Resume Builder

The Workflow

Step 1: Gather Resume Data

Collect the user's resume information. Ask for:

1. Personal Info: Name, email, phone, location, LinkedIn, portfolio URL
2. Professional Summary: 2-3 sentence overview (user provides this)
3. Work Experience: Company, title, dates, bullet points (user provides)
4. Education: Institution, degree, dates, honors (optional)
5. Skills: Technical skills, languages, certifications
6. Additional Sections: Projects, publications, volunteer work, etc.

If the user has an existing resume (PDF, DOCX, or plain text), offer to parse it first to extract the data structure.

Step 2: Choose Output Format

Ask the user which format they need:

• DOCX: Most compatible, ATS-friendly, editable
• PDF: Professional printout, can't be edited
• HTML: For web portfolios or email

Step 3: Select Template/Style

Offer template categories:

Classic/Traditional: Clean serif fonts, simple layout, conservative spacing. Best for: corporate, legal, finance, academia.

Modern/Sleek: Sans-serif fonts, bold headers, creative whitespace. Best for: tech, startups, design, marketing.

Minimalist: Extreme simplicity, lots of white space, subtle typography. Best for: creative roles, portfolio careers.

Two-Column: Left sidebar with skills/education, main column for experience. Best for: career changers, mixed experience.

Step 4: Generate the Document

Use the appropriate script based on format and template choice.

Available Scripts

scripts/cli.ts

Unified CLI for generating resumes in any format.

Usage:

npx ts-node scripts/cli.ts --data resume_data.json --format docx --template modern --output resume.docx

Arguments:

• --data, -d: Path to JSON file with resume data (required)
• --format, -f: Output format: docx, html, pdf (default: docx)
• --template, -t: Template style: classic, modern, minimal, two-column (default: modern)
• --output, -o: Output file path (default: auto-generated)

scripts/createDocx.ts

Generates a formatted DOCX resume using the docx library.

Usage:

import { generateDocxResume } from './createDocx';

await generateDocxResume(resumeData, 'modern', 'resume.docx');

scripts/createHtml.ts

Generates a standalone HTML resume with embedded CSS.

Usage:

import { generateHtmlResume } from './createHtml';

generateHtmlResume(resumeData, 'modern', 'resume.html');

PDF Generation

For PDF output, generate HTML first then convert using browser print or tools like puppeteer, weasyprint, or wkhtmltopdf.

Resume Data Schema

Save resume data as JSON with this structure:

{
  "personal": {
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "phone": "+1 (555) 123-4567",
    "location": "San Francisco, CA",
    "linkedin": "linkedin.com/in/janesmith",
    "url": "janesmith.dev",
    "summary": "Senior software engineer with 8+ years of experience..."
  },
  "experience": [
    {
      "company": "Tech Corp",
      "title": "Senior Engineer",
      "location": "San Francisco, CA",
      "start_date": "2020-01",
      "end_date": "present",
      "highlights": [
        "Led team of 5 engineers building microservices architecture",
        "Reduced deployment time by 60% through CI/CD improvements",
        "Mentored junior developers and conducted code reviews"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "education": [
    {
      "institution": "Stanford University",
      "degree": "M.S. Computer Science",
      "start_date": "2012-09",
      "end_date": "2014-06",
      "gpa": "3.9",
      "honors": "Phi Beta Kappa"
    }
  ],
  "skills": {
    "languages": ["Python", "Go", "TypeScript"],
    "frameworks": ["React", "FastAPI", "Docker"],
    "tools": ["AWS", "Kubernetes", "PostgreSQL"],
    "soft_skills": ["Team leadership", "Agile/Scrum", "Technical writing"]
  },
  "projects": [
    {
      "name": "Open Source CLI Tool",
      "description": "A command-line tool for developer productivity",
      "technologies": ["Python", "Click", "Docker"],
      "url": "github.com/jane/tool"
    }
  ],
  "certifications": [
    {"name": "AWS Solutions Architect", "date": "2023"}
  ]
}

Template Customization

Classic Template

• Font: Times New Roman or Georgia
• Section headers: 14pt, bold, underline
• Body: 11pt, single-spaced
• Margins: 1 inch all sides
• Section spacing: 12pt before, 6pt after

Modern Template

• Font: Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica
• Section headers: 13pt, bold, accent color (#2C5282)
• Body: 11pt
• Margins: 0.75 inch sides, 0.5 inch top/bottom
• Accent: thin colored line under name header
• Two-column skills layout option

Minimal Template

• Font: Helvetica or Arial Light
• Section headers: 12pt, light weight, uppercase, letter-spacing
• Body: 10pt, generous line-height (1.5)
• Margins: 1.25 inches all sides
• No borders, dividers, or decorative elements

Two-Column Template

• Left column (30% width): Skills, Education, Certifications
• Right column (70% width): Summary, Experience, Projects
• Colored sidebar with subtle background
• Matching accent color for headers

Best Practices

1. Keep it to 1-2 pages: Ask the user to prioritize content. If experience exceeds page limit, suggest condensing bullet points or removing older roles.

2. ATS Compatibility: For DOCX output, use standard heading styles, avoid tables/columns in critical sections, and keep formatting simple. Offer ATS-specific tips.

3. Consistent formatting: Dates aligned right, company names bold, job titles italicized. All dates in same format (Month Year).

4. Quantify when possible: If the user provides metrics (%, $, time saved), ensure they're prominently displayed in bullet points.

5. Handle gaps gracefully: If employment dates are missing, leave as "Present" or omit end date rather than showing zeros.

Dependencies

Required npm packages for TypeScript scripts:

npm install docx
npm install -D @types/node ts-node typescript

The docx library handles DOCX generation. HTML output requires no external dependencies. For PDF, use browser printing or external tools like puppeteer.

Error Handling

If the user provides incomplete data:

• Prompt for missing required fields (name, at least one work experience or education)
• Offer to create a template with placeholders they can fill in
• Generate partial resume with warnings about missing sections

If parsing fails:

• Explain what went wrong
• Offer manual data entry as fallback
• Provide the JSON schema so user can fill it manually

Examples

Example 1: Complete flow with provided data

User: "Create a professional resume for me"
Assistant: [Gathers data via questions, then generates DOCX]

Example 2: From existing file

User: "I have my resume as a PDF, make it look more modern"
Assistant: [Parses PDF, lets user review extracted data, generates HTML with modern template]

Example 3: Template switch

User: "I have resume_data.json, generate both a classic DOCX and modern HTML version"
Assistant: [Runs both generators, provides both files]

Tips for Different Industries

Tech/Software: Modern template, skills section prominently displayed, GitHub/portfolio links, certifications.

Finance/Law: Classic template, education prominent, professional summary, conservative formatting.

Creative/Design: Minimal or custom template, visual hierarchy, portfolio links, projects section.

Academia: Extended CV format (multiple pages OK), publications, research experience, conference presentations.