Resume Builder

Formatting Specifications

Font & Margins

• Font: Times New Roman or similar serif font
• Name: 18-20pt, bold, centered
• Contact line: 10-11pt, centered
• Section headers: 11pt, bold, ALL CAPS
• Body text: 10-11pt
• Margins: 0.5-0.75 inches all sides

Spacing (Critical)

Within a single experience block (company name → title → bullets): NO extra spacing. These elements should be tight with 0pt space between them.

Between separate experiences: 5pt space ONLY. Add this after the last bullet of one experience, before the next company name.

Between sections: 8-10pt space before each section header.

[Company A]                    ← 0pt after
[Title A]                      ← 0pt after  
• Bullet 1                     ← 0pt after
• Bullet 2                     ← 5pt after (end of experience block)

[Company B]                    ← starts here, 5pt gap above
[Title B]                      ← 0pt after
• Bullet 1                     ← 0pt after

In python-docx:

from docx.shared import Pt

# Within an experience: no extra spacing
company_para.paragraph_format.space_after = Pt(0)
title_para.paragraph_format.space_after = Pt(0)
bullet_para.paragraph_format.space_after = Pt(0)

# ONLY the last bullet of an experience gets 5pt after
last_bullet.paragraph_format.space_after = Pt(5)

# Section headers get space before
section_header.paragraph_format.space_before = Pt(8)

Line Length (Important)

Maximize line usage. Avoid dangling text where a few words wrap onto the next line. If a bullet point has 2-3 words orphaned on a new line:

• Rephrase to fit on one line, OR
• Expand the content to better fill the second line

Short orphaned lines waste vertical space and look unpolished.

Section Headers

• ALL CAPS, bold
• Horizontal line underneath (required) - Add a thin border/rule directly below each section header

In python-docx, add a bottom border to the section header paragraph:

from docx.oxml.ns import qn
from docx.oxml import OxmlElement

def add_bottom_border(paragraph):
    """Add a thin horizontal line under a paragraph."""
    pPr = paragraph._p.get_or_add_pPr()
    pBdr = OxmlElement('w:pBdr')
    bottom = OxmlElement('w:bottom')
    bottom.set(qn('w:val'), 'single')
    bottom.set(qn('w:sz'), '6')  # Border thickness (1/8 pt units, so 6 = 0.75pt)
    bottom.set(qn('w:space'), '1')
    bottom.set(qn('w:color'), '000000')
    pBdr.append(bottom)
    pPr.append(pBdr)

# Usage:
section_header = doc.add_paragraph("PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE")
section_header.runs[0].bold = True
add_bottom_border(section_header)

Company/School Lines

• Name bold, left-aligned
• Location right-aligned on same line

Title/Degree Lines

• Title/Degree italic, left-aligned
• Dates right-aligned on same line

Bullet Points

• Use solid bullet (•)
• Start with strong action verbs
• Include quantifiable metrics when possible
• Include as many bullets as needed to showcase the role — the only constraint is the one-page limit

Workflow

1. Gather Information

   • Ask user for: contact info, education, work experience, projects, skills
   • Or ask user to provide existing resume/LinkedIn to extract from
   • If information is missing, use placeholders (see below) — don't block on incomplete data

2. Validate Content

   • Check that experience uses action verbs
   • Verify dates are formatted consistently (Mon YYYY – Mon YYYY or Mon YYYY – Present)
   • Leave placeholders for any missing fields

Placeholders

If the user doesn't provide all information, insert bracketed placeholders so they can fill in later:

[Your Name]
[Phone] | [Email] | [City, State]

EDUCATION
[University Name]                                    [City, State]
[Degree]; [Major]                                   [Expected Date]
• GPA: [X.XX] / 4.00
• Coursework: [Course 1, Course 2, ...]

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
[Company Name]                                       [City, State]
[Job Title]                                         [Start – End]
• [Describe your achievement with metrics]
• [Describe another responsibility]

Placeholder format: [Description of what goes here]

Do NOT leave sections empty — always include placeholder text so the user knows what to fill in.

3. Generate DOCX

   from docx import Document
   from docx.shared import Pt, Inches
   from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH
   
   doc = Document()
   
   # Set margins
   for section in doc.sections:
       section.top_margin = Inches(0.5)
       section.bottom_margin = Inches(0.5)
       section.left_margin = Inches(0.6)
       section.right_margin = Inches(0.6)
   
   # Name (centered, bold, large)
   name_para = doc.add_paragraph()
   name_para.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
   name_run = name_para.add_run("Full Name")
   name_run.bold = True
   name_run.font.size = Pt(18)
   
   # Contact line (centered)
   contact_para = doc.add_paragraph()
   contact_para.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
   contact_para.add_run("+1 (555) 123-4567 | [email protected] | City, State")
   
   # ... continue with sections
   
   doc.save("resume.docx")
   

4. Review & Iterate

   • Check page count (must be exactly 1)
   • If over 1 page: reduce bullet points, trim older experience, condense
   • Offer to adjust formatting or content

Action Verbs for Bullets

Engineering/Technical: Architected, Built, Deployed, Designed, Developed, Engineered, Implemented, Integrated, Optimized, Refactored

Leadership: Directed, Led, Managed, Mentored, Oversaw, Spearheaded

Analysis: Analyzed, Assessed, Benchmarked, Evaluated, Researched

Improvement: Automated, Enhanced, Improved, Reduced, Streamlined

One-Page Constraint

Fill the page. Include all relevant experience, projects, and skills. Do not artificially limit content — use the full page.

If content exceeds one page, trim in this order:

1. Remove oldest/least relevant experience first
2. Trim verbose bullet points (tighten wording, not remove)
3. Remove less relevant coursework
4. Condense project descriptions
5. Reduce margins slightly (min 0.5 inches)

Do NOT pre-emptively limit bullets or content. The goal is a full, dense one-page resume.

Output

Save the resume as [LastName]_[FirstName]_Resume.docx in the workspace.