| name | resume-creator |
| description | Guides users through building a complete, ATS-optimized resume using a proven 2026 methodology. Use when the user wants to create, rewrite, or improve a resume. Covers keyword strategy, a 5-section template, the Badass Bullet Point Formula, Professional Summary generation, and PDF export via a bundled script. Outputs a ready-to-paste markdown source and a styled 2-page PDF. |
Resume Creator
Builds ATS-optimized, 2-page resumes following Greg Langstaff's 2026 methodology. Walk through the workflow below, gathering input at each step before writing.
Workflow
Step 1 — Gather inputs. Ask the user for:
- Target job title and/or a job posting to pull keywords from
- Industry and total years of experience
- 3–5 key achievements with numbers (revenue, %, time saved, team size, etc.)
- Contact info: full name, phone, city/state, email, LinkedIn URL
- Work history: job titles, companies, dates, locations, 1–2 sentence context per role
- Education: credential type, field, school, city/state (omit if irrelevant — use Certifications instead)
- Certifications, awards (optional)
Step 2 — Build the Areas of Expertise grid. Extract keywords from the job posting into 3 categories:
- Industry Terminology
- Job Specific Skills
- Equipment or Software
Format as a 4-column bullet grid (12–16 terms). These are the primary ATS keyword injection points.
Step 3 — Generate Professional Summary. Use titled-sentence style (recommended) or straight paragraph:
- Titled-sentence style: each sentence starts with a bold keyword topic. Example:
Test Infrastructure: Built 2,000+ TestRail test cases and cut suite creation from 2–3 days to 5–6 hours.
- Straight paragraph style: plain sentences, no titles.
3–5 sentences. No em dashes. No fluff. Preview real strengths supported by the resume.
Step 4 — Write experience entries. For each role:
- Header line:
Job Title | Start Date – End Date (or Present)
- Second line:
**Company Name**, City, ST
- Bullets using the Badass Bullet Point Formula (3–6 per role, 5–8 for the most recent senior role):
[Action Verb] + [Specific / Quantifiable Detail] + [Result]
- Every bullet proves impact — no responsibility lists.
For roles with multiple sub-projects under one title, use sub-project headers (see Markdown Format below).
Step 5 — Write Certifications. When the user has no relevant education degree, replace the Education section with Certifications:
**Certificate Name**, Organization | YEAR
Step 6 — Assemble the full resume using the structure below. Output as a markdown file named [firstname-lastname]-resume-ats.md.
Step 7 — Generate PDF. Run the bundled script to produce a styled PDF:
python3 -m venv .venv && .venv/bin/pip install reportlab --quiet
.venv/bin/python scripts/generate_resume_pdf.py \
--source [firstname-lastname]-resume-ats.md \
--output [firstname-lastname]-resume.pdf
If the output spills past 2 pages, tighten by removing redundant bullets (not by shrinking fonts). If page 2 has large empty space, add a short Technical Toolkit paragraph at the end.
Resume Structure (2-page template)
Page 1
YOUR NAME ← centered, 21pt bold, dark navy
Professional Title | Professional Title ← dual titles if targeting 2 role types
Phone | City, ST | email | LinkedIn URL
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY -----------------------------------------------
[3–5 sentences. Titled-sentence or straight paragraph. No em dashes.]
AREAS OF EXPERTISE -------------------------------------------------
• Keyword 1 • Keyword 4 • Keyword 7 • Keyword 10
• Keyword 2 • Keyword 5 • Keyword 8 • Keyword 11
• Keyword 3 • Keyword 6 • Keyword 9 • Keyword 12
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE --------------------------------------------
Company Name — Context Description
**Job Title** | Start – End | Location
• Action Verb + Specific Detail + Result
• (5–8 bullets for top role, 3–5 for others)
**Second Role at Same Company** | Start – End | Location
• bullet
Page 2
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE CONTINUED ----------------------------------
[Continue remaining roles in same format]
CERTIFICATIONS -----------------------------------------------------
• **Certificate Name**, Organization | YEAR
Markdown Format Reference
The bundled generate_resume_pdf.py script parses this exact markdown format:
# Full Name
Professional Title | Professional Title
Phone | City, ST | email | [linkedin.com/in/handle](url)
## Professional Summary
[one or more non-empty lines — the parser reads each line as its own summary paragraph]
## Areas of Expertise
Keyword 1 | Keyword 2 | Keyword 3 | Keyword 4 | Keyword 5 | ...
## Professional Experience
### Company Name — Context
**Job Title** | Start – End | Location
- Bullet one
- Bullet two
**Second Role** | Start – End | Location
- Bullet one
#### Sub-project Name | Start – End
- Bullet under sub-project
### Next Company
**Job Title** | Start – End | Location
- Bullet
## Certifications
- **Certificate Name**, Organization | YEAR
Key format rules:
### = company header**Title** | dates = main role (bold in PDF)#### Name | dates = sub-project under a role (bold, slightly indented spacing, visually subordinate)## Areas of Expertise keywords separated by | → rendered as 4-column grid- First two lines after
# Name become the header block: line 1 = title (larger bold), line 2+ = contact info
- Certifications section replaces Education when no relevant degree
Design Specification
| Element | Spec |
|---|
| Page size | US Letter, margins 0.7" left/right, 0.65" top, 0.6" bottom |
| Name | Helvetica-Bold, 22pt, centered, near-black #111111 |
| Dual title line | Helvetica-Bold, 11pt, centered, #1F2937 |
| Contact line | Helvetica, 9.4pt, centered, gray #6B7280 |
| Section headers | Helvetica-Bold, 11.6pt, UPPERCASE, navy #16324F, spaceBefore=11 |
| Summary text | Helvetica, 9.5pt, leading 13, supports multi-line titled-sentence paragraphs |
| Company name | Helvetica-Bold, 10.9pt, #111827, spaceBefore=7 |
| Main role line | Helvetica, 9.5pt, role bolded inline, metadata gray |
| Sub-project line | Helvetica, 9.4pt, role bolded inline, spaceBefore=5 |
| Bullet text | Helvetica, 9.3pt, leading 12, compact list spacing |
| Certifications | Single-column bullet list, 8.9pt, compact leading 10.6 |
| AoE grid | 4-column Table (no visible borders), 9.2pt, bullet prefix |
| Color scheme | Navy #16324F + white — no color accents in body |
| Length | Exactly 2 pages — do not compress to 1 |
ATS Rules
- No tables, columns, text boxes, or graphics in the body (the AoE grid uses an invisible Table — text remains extractable).
- Keywords: pulled from the target job posting → inject into Areas of Expertise first, then echo the most important ones in the Summary.
- Hook fast: name, dual titles, and summary must lead with clear value.
- Metrics beat responsibilities: every bullet in the top role should have a number or concrete outcome.
