Resume Studio

Upgrade resume work from "rewrite some bullets" to a complete resume pipeline:

Understand and improve the content.
Align it to the target job or target direction.
If a designed artifact is requested, consult frontend-design and create a resume-specific HTML layout.
Export a render-balanced A4 single-page PDF.
Validate density, page count, and readability before handing it back.

This skill is for both content and artifact generation. Do not stop at generic advice when the user clearly wants a finished resume.

Content tailoring in this skill is adapted from tailored-resume-generator and extended for designed resume artifact generation.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user asks for any of the following:

Tailoring a resume for a job description
Improving or rewriting an existing resume or CV
Converting a resume PDF into a stronger version
Making a resume ATS-friendly
Generating a beautiful resume PDF or HTML
Creating a one-page A4 resume
Fixing weak spacing, awkward density, or ugly resume layout
Producing multiple resume variants such as ATS, designed, balanced, or fast-open

If the user mentions a resume file, PDF, DOCX, or existing resume content and wants it improved or reformatted, use this skill.

Output modes

Pick the output mode that matches the request. If the user does not specify, choose the best default and explain the choice briefly.

ATS mode Best for bulk applications and recruiter systems. Simple structure, standard headings, low styling.
Balanced PDF mode Default designed output. Preserve strong design quality while avoiding the heavy visual effects that make PDFs render slowly.
Fast-open PDF mode Use when the user explicitly prioritizes fast opening, instant clarity, or viewer compatibility over visual flair.
Content-only mode Use when the user only wants revised markdown/text/JSON resume content and not an artifact.

Core workflow

1. Gather source material

Start from what the user already has:

Existing resume PDF, DOCX, markdown, or plain text
Portfolio/project descriptions
Job description
Notes about target role, industry, geography, or seniority

If a job description exists, prefer getting the full posting plus company name and job title.

If the user already has a resume, use it as the foundation. If not, gather only the highest-value missing inputs:

Work history with titles, companies, dates, and responsibilities
Education
Core skills and tools
Notable achievements, metrics, or scope
Certifications, awards, publications, or links when relevant

Ask only for high-risk gaps. Do not interrogate the user for minor polish decisions if a reasonable assumption is enough.

2. Analyze job requirements

If a job description is provided, classify requirements:

Priority	Meaning
P1	Must-have qualifications, deal-breakers, and keywords that must appear
P2	Strongly preferred skills, adjacent experience, and important competencies
P3	Bonus signals, culture alignment, and nice-to-have tools

Explicitly extract:

Must-have qualifications such as years of experience, required skills, and education
Key technical skills, tools, and methodologies
Soft skills such as communication, leadership, or collaboration
Industry knowledge or domain experience
Repeated keywords and phrases for ATS
Company values, tone, or culture signals

If no job description exists, infer a target direction from the user's background and stated goal.

3. Map candidate experience to requirements

For each important requirement:

Identify matching experience from the candidate's background
Use transferable skills if there is no direct match
Note gaps that should be de-emphasized, reframed, or addressed in recommendations
Identify unique strengths that deserve top placement

Use this mapping to:

Re-rank the summary
Reorder skills
Choose which projects and bullets deserve top placement
Inject exact terminology naturally for ATS
Decide what to omit, compress, or move down

4. Structure the tailored resume content

Turn the raw source into structured resume content before designing.

Always extract or produce these sections where applicable:

Name and contact details
Professional summary
Skills grouped by category
Experience
Projects
Education

Optional sections when they materially help:

Certifications and licenses
Awards or recognition
Publications or speaking
Volunteer work relevant to the role
Additional links such as GitHub, portfolio, or case studies

Improve the copy before designing:

Clarify role scope and value
Reorder content by relevance
Tighten weak bullets
Use action-result phrasing
Quantify impact when truthfully available
Remove fluff, repetition, and vague filler
Use exact target-role terminology when a job description exists

For experience bullets, prefer:

[Action] + [What] + [How] + [Result or value]

5. Optimize for ATS and recruiter scanability

Keep the content machine-readable and recruiter-readable at the same time.

Prefer:

Standard section headings
Exact target-role terminology used naturally
Both acronym and full-form terminology where relevant
Straightforward chronology and consistent labels
Skills that can be substantiated by the candidate's actual experience

Avoid:

Keyword stuffing
Decorative formatting that breaks parsing
Unsupported claims added only to satisfy a posting
Overly creative section names in ATS-oriented variants

6. Format and present

For content-only delivery, default to markdown unless the user requests plain text or another format.

Use these formatting rules:

Keep to one page for candidates with under 10 years of experience unless the user clearly needs more
Two pages can be appropriate for more senior profiles when the content truly justifies it
Use reverse chronological order unless a career-change case clearly benefits from a hybrid structure
Keep contact information prominent
Maintain a clean, scannable layout with white space and consistent spacing

If the user wants a designed artifact, continue into the HTML and PDF workflow below rather than stopping at text.

