resume-tailor

Imported from X-curiosity/Personal_AI_agent_job_application (Agent_skills/resume_tailor/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add X-curiosity/Personal_AI_agent_job_application --skill resume_tailor. Copyright stays with the author.

Resume Tailor Skill

This skill provides instructions for optimizing and tailoring a candidate's resume to a specific job description, adhering strictly to evidence-based facts and following Harvard College's resume best practices. It manipulates a specific Microsoft Word (.docx) template provided by the user.

Objective

To strategically rephrase, reorder, and highlight existing experience in a candidate's resume so it aligns perfectly with the target job's requirements, all without fabricating any information, while formatting it into a professional .docx template.

Prerequisites

1. Candidate's Base Resume: Provided by the user, ideally in .docx format, or text/markdown.
2. Job Description: The target role the candidate is applying for.
3. Resume Template (.docx): A specific Word document template provided by the user that will be used as the base for the final tailored resume.

Harvard Resume Guidelines

When tailoring bullet points and content, strictly follow these Harvard College rules:

• Be specific rather than general.
• Use active language rather than passive.
• Write to express, not impress. Be articulate rather than "flowery".
• Be fact-based: Quantify and qualify results where possible.
• Scannability: Write for people who or systems that scan quickly.
• DO NOT use personal pronouns (such as I or We).
• DO NOT abbreviate, use narrative style, or use slang/colloquialisms.
• DO list headings in order of importance, and within headings, list information in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
• DO be consistent in format and content.

Process

When asked to tailor a resume, follow these steps strictly:

1. Analyze the Job Description

• Extract the core requirements, keywords, and primary responsibilities of the role.

2. Fact-Based Tailoring (No Hallucinations)

• Rephrasing: Rewrite existing bullet points to incorporate keywords from the job description only if the original meaning supports it. Follow the Harvard Guidelines (active, specific, fact-based, no personal pronouns).
• Reordering: Move the most relevant experiences, skills, and bullet points to the top of their respective sections.
• Highlighting: Emphasize accomplishments that directly prove the candidate can handle the target role's responsibilities.
• Pruning: Remove or condense irrelevant experience to save space and maintain focus.
• Strict Rule: DO NOT INVENT metrics, job titles, technologies used, or responsibilities. Every claim must trace back to the original resume.

3. The Process

1. Information Extraction:

   • Extract the core skills and requirements from the target Job Description.
   • Read the candidate's base resume (e.g., using python-docx if .docx).

2. Harvard Bullet Re-writing:

   • Map the candidate's existing experience to the required skills.
   • Re-write each bullet point following the strict Harvard rules above. Do NOT hallucinate.

3. From-Scratch Programmatic Generation (MUST FIT 1 PAGE):

   • CRITICAL: Resumes MUST never exceed 1 page.
   • CRITICAL: Do NOT try to modify complex .docx templates using replace text, as this breaks formatting (tabs, indents, bullets).
   • Write a custom Python script using python-docx that generates a brand-new, flawlessly formatted document from scratch using Investment Banking standards:
     • Font size: Start with 10pt (Times New Roman or Arial).
     • Narrow margins (0.5 inches).
     • Bold section headers with bottom borders (underlines).
     • Top line of each experience (Company/School) must be Bold and ALL CAPS.
     • Second line of each experience (Position/Degree and Dates) must be Italicized.
     • ALL months must be spelled out fully (e.g. "August" instead of "Aug").
     • Add 2-3pt spacing between experiences so the page feels full.
     • Perfectly right-aligned dates/locations using paragraph tab stops.
     • Include a tailored 2-3 sentence PROFILE at the top.
   • Iterative Length Verification (MANDATORY):
     • python-docx cannot detect page breaks or page count natively.
     • After generating the .docx file, you MUST ask the user: "Does the resume fit on exactly one page?"
     • If the user reports it exceeds one page, apply fixes in this order:
       1. Prune the weakest or least-relevant bullet points.
       2. Reduce spacing between experiences from 2-3pt to 0pt.
       3. Reduce font size from 10pt to 9.5pt (never go below 9pt).
       4. Reduce margins from 0.5 inches to 0.4 inches (never go below 0.3 inches).
     • Regenerate the .docx and ask again.
     • Repeat until the user confirms it fits exactly one page.
     • Do not finalize or deliver the .docx until the user confirms.
   • Save the finalized document directly for the user.

Output Format

1. Summary of Changes: A brief list of what was highlighted, what keywords were added, and what was removed.
2. New Resume Content: A newly generated .docx file based on the provided template, or tailored markdown text if programmatic insertion fails.
3. Fact-Check Guarantee: A statement confirming that no new facts were invented during the tailoring process and that Harvard guidelines were followed.