cv-generator

What this skill does

# CV Generator Skill — FlowCV / Canva Edition

## When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:
- Generate a professional, ATS-optimized CV from multiple sources (LinkedIn, GitHub, Portfolio).
- Tailor an existing CV for a specific Job Description (JD).
- Improve the language, metrics, and structure of a draft resume.
- Prepare a paste-ready version of your CV for tools like FlowCV or Canva.

Turns raw profile data into a polished, ATS-ready CV. Outputs a paste-ready plain-text
version formatted for FlowCV, Canva, Google Docs, or Word — with a flaw report and
missing-info checklist.

---

## FLAW REGISTER — KNOWN ISSUES FIXED IN THIS VERSION

The following issues were identified across the two prior skill drafts and are corrected here:

| # | Flaw | Fix applied |
|---|------|-------------|
| F-01 | Output was Markdown-first, not paste-ready plain text | Final output is plain text; Markdown is internal staging only |
| F-02 | FlowCV/Canva field structure was never addressed | Section mapping to tool fields added (section 11c) |
| F-03 | Questionnaire dumped all 20 questions at once in practice | Hard rule: one question at a time, wait for answer |
| F-04 | Anti-hallucination rules listed but never enforced structurally | Enforcement gate added before every output (section 10) |
| F-05 | Cover letter was offered but never scoped for these tools | Cover letter now outputs to a separate plain-text block, not inline |
| F-06 | ATS check listed but had no scored output | Flaw report now scores 0–100 with per-item pass/fail |
| F-07 | Seniority detection was "detect or ask" with no fallback | Default is mid-level if undetectable; user is told the assumption |
| F-08 | No guidance on what FlowCV/Canva cannot render | Added explicit field-by-field paste map (section 11c) |
| F-09 | Tense rules stated but never verified in quality gate | Tense check is now a hard gate — output blocked until corrected |
| F-10 | "Passionate about" and similar banned phrases still appeared in examples | Phrase blocklist now machine-checkable (section 7c) |
| F-11 | Nepal/South Asia market conventions were present but incomplete | Confirmed and expanded (section 14) |
| F-12 | No explicit rule on what to do when LinkedIn scraping is blocked | Hard fallback rule: ask for PDF export immediately, do not proceed empty |
| F-13 | File naming convention mentioned once, never enforced | File name rule is part of the final output block (section 11) |
| F-14 | Skill had no version history or upgrade path | Version field added to frontmatter |
| F-15 | GitHub was listed as a source but extraction rules were missing | GitHub extraction rules added (section 4f) |

---

## 1. Invocation

```
Use @cv-generator to build my CV from my LinkedIn PDF.
Use @cv-generator to tailor my CV for this job description.
Use @cv-generator to improve my existing draft.
Use @cv-generator to create a fresh CV via questionnaire.
Use @cv-generator — I want a FlowCV-ready output.
```

Any combination of sources is valid. Multiple sources are merged and deduplicated
before writing begins.

---

## Source Selection

Ask the user which source(s) to use. At least one is required.
If no source is provided, default immediately to the questionnaire (section 4d).

| # | Source | Instruction |
|---|--------|-------------|
| 1 | LinkedIn profile URL | Fetch page; extract all visible sections. **If blocked or empty: immediately ask for a LinkedIn PDF — do not proceed on an empty extraction.** |
| 2 | LinkedIn PDF export | Parse uploaded file. If scanned image: apply OCR and warn the user to verify accuracy. |
| 3 | Portfolio / personal website | Fetch URL; extract About, Projects, Skills, Services, Testimonials, Case Studies, Contact. |
| 4 | Questionnaire | Step-by-step (section 4d). One question at a time. |
| 5 | Existing CV or draft | Upload or paste; improve only — never alter facts. |
| 6 | GitHub profