4. Map experience to requirements

   • For each job requirement, find matching experience from the master resume
   • Identify gaps (requirements not covered)
   • Identify strengths (areas where experience exceeds requirements)
   • Note transferable skills that apply even if not exact matches

5. Generate tailored resume

   • Reorder sections to lead with most relevant experience
   • Emphasize bullet points that match job requirements
   • Incorporate keywords from the posting naturally (don't keyword stuff)
   • De-emphasize or remove less relevant experience
   • Adjust technical skills section to highlight relevant technologies
   • Keep the strongest metrics that demonstrate relevant impact
   • Fit to 1-2 pages

6. Output

   • Clean markdown ready for conversion to PDF
   • Summary of what was emphasized/de-emphasized
   • Notes on any gaps the user might want to address in a cover letter

Example Interaction

User: /build-resume
Claude: Which mode? 1) Update 2) Gather Evidence 3) Tailored Version 4) Full Workflow
User: 3
Claude: Where is your master resume?
User: ./examples/master-resume.md
Claude: Got it. Now provide the job description - URL, paste the text, or give me a file path.
User: https://jobs.lever.co/company/senior-backend-engineer
Claude: [Fetches and analyzes the posting, generates tailored resume]

---

Mode: Export to PDF/Word

Convert a markdown resume to a polished PDF or Word document.

Prerequisites

Check if the user has the required tools installed:

# Check for pandoc (required)
pandoc --version

# For PDF output, one of these is needed:
# Option 1: wkhtmltopdf (recommended - simpler)
wkhtmltopdf --version

# Option 2: LaTeX (more control but heavier)
pdflatex --version

Installation (if needed)

macOS:

brew install pandoc
brew install --cask wkhtmltopdf

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install pandoc wkhtmltopdf

Windows:

choco install pandoc wkhtmltopdf

Export Process

1. Get the resume file

   • Ask for the path to the markdown resume
   • Verify the file exists and is valid markdown

2. Ask for output format

   • PDF (recommended for applications)
   • Word/DOCX (if the employer requires it)

3. Ask for output location

   • Default: same directory as source, with appropriate extension
   • Or user-specified path

4. Generate the document

For PDF (using wkhtmltopdf):

pandoc resume.md -o resume.pdf --pdf-engine=wkhtmltopdf \
  --css=style.css \
  -V margin-top=0.5in -V margin-bottom=0.5in \
  -V margin-left=0.5in -V margin-right=0.5in

For PDF (using LaTeX):

pandoc resume.md -o resume.pdf \
  -V geometry:margin=0.5in \
  -V fontsize=11pt

For Word:

pandoc resume.md -o resume.docx

5. Verify output
   • Check that the file was created
   • Report the file path and size to the user

Optional: Custom Styling

If the user wants custom styling for PDF output, create a CSS file:

/* resume-style.css */
body {
  font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;
  font-size: 11pt;
  line-height: 1.4;
  color: #333;
}

h1 {
  font-size: 18pt;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #333;
  padding-bottom: 4px;
}

h2 {
  font-size: 14pt;
  color: #444;
  margin-top: 16px;
}

h3 {
  font-size: 12pt;
  margin-top: 12px;
}

ul {
  margin: 4px 0;
}

li {
  margin: 2px 0;
}

Then export with:

pandoc resume.md -o resume.pdf --pdf-engine=wkhtmltopdf --css=resume-style.css

Example Interaction

User: /build-resume
Claude: Which mode? 1) Update 2) Gather Evidence 3) Tailored Version 4) Export PDF/Word 5) Full Workflow
User: 4
Claude: Which resume file do you want to export?
User: ./tailored-resume.md
Claude: What format? 1) PDF 2) Word
User: 1
Claude: [Checks for pandoc, exports to PDF, reports success]

---

Mode: Full Workflow

Walk through the complete process:

1. Profile Data - Pull LinkedIn or existing resume as starting point
2. Gather Evidence - Scan available sources for accomplishments
3. Interview - Ask clarifying questions for each major item
4. Draft - Write initial resume content
5. Iterate - Present for corrections and refinements
6. Finalize - Structure into polished format

---

Writing Style Guidelines

• Active voice with strong verbs (Led, Designed, Launched, Grew, Negotiated, Delivered)
• Quantify impact where possible (percentages, dollar amounts, user counts, time saved)
• SAR format — Situation, Action, Result
• Scope clarity — Distinguish solo ownership from team collaboration
• Progression — Show growth in responsibility and complexity over time
• Relevance — Prioritize accomplishments that demonstrate transferable value

Verbs by Function

Function	Strong Verbs
Leadership	Led, Directed, Managed, Oversaw, Mentored, Championed
Creation	Built, Designed, Developed, Launched, Established, Pioneered
Growth	Grew, Increased, Expanded, Scaled, Accelerated, Doubled
Improvement	Improved, Optimized, Streamlined, Transformed, Modernized
Delivery	Delivered, Shipped, Completed, Executed, Achieved, Exceeded
Analysis	Analyzed, Identified, Evaluated, Assessed, Researched
Collaboration	Partnered, Coordinated, Collaborated, Unified, Aligned