7. Provide strategic recommendations

After delivering the tailored resume, provide brief high-value follow-through when useful:

Strengths analysis: what makes the candidate competitive for this role
Gap analysis: what requirements are not fully met and how to address them honestly
Interview preparation: talking points and stories suggested by the revised resume
Cover letter hooks: 2 to 3 angles or opening lines worth expanding

Keep this concise when the user mainly wants a finished artifact, but do not omit important gaps or risks.

8. Iterate and refine

Offer refinement paths when they materially help:

Adjust emphasis or tone
Add or remove sections
Generate alternative versions for different roles
Produce ATS and designed variants from the same source
Create more conservative or more modern visual versions when a designed output is requested

Content standards

Summary

Write 2 to 4 short lines, not a bloated paragraph.

Include:

Seniority or years of experience
Core technical angle
Domain or industry angle
Distinguishing strength relevant to the target role

Skills

Group skills into clear categories. Good categories:

Languages / Frameworks
Frontend / Backend
Web3 / Solana
Infrastructure / Tools

When a job description exists:

Put required tools and core technologies first
Use the exact terminology used in the job description where truthful

Do not dump every keyword into one line. Keep groups scannable.

Experience and projects

Lead with the highest-signal items.

Put the most relevant work first, not necessarily the oldest
Keep each bullet specific
Avoid bullets that only describe responsibility without value
Do not fabricate metrics
If metrics are unavailable, express scope or effect clearly
Reorder bullets within a role to emphasize the best target-role matches
Highlight outcomes, scale, ownership, and tools used

Truthfulness

Never fabricate experience, titles, metrics, timelines, or shipped work.

Career stage and candidate type adjustments

Adapt the resume strategy to the candidate, not just the job description.

Career changers

Emphasize transferable skills
Build a narrative that explains the transition clearly
Use projects and adjacent experience to bridge credibility gaps

Recent graduates

Lead more strongly with education, projects, internships, and relevant coursework
Highlight leadership, initiative, and hands-on work
Avoid padding the resume with weak filler experience

Senior executives

Lead with an executive summary
Focus on strategic scope, leadership, growth, and organizational impact
Include board, speaking, or public credibility signals when they matter
Emphasize revenue, hiring, operational scale, and transformation outcomes

Technical roles

Keep technical skills prominent
Include GitHub, portfolio, or equivalent links when relevant and available
Mention engineering practices or methodologies such as Agile when they help the fit

Creative roles

Include portfolio links prominently
Highlight campaigns, shipped creative work, or client outcomes
Mention relevant tools and software proficiencies
Allow a slightly more expressive designed layout while preserving ATS readability when needed

Length and personal-information rules

Prefer one page for candidates with under 10 years of experience unless the user clearly needs more
Two pages can be appropriate for more senior profiles when the content truly justifies it
Avoid first-person pronouns
Do not include age, photo, marital status, or similar personal details unless explicitly required for a specific market and the user asks for it
Do not list every historical role if it weakens relevance; compress or omit low-signal older experience when appropriate

Designed artifact workflow

When the user wants a designed resume artifact, do not directly jump from raw text to PDF. Use this sequence:

Improve the resume content.
Decide the design direction from the content itself.
Read the bundled frontend-design guidance at references/frontend-design/SKILL.md.
Load only the relevant frontend-design reference files for the task.
Create HTML first.
Export PDF from the HTML.
Validate visual balance and rendering behavior.

Bundled frontend-design guidance

resume-studio includes a vendored copy of the full frontend-design skill under references/frontend-design/, so users do not need to pre-install frontend-design separately.

When the user wants a designed resume artifact, always read:

references/frontend-design/SKILL.md

Then consult only the reference files needed for the current design problem:

references/frontend-design/reference/typography.md for type scale, pairing, measure, and loading
references/frontend-design/reference/color-and-contrast.md for OKLCH palettes, tinted neutrals, contrast, and theming
references/frontend-design/reference/spatial-design.md for layout rhythm, spacing, alignment, and composition
references/frontend-design/reference/motion-design.md for transitions, sequencing, and reduced-motion choices
references/frontend-design/reference/interaction-design.md for states, affordances, disclosure, and controls
references/frontend-design/reference/responsive-design.md for adaptation across viewport sizes and container contexts
references/frontend-design/reference/ux-writing.md for labels, microcopy, empty states, and clarity

Use this bundled guidance to answer:

What visual tone fits this candidate?
What typography direction matches the candidate's field?
Should the layout feel editorial, refined technical, minimal professional, or portfolio-adjacent?
How can the design feel intentional without becoming heavy or gimmicky?

