paul/resume
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Projects Releases Wiki Activity
Files
main
resume/.claude/skills/build-resume/BUILD-RESUME-WORKFLOW.md
paul b202ec9954 Lots of updates
2026-03-18 23:32:45 -04:00

7.8 KiB
Raw Permalink Blame History

Build Resume Workflow

Quick reference guide for building customized resumes and cover letters for job applications.

Directory Structure

All job applications follow this standardized structure:

applications/
└── company-name/
    └── position-slug/
        ├── paul-halvorsen-resume.md
        ├── paul-halvorsen-resume.pdf
        ├── paul-halvorsen-cover-letter.md
        ├── paul-halvorsen-cover-letter.pdf
        └── job-breakdown.md (analysis & strategy)

Examples:

  • applications/zapier/backend-engineer/
  • applications/stripe/backend-engineer/
  • applications/files/senior-backend-engineer/

Quick Start (2 minutes)

Invoke the Skill

/build-resume [paste job description or provide details]

The /build-resume skill will:

  1. Check if you've already applied (prevents duplicates)
  2. Create the directory structure
  3. Analyze the job requirements
  4. Generate customized resume and cover letter
  5. Create job-breakdown.md with strategy notes
  6. Build PDFs automatically

Manual Build Process

If creating files manually instead of using /build-resume:

Step 1: Create Directory

mkdir -p applications/company/position

Step 2: Create Resume Markdown

File: applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-resume.md

Copy the YAML template from YAML-TEMPLATE.md and add customized content.

Step 3: Create Cover Letter Markdown

File: applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-cover-letter.md

Use the same YAML template header.

Step 4: Build PDFs

Modern template (recommended for tech companies):

make resume-modern FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-resume
make resume-modern FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-cover-letter

Classic template (for traditional industries):

make resume FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-resume
make resume FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-cover-letter

Awesome-CV template (for startups/bold designs):

make resume-awesome FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-resume
make resume-awesome FILE_NAME=applications/company/position/paul-halvorsen-cover-letter

Customization Checklist (5 minutes)

Before submitting your resume:

✅ Resume Content

  • Summary tailored to role requirements
  • Work experience reordered (most relevant first)
  • Skills section includes role-specific technologies
  • Metrics and achievements highlighted
  • Length: 1 page (or 1-2 if detailed background needed)
  • CRITICAL: No fabricated numbers — all facts from paul-halvorsen-resume-detailed.md

✅ YAML Metadata

  • Contact info formatted correctly (quoted strings)
  • Keywords match job requirements
  • Email, phone, GitHub, LinkedIn all present
  • Blog link included (optional but recommended)

✅ Cover Letter

  • Addresses company mission/vision
  • Acknowledges any experience gaps honestly
  • Emphasizes transferable skills
  • Tone is professional and authentic
  • Length: 4-5 paragraphs (fits on one page)
  • Specific to the company (not generic)

✅ PDF Quality

  • Built with appropriate template for industry
  • Layout clean and readable
  • No broken formatting or overlapping text
  • Opens without errors in PDF viewer

No-Fabrication Rule (CRITICAL ⚠️)

BLOCKING REQUIREMENT: All numbers and metrics must come from paul-halvorsen-resume-detailed.md.

✅ Allowed

  • Reordering existing information
  • Reframing for clarity
  • Removing less relevant details
  • Using exact metrics from detailed resume

❌ Not Allowed

  • Inventing metrics ("40+ engineers")
  • Making up achievements not documented
  • Exaggerating scales or customer counts
  • Creating statistics not in detailed resume

Pre-Write Checklist

For every bullet point with a number:

  • Is this in paul-halvorsen-resume-detailed.md?
  • If NO: remove it or rephrase without the number
  • If YES: use the exact number/metric

Post-Build Checklist (After Creating Resume)

✅ File Organization

  • Files created in correct directory structure
  • PDFs generated successfully
  • Resume and cover letter both present
  • Job breakdown created if using /build-resume

✅ Application Tracking

  • Application logged in memory (if using /build-resume)
  • Company/position combination recorded to prevent duplicates
  • Application link saved for follow-up

✅ Before Submitting

  • Verify job posting still active
  • Check application deadline
  • Find company career page
  • Prepare LinkedIn connection message for hiring manager

Template Selection Guide

Template Best For Industry Examples
jb2resume-modern Tech companies, startups Stripe, GitLab, Zapier
jb2resume Traditional industries Banks, gov, established corps
awesome-cv Growth-stage startups Series A-C companies, design-forward

Useful Commands

View Help

make help

Clean Build Artifacts

make clean                    # Remove LaTeX logs
make cleanpaper              # Remove specific PDF
make cleanall                # Remove everything

Build from Detailed Resume

All customized resumes draw facts from:

/home/paul/Public/resume/paul-halvorsen-resume-detailed.md

This is your source of truth for metrics, roles, and achievements.

Finding Job Postings

See: JOB-BOARDS-TO-SEARCH.md (in parent resume directory)

Quick reference:

  • Daily: WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, Built In
  • Weekly: LinkedIn, Indeed, Cord.co, specialized boards
  • Monthly: Secondary boards, target company careers pages

Application Follow-Up

After building and submitting:

  1. LinkedIn connection: Connect with hiring manager, mention your application
  2. Calendar reminder: Set 1-week follow-up for non-responses
  3. Track responses: Update job search dashboard with status
  4. Interview prep: Review job-breakdown.md talking points
  5. Salary expectations: Reference notes in job-breakdown.md

Common Customizations

Reordering Work Experience

Move most relevant role to top. Example: For Zapier backend engineer role, list Abnormal AI before Binary Defense because K8s/API experience is more directly relevant.

Emphasizing Specific Skills

If role requires Kubernetes: mention "10 auto-scaling K8s clusters" in summary and relevant bullet. If role emphasizes API design: lead with REST API experience.

Addressing Gaps

Use cover letter to honestly address missing technologies:

  • "I haven't worked with [tech], but I'm fluent in [similar tech] and have quickly mastered new frameworks."
  • Example: Django gap → "Python expert, REST APIs are my core strength, DRF is learnable"

Metrics Worth Highlighting

From your background:

  • 10 K8s clusters (Abnormal AI)
  • 90% CPU reduction (Binary Defense)
  • 80% network optimization (Binary Defense)
  • Thousands of Fortune 500 endpoints (Binary Defense)
  • Thousands of records at scale (NSA)
  • 15+ years API development (career)

File Locations Reference

  • Skill directory: /home/paul/Public/resume/.claude/skills/build-resume/
  • Resume source: /home/paul/Public/resume/paul-halvorsen-resume-detailed.md
  • Job boards: /home/paul/Public/resume/JOB-BOARDS-TO-SEARCH.md
  • LinkedIn guide: /home/paul/Public/resume/LINKEDIN-OPTIMIZATION.md
  • Job search dashboard: /home/paul/Public/resume/job_search.html
  • Application tracker: /home/paul/.claude/projects/-home-paul-Public-resume/memory/applications_tracker.md

Quick Links

Last Updated

March 18, 2026

Reference in New Issue View Git Blame Copy Permalink