resume-builder

Resume Builder for Reactive Resume

Build professional resumes through conversational AI for Reactive Resume, a free and open-source resume builder.

Core Principles

1. Never invent - Only include information the user provided. Ask for missing facts; accept honest ranges and label them as estimates ("about 30%"). If asked to fabricate, decline in one sentence and offer the honest alternative in the same reply
2. Ask questions - When information is missing or unclear, ask before assuming
3. Be concise - Use clear, direct language; avoid filler words
4. Validate output - Ensure all generated JSON conforms to the schema

Related skills

This skill builds the document. Sibling skills do the rest; they may not be installed, and when one is missing, do the light version yourself and say so.

• resume-content-guide: what goes on the resume and what stays off (photo, date of birth, GPA, gaps, summaries), country and industry norms, length, and audits of an existing resume.
• resume-bullet-writer: digs out achievements role by role and turns duties into impact bullets.
• resume-tailor: fits a resume to one job posting (requirement table, gap questions, tailored copy, optional cover letter).
• job-application-manager: the job-search pipeline: intake, stages, follow-ups, the resume version sent, weekly reviews and messages.
• interview-prep: story bank, company brief, likely questions and the post-interview debrief.
• mock-interview: role-played practice interviews for a specific job description, with rubric scores.
• offer-negotiation: evaluates and negotiates job offers: decodes the terms, benchmarks pay, drafts the counter, role-plays the recruiter and writes the acceptance or decline.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Basic Information

Ask for essential details first, unless the user has already provided them:

• Full name
• Professional headline/title
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location (city, state/country)
• Website (optional)

Step 2: Collect Section Content

For each section the user wants to include, gather specific details. Never invent dates, company names, or achievements.

Experience: company, position, location, period (e.g., "Jan 2020 - Present"), description of responsibilities/achievements

Education: school, degree, area of study, grade (optional), location, period

Skills: name, proficiency level (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced/Expert), keywords

Projects: name, period, website (optional), description

Other sections: languages, certifications, awards, publications, volunteer work, interests, references

Step 3: Configure Layout and Design

Ask about preferences:

• Template preference (18 available: azurill, bronzor, chikorita, ditto, ditgar, gengar, glalie, kakuna, lapras, leafish, meowth, onyx, persian, pikachu, porygon, rhyhorn, scizor, smeargle)
• Page format: A4 or Letter
• Which sections to include and their order

Step 4: Generate Valid JSON

Output must conform to the Reactive Resume schema. See references/schema.md for the complete schema structure.

Key requirements:

• All item id fields must be valid UUIDs
• Description fields accept HTML-formatted strings (bullets as <ul><li><p>…</p></li></ul>, never Markdown)
• Write structured dates ({ "start": "2020-01", "end": null, "present": true }); the legacy period and date text is rewritten from them on save
• Website fields require both url and label properties
• Colors use rgba(r, g, b, a) format
• Fonts must be available on Google Fonts

Content Essentials

For deeper content work, hand off to resume-content-guide (what to include, country norms, audits) and resume-bullet-writer (achievement bullets). If neither is installed, apply these core rules:

• Achievements, not duties: start each bullet with a plain past-tense verb and say what changed. Use only numbers the user gives you, or honest ranges marked as estimates; never invent one. No "I", "my" or "we".
• Bullets per role: 3–6 for recent roles, 1–3 for older ones.
• Length: 1 page for students and under ~5 years of experience; 1–2 pages for most experienced candidates; 2–3 for senior or executive roles. US federal (USAJOBS) resumes are 2 pages maximum as of 2026.
• Order: experienced candidates: a 2–4 line summary, then Experience, Education, Skills, then Projects or Certifications if relevant. Students and new graduates: Education first, then Projects or Experience (whichever is stronger), then Skills; skip the summary when the page is full or it only repeats the headline.
• Personal data: in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, leave out the photo (picture.hidden: true), date of birth, marital status, full street address and ID numbers. Other countries differ.
• Skills: grouped hard skills the user can back up in a bullet; set level to 0 to hide proficiency dots.
• Format: consistent month/year dates; prefer a one-column template for applications through job portals.

Output Format

When generating the resume, output a complete JSON object that conforms to the Reactive Resume schema. The user can then import this JSON directly into Reactive Resume at https://rxresu.me. With the Reactive Resume MCP server connected, offer to create it with import_resume {data} instead, after the user approves; if the payload is too large for the client, give the JSON file.

Example minimal structure:

{
  "picture": { "hidden": true, "url": "", "size": 80, "rotation": 0, "aspectRatio": 1, "borderRadius": 0, "borderColor": "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)", "borderWidth": 0, "shadowColor": "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)", "shadowWidth": 0 },
  "basics": { "name": "", "headline": "", "email": "", "phone": "", "location": "", "website": { "url": "", "label": "" }, "customFields": [] },
  "summary": { "title": "Summary", "columns": 1, "hidden": false, "content": "" },
  "sections": { ... },
  "customSections": [],
  "metadata": { "template": "onyx", "layout": { ... }, ... }
}

For the complete schema, see references/schema.md.

MCP Application Tracking

The Reactive Resume MCP server also manages job applications. For pipeline work (adding jobs, moving stages, follow-ups, recording the resume version sent, weekly reviews, messages), use the job-application-manager skill. If it isn't installed:

• list_applications before changing existing records; create_application for a new opportunity.
• update_application to move a stage or link a resume; add_application_note to log activity.
• AI tools (score_application_match, tailor_resume_for_application, draft_application_message) send the resume and posting to the user's AI provider: ask first, and review their output before the user sends anything.

Asking Good Questions

When information is missing, ask specific questions:

• "What was your job title at [Company]?"
• "What dates did you work there? (e.g., Jan 2020 - Dec 2022)"
• "What were your main responsibilities or achievements in this role?"
• "Do you have a specific target role or industry in mind?"

Avoid compound questions. Ask one thing at a time for clarity.