Resume-specific rule:

Do not blindly apply flashy product-landing-page aesthetics. Resume design must remain scannable, printable, and recruiter-friendly.

HTML resume rules

The designed resume should be built as a print-oriented HTML document.

Required constraints:

Standard A4 page
Target a true single-page layout unless the user clearly wants multi-page
Text must remain selectable in the exported PDF
Use a strong but restrained visual direction
Avoid decorative elements that compete with content

Always add print-aware CSS:

@page { size: A4; margin: 0; }
Explicit page container sized for A4
Print color adjustment only when needed

Balanced PDF rules

The balanced PDF is the default designed output. It should look polished but open faster than heavy Chrome-generated art PDFs.

Keep

One coherent type family or a disciplined pairing
2 to 3 font weights maximum
A small number of accent colors
Simple borders, rules, and flat fills
At most one subtle gradient if it materially improves the design

Avoid

mask-image
Full-page grid overlays
Full-page pseudo-element textures
Multiple transparent layers across the whole page
Blur effects
Shadows used as decoration
Glassmorphism
Excessive gradients
Image-backed layouts

These often create PDF resources that render slowly or appear blurry for a moment on open.

ATS optimization rules

When producing ATS-friendly output, keep the content machine-readable and recruiter-readable at the same time.

Prefer:

Standard section headings such as Professional Summary, Skills, Experience, Projects, and Education
Exact keywords from the target role used naturally
Both acronym and full-form terminology where relevant, such as LLM (large language model) or CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous delivery)
Simple bullet structures and straightforward chronology

Avoid:

Tables for primary resume content
Icon-only labels for critical information
Graphics or layout tricks that interfere with parsing
Complex formatting that makes field extraction unreliable

If the deliverable is a designed PDF, preserve ATS readability by keeping the text selectable and the reading order clear.

Page density and whitespace control

The resume should feel intentionally filled, not cramped and not sparse.

Aim for:

Single-page A4 occupancy that uses most of the page
No obvious dead zone at the bottom
Even section rhythm
Readable but compact line lengths
Clear hierarchy between summary, skills, projects, experience, and education

When refining layout:

Expand or compress spacing gradually
Adjust font sizes by small steps
Rebalance section padding before changing content drastically
Prefer reorganizing blocks over shrinking everything indiscriminately

If there is obvious bottom whitespace, do not ship it without trying to rebalance:

tighten oversized top spacing
slightly enlarge key body text or section spacing
spread density across sections
rebalance summary, skills, and experience proportions

Validation checklist

Before handing off a designed PDF, verify:

PDF is the intended page count
Text is selectable
Bottom whitespace is not visually distracting
No section feels crushed while another has excess air
Typography is legible at normal zoom
The layout still reads clearly in plain text extraction

If a screenshot tool is available, inspect the exported result visually.

If the PDF opens with a visible blur-to-sharp delay, simplify the design in this order:

remove masks and full-page overlays
remove transparency-heavy surfaces
reduce gradient usage
reduce custom font complexity
if needed, switch to a faster fast-open output

Suggested file outputs

When building resume artifacts, prefer leaving behind reusable source files, not only the final PDF.

Typical outputs:

resume-source.md
resume-data.json
resume-designed.html
resume-balanced.pdf
optional preview screenshot

This makes later tailoring much faster.

Content-only resume template

When the user asks for a text or markdown resume, this structure is the default:

# CANDIDATE NAME
Email | Phone | LinkedIn | Portfolio

## PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
[2-4 lines aligned to the target role]

## SKILLS
- **Category**: Skill 1, Skill 2, Skill 3

## EXPERIENCE
**Title** | Company | Dates
- Achievement / impact bullet

## PROJECTS
**Project** | Context | Dates
- Relevant implementation or result

## EDUCATION
**Degree** | School | Year

Keep this structure simple unless the user requests another format.

Report structure

When returning the final result to the user, summarize briefly:

what content was improved
what output mode was produced
where the files are
any remaining tradeoff, such as "balanced render" vs "maximum visual flair"

Best practices

Do:

Use this skill for full resume artifact generation, not only text cleanup
Improve the writing before designing
Let the candidate's profile drive the visual direction
Use the bundled references/frontend-design/ guidance for resume-specific HTML decisions when a designed artifact is needed
Keep the PDF single-page A4 unless the user clearly wants otherwise
Tune layout density so the page feels complete without obvious bottom voids
Keep ATS, recruiter readability, and visual polish aligned rather than treating them as separate problems

Do not:

Stop at a generic ATS markdown draft if the user asked for a PDF deliverable
Export a visually heavy PDF that opens sluggishly if a balanced variant would satisfy the request better
Treat resume design like a landing page or poster
Overdecorate at the expense of scanability
Fabricate credentials or impact
Lose the adapted tailored-resume-generator content rigor just because the skill can now produce designed artifacts