Resume Builder

Resume Builder

Build resumes for hiring, not for decoration. Prioritize first-screen signal, readable pagination, and recruiter-friendly structure over template fidelity.

Workflow

1. Classify the input. 2. Lock the resume decisions before editing. 3. Rewrite the content to fit the target role. 4. Lay out the resume with print-first rules. 5. Verify first screen, pagination, and PDF output.

Step 1: Classify The Input

Choose one path before touching layout:

• structured resume: the user already has sections, bullets, and dates.
• partial resume: the user has section fragments or an outdated resume.
• raw career notes: the user has experience notes, a LinkedIn-style summary, or scattered facts.

For raw career notes, extract:

• role titles
• company names
• dates
• technologies
• measurable results
• target job direction

If key facts are missing, ask once. Do not silently invent metrics, dates, team sizes, or ownership.

Step 2: Lock The Decisions

Before editing, decide these five items explicitly:

1. target role: what job should the resume optimize for? 2. language: Chinese or English? 3. print style: default to pure white, print-safe A4. 4. first-screen order: which sections must appear before the reader scrolls? 5. pagination anchor: where should page 2 begin?

Default ordering for most resumes:

1. header 2. metrics or summary chips 3. personal summary 4. core skills 5. evolution / highlights / key projects 6. experience / education / certificates

Do not leave these decisions implicit. Most layout churn comes from skipping this step.

Step 3: Rewrite The Content

Write for recruiter scanning speed.

• Lead with the target role and the strongest relevant signal.
• Use data and scope instead of adjectives.
• Convert generic duties into context -> action -> result.
• Remove hedge language such as 也可关注, 也可以考虑, or long fallback job lists unless the user explicitly wants broad positioning.
• Keep the summary short enough to read in one pass.

When the user is pivoting roles, rewrite the story around transferable value rather than chronology. For technical-to-AI or adjacent-domain pivots, read references/ai-transition-resume.md.

For Chinese resumes, read references/cn-resume.md.

Step 4: Apply Print-First Layout Rules

Treat PDF as the source of truth. HTML preview is secondary.

• Separate screen preview styling from print/PDF styling.
• Default the resume body background to pure white.
• Use screen-only shadow, centered paper, or page labels inside @media screen only.
• Do not let preview polish distort PDF judgment.

Header rules:

• Prefer two-line contact layout when the title and contact info would otherwise mix awkwardly.
• Keep the identity block stable: avatar optional, name prominent, title separate from contact metadata.
• Birth year/month may be preferable to computed age when the user wants a more formal presentation.

Section rules:

• Move core skills earlier when the target role is skills-driven.
• Keep time ranges on one line.
• Keep metrics values on one line.
• Split certificates and job target unless there is a strong reason to merge them.

Step 5: Control Pagination

Do not hard-code page 2 too early.

• First, let page 1 absorb natural content.
• Only force a page break when page 2 needs a clean anchor and page 1 is already balanced.
• Avoid pushing an entire section to page 2 if page 1 still has obvious unused space.
• Let lower-priority project blocks flow across pages when that creates better balance.
• Protect only genuinely fragile blocks with break-inside: avoid.

The goal is not mathematical symmetry. The goal is to avoid:

• page 1 with a large empty tail
• page 2 starting too high or too cramped
• dense text above and wasted whitespace below

Step 6: Verify Before Hand-Off

Always do one explicit visual QA pass. Read references/review-checklist.md.

Minimum checks:

• Does the first screen show the target role and strongest differentiators?
• Are core skills visible early enough?
• Are there odd line breaks in dates, metrics, or left-column labels?
• Is the top margin formal enough for print?
• Is whitespace balanced across page 1 and page 2?
• Does the PDF still fit the expected page count?

If HTML and PDF disagree, trust PDF for content and pagination, then patch screen preview separately.

Technical To AI Resume Strategy

Use this when the candidate is moving from technical, systems, testing, infrastructure, delivery, or adjacent engineering work into AI-focused roles.

