cv-creator

SKILL.md

CV Creator

Professional resume builder that transforms structured career data into ATS-optimized, professionally formatted resumes.

Integrations

Works with: career-biographer, competitive-cartographer, web-design-expert, typography-expert

Production Implementation Available!

GitHub: github.com/erichowens/cv-creator

Status: Production-ready (~2,000 LOC)

ATS Score: 95/100 achieved

Deploy: npm install && npm run example

Built through multi-skill orchestration (8 skills, 9 phases).

Quick Start
User: "Create a resume for senior software engineer roles"

CV Creator:
1. Request CareerProfile (from biographer or direct input)
2. Request PositioningStrategy (from cartographer or skip)
3. Request target role/company (optional)
4. Generate resume with clean formatting
5. Calculate ATS score and provide recommendations
6. Export in requested formats (PDF, DOCX, JSON Resume)

Key principle: ATS compatibility first, human readability second, visual flair never.

Core Capabilities

1. Multi-Format Generation

Format
Use Case

PDF
Email applications, job boards, print

DOCX
Recruiter submissions, editable

JSON Resume
Developer portfolios, programmatic

HTML
Portfolio websites, responsive

Markdown
Version control, git-based management

LaTeX
Academic CVs (optional)

2. ATS Optimization Engine

Keyword analysis and matching from job descriptions

Formatting validation (single-column, standard fonts)

Scoring system (0-100) with specific recommendations

Parsing simulation

3. Template System

Template
Best For

Modern Minimalist
Tech roles (Engineers, Data Scientists)

Professional Traditional
Finance, Legal, Senior Executives

Creative Hybrid
Design Engineers, UX Researchers

Academic CV
PhD, Professors, Researchers

ATS Score Breakdown

Category
Points
Criteria

Formatting
30
Single-column, standard fonts, no graphics

Structure
20
Summary, Skills, Experience, Education present

Content
30
Proper lengths, skills count, metrics in bullets

Keywords
20
Job description coverage (or 15 for general)

Target: 85+ out of 100

When to Use

Use for:

Creating resume from career-biographer data

Optimizing resume for specific job posting

Generating multiple resume variants

ATS score and improvement recommendations

Multi-format export

Do NOT use for:

Cover letters (different format)

Portfolio websites (use web-design-expert)

LinkedIn profile optimization

Interview preparation

Career counseling or job search strategy

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern: Creative Resume for Tech Roles

What it looks like: Colorful infographics, skill bars, profile photo, two-column layout
Why wrong: ATS systems can't parse graphics or complex layouts
Instead: Use Minimalist template with clean, single-column text format

Anti-Pattern: Generic Objective Statement

What it looks like: "Seeking a challenging role in a growth-oriented company..."
Why wrong: Wastes space, provides no information
Instead: Professional summary with specific metrics and target role

Anti-Pattern: Listing Every Technology Ever Used

What it looks like: 40+ skills including outdated technologies
Why wrong: Dilutes expertise, unclear proficiency
Instead: List 15-20 most relevant skills for target role

Anti-Pattern: Responsibilities Without Outcomes

What it looks like: "Managed a team", "Worked on backend systems"
Why wrong: Doesn't show impact or value
Instead: "Led team of 5 to deliver microservices migration, reducing deployment time by 70%"

Anti-Pattern: Inconsistent Formatting

What it looks like: Mixed date formats, different bullet styles, varying fonts
Why wrong: Looks unprofessional, confuses ATS parsers
Instead: Strict consistency throughout

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Issue
Cause
Fix

ATS Score <70
Complex formatting, graphics
Switch to Minimalist, remove images

Keyword Coverage <60%
Not tailoring to job description
Extract keywords, add to Core Skills

Exceeds 2 pages
Too verbose, old roles included
Consolidate old roles, limit bullets

Generic summary
No positioning insights
Include specific metric, state target role

Long bullets
Trying to explain entire project
Split into multiple bullets, focus on outcome

Length Guidelines

Experience
Pages

Entry-level (0-3 years)
1 page

Mid-level (3-10 years)
1-2 pages

Senior-level (10+ years)
2 pages max

Never exceed 2 pages, even for very senior roles.

Reference Files

references/resume-protocol.md - Complete 8-step generation protocol, ATS scoring, before/after examples

references/formatting-rules.md - Best practices, templates, output formats, success metrics

references/interfaces-integration.md - TypeScript interfaces, multi-skill workflows

Core insight: ATS compatibility first—the best-written resume is worthless if it never reaches human eyes.

Use with: career-biographer (content) | competitive-cartographer (positioning) | web-design-expert (portfolio)
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