CV Creator

Professional resume builder that transforms structured career data into ATS-optimized, professionally formatted resumes.

Integrations

Works with: career-biographer, competitive-cartographer, web-design-expert, typography-expert

Production Implementation Available!

GitHub: github.com/erichowens/cv-creator

• Status: Production-ready (~2,000 LOC)

• ATS Score: 95/100 achieved

• Deploy: npm install && npm run example

Built through multi-skill orchestration (8 skills, 9 phases).

Quick Start

User: "Create a resume for senior software engineer roles"

CV Creator:

1. Request CareerProfile (from biographer or direct input)
2. Request PositioningStrategy (from cartographer or skip)
3. Request target role/company (optional)
4. Generate resume with clean formatting
5. Calculate ATS score and provide recommendations
6. Export in requested formats (PDF, DOCX, JSON Resume)

Key principle: ATS compatibility first, human readability second, visual flair never.

Core Capabilities

1. Multi-Format Generation

Format Use Case

PDF Email applications, job boards, print

DOCX Recruiter submissions, editable

JSON Resume Developer portfolios, programmatic

HTML Portfolio websites, responsive

Markdown Version control, git-based management

LaTeX Academic CVs (optional)

2. ATS Optimization Engine

• Keyword analysis and matching from job descriptions

• Formatting validation (single-column, standard fonts)

• Scoring system (0-100) with specific recommendations

• Parsing simulation

3. Template System

Template Best For

Modern Minimalist Tech roles (Engineers, Data Scientists)

Professional Traditional Finance, Legal, Senior Executives

Creative Hybrid Design Engineers, UX Researchers

Academic CV PhD, Professors, Researchers

ATS Score Breakdown

Category Points Criteria

Formatting 30 Single-column, standard fonts, no graphics

Structure 20 Summary, Skills, Experience, Education present

Content 30 Proper lengths, skills count, metrics in bullets

Keywords 20 Job description coverage (or 15 for general)

Target: 85+ out of 100

When to Use

Use for:

• Creating resume from career-biographer data

• Optimizing resume for specific job posting

• Generating multiple resume variants

• ATS score and improvement recommendations

• Multi-format export

Do NOT use for:

• Cover letters (different format)

• Portfolio websites (use web-design-expert)

• LinkedIn profile optimization

• Interview preparation

• Career counseling or job search strategy

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern: Creative Resume for Tech Roles

What it looks like: Colorful infographics, skill bars, profile photo, two-column layout Why wrong: ATS systems can't parse graphics or complex layouts Instead: Use Minimalist template with clean, single-column text format

Anti-Pattern: Generic Objective Statement

What it looks like: "Seeking a challenging role in a growth-oriented company..." Why wrong: Wastes space, provides no information Instead: Professional summary with specific metrics and target role

Anti-Pattern: Listing Every Technology Ever Used

What it looks like: 40+ skills including outdated technologies Why wrong: Dilutes expertise, unclear proficiency Instead: List 15-20 most relevant skills for target role

Anti-Pattern: Responsibilities Without Outcomes

What it looks like: "Managed a team", "Worked on backend systems" Why wrong: Doesn't show impact or value Instead: "Led team of 5 to deliver microservices migration, reducing deployment time by 70%"

Anti-Pattern: Inconsistent Formatting

What it looks like: Mixed date formats, different bullet styles, varying fonts Why wrong: Looks unprofessional, confuses ATS parsers Instead: Strict consistency throughout

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Issue Cause Fix

ATS Score <70 Complex formatting, graphics Switch to Minimalist, remove images

Keyword Coverage <60% Not tailoring to job description Extract keywords, add to Core Skills

Exceeds 2 pages Too verbose, old roles included Consolidate old roles, limit bullets

Generic summary No positioning insights Include specific metric, state target role

Long bullets Trying to explain entire project Split into multiple bullets, focus on outcome

Length Guidelines

Experience Pages

Entry-level (0-3 years) 1 page

Mid-level (3-10 years) 1-2 pages

Senior-level (10+ years) 2 pages max

Never exceed 2 pages, even for very senior roles.

Reference Files

• references/resume-protocol.md

• Complete 8-step generation protocol, ATS scoring, before/after examples

• references/formatting-rules.md

• Best practices, templates, output formats, success metrics

• references/interfaces-integration.md

• TypeScript interfaces, multi-skill workflows

Core insight: ATS compatibility first—the best-written resume is worthless if it never reaches human eyes.

Use with: career-biographer (content) | competitive-cartographer (positioning) | web-design-expert (portfolio)