resume/.claude/skills/build-resume/YAML-TEMPLATE.md

YAML Metadata Template

Copy this template into the top of every customized resume and cover letter markdown file.

Standard Template

---
name: Paul Halvorsen
keywords: backend engineer, api design, python, [ADD ROLE-SPECIFIC KEYWORDS]
left-column:
    - "Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me"
    - "Phone: +1-410-236-4665"
right-column:
    - "GitHub: github.com/malwhile"
    - "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen"
    - "Blog: flow.halvo.me"
fontsize: 10pt
fontenc: T1
urlcolor: blue
linkcolor: magenta
numbersections: false
---

Important Notes

Quoted Strings (CRITICAL)

• All contact info must be quoted to avoid YAML parsing issues
• Format: "Label: value"
• ✓ Correct: - "Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me"
• ❌ Wrong: - Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me

Keywords

• Add role-specific keywords to improve ATS matching
• Examples:
  • Backend role: backend engineer, python, api design, rest api, distributed systems, kubernetes
  • Full-stack role: full-stack engineer, python, react, javascript, frontend, backend
  • Security role: security engineer, python, cryptography, authentication, oauth
• Aim for 8-12 keywords

Contact Info Guidelines

• Email: Always include (paul.halvorsen@pm.me)
• Phone: Always include (+1-410-236-4665)
• GitHub: Always include (github.com/malwhile)
• LinkedIn: Always include (linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen)
• Blog: Optional but recommended (flow.halvo.me)
• DO NOT include: "Citizen of the United States", generic titles like "Remote"

Font & Color Options

These are sensible defaults. Rarely need to change:

• fontsize: 10pt — standard resume font size
• fontenc: T1 — font encoding for special characters
• urlcolor: blue — hyperlink color
• linkcolor: magenta — cross-reference link color
• numbersections: false — don't number resume sections

Optional: Add Name Color

name-color: DarkSlateGray

SVG color names work: DarkSlateGray, Tomato, DodgerBlue, etc.

Optional: Add Section Header Color

section-color: Tomato

---

Example Customizations

Backend Engineer Focus

---
name: Paul Halvorsen
keywords: backend engineer, python, api design, rest apis, oauth, authentication, distributed systems, kubernetes, docker, aws
left-column:
    - "Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me"
    - "Phone: +1-410-236-4665"
right-column:
    - "GitHub: github.com/malwhile"
    - "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen"
    - "Blog: flow.halvo.me"
fontsize: 10pt
fontenc: T1
urlcolor: blue
linkcolor: magenta
numbersections: false
---

Security Engineer Focus

---
name: Paul Halvorsen
keywords: security engineer, cryptography, authentication, oauth, python, golang, c, penetration testing, secure systems
left-column:
    - "Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me"
    - "Phone: +1-410-236-4665"
right-column:
    - "GitHub: github.com/malwhile"
    - "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen"
    - "Blog: flow.halvo.me"
fontsize: 10pt
fontenc: T1
urlcolor: blue
linkcolor: magenta
numbersections: false
---

Full-Stack Engineer Focus

---
name: Paul Halvorsen
keywords: full-stack engineer, python, react, typescript, javascript, rest apis, distributed systems, kubernetes
left-column:
    - "Email: paul.halvorsen@pm.me"
    - "Phone: +1-410-236-4665"
right-column:
    - "GitHub: github.com/malwhile"
    - "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen"
    - "Blog: flow.halvo.me"
fontsize: 10pt
fontenc: T1
urlcolor: blue
linkcolor: magenta
numbersections: false
---

---

Validation Checklist

Before using the template:

• All contact info is quoted with "Label: value" format
• Keywords are comma-separated
• Email is paul.halvorsen@pm.me
• Phone is +1-410-236-4665
• GitHub is github.com/malwhile
• LinkedIn is linkedin.com/in/paul-halvorsen (no https://)
• Blog is flow.halvo.me (if including)
• No "Citizen of the United States" in right-column
• No generic "Remote" keyword unless job-specific
• fontsize, fontenc, urlcolor, linkcolor match defaults

---

Date Formatting

Use the \resumedate{} macro for smaller dates under section headers:

### Software Engineer | Abnormal AI
\resumedate{**January 2026 – Present**}

This makes dates visually distinct from section headers while keeping them readable.

---

After YAML Metadata

Start your resume or cover letter content immediately after the closing ---:

---
name: Paul Halvorsen
...
---

## Summary

[Your summary content here]

## Technical Skills

[Skills content here]

---

Last Updated: March 18, 2026