Core Story

Do not present the candidate as starting from zero in AI.

Present the story as:

• strong engineering base
• real workflow understanding
• recent AI application practice
• ability to connect models to production constraints

What To Emphasize

• integration and systems thinking
• real-world tooling and workflow adoption
• evaluation, testing, debugging, and delivery discipline
• Python or adjacent implementation ability
• practical AI use in coding, review, retrieval, automation, or internal tools

What To Downplay

• broad speculative job lists
• buzzword-heavy summaries
• AI enthusiasm without concrete shipped workflows
• long lists of tools without a use case

Recommended Summary Shape

1. current engineering role and years of experience 2. recent AI practice window 3. concrete areas: Agent, MCP, RAG, AI Coding, evaluation, internal tools 4. why this matters: can connect model capability into existing systems and workflows

Section Strategy

• Move core skills earlier than usual.
• Put the most AI-relevant projects before legacy experience detail.
• Keep legacy experience, but frame it as proof of engineering depth.
• Use project wording that shows tooling -> workflow -> outcome.

Resume Risk Signals

Avoid these patterns:

• too much old-domain detail before any AI signal
• skills hidden on page 2
• generic AI section with no workflow examples
• summary that reads like a learning diary instead of a hiring pitch

Chinese Resume Rules

Use these defaults unless the user explicitly wants a different style.

Positioning

• Optimize for hiring speed, not portfolio aesthetics.
• Prefer pure white over decorative paper tones.
• Keep the resume to two A4 pages unless the user wants otherwise.
• Let the first screen answer who, for what role, and why this person.

Header

• Prefer a two-line right-aligned header:
• line 1: target title
• line 2: phone, email, city, birth year/month
• Do not mix title and contact metadata into one crowded line.
• Use a headshot only if it improves identity and does not compress the header.

First Screen Priorities

Recommended order for Chinese resumes:

1. header 2. metrics 3. personal summary 4. core skills 5. evolution / highlights 6. strongest projects

If the role is highly skills-driven, place core skills before project details.

Content Rules

• Use numbers, scope, and systems instead of adjectives.
• Compress job-target language into the summary when possible.
• Do not create a large standalone 求职方向 section unless the user wants explicit targeting.
• Keep 证书 independent from 求职方向.
• Avoid filler phrases such as 具备良好的, 较强的, 丰富的 unless backed by evidence.

Layout Rules

• Keep metric values on one line.
• Keep date ranges on one line.
• Make the left column wide enough for dates and short labels.
• Avoid tiny top margins; print resumes need more breathing room than app screens.
• Prefer lighter borders and separators on white backgrounds.

Pagination Rules

• Do not force page 2 too early.
• Avoid protecting every block with break-inside: avoid.
• Let lower-priority project blocks split if that fixes severe whitespace imbalance.
• Balance pages by moving section anchors, not by shrinking every line.

Resume Review Checklist

Run this before handing off a resume.

First Screen

• Is the target role obvious in under 3 seconds?
• Is the strongest differentiator visible without scrolling?
• Are core skills early enough for a recruiter scan?
• Does the summary fit in one quick read?

Line Breaks

• Any metric value wrapping awkwardly?
• Any date range wrapping awkwardly?
• Any left-column label wrapping into a clumsy shape?
• Any header line mixing incompatible content?

Layout Balance

• Is the top margin formal enough?
• Is page 1 bottom whitespace reasonable?
• Does page 2 begin at a comfortable vertical position?
• Are section gaps consistent?
• Is text density even, or does one area feel cramped next to a large empty area?

Section Logic

• Are core skills before the reader needs them?
• Are certificates and job target separated?
• Is low-value content taking too much space?
• Is any section present only because the template had it?

Print vs Screen

• Does PDF still look correct if screen-only styles are removed?
• Is the body background pure white for print?
• Are shadow and paper-frame effects limited to screen preview?

Final Technical Checks

• Expected page count still correct?
• No unresolved placeholders?
• No invented metrics, dates, or ownership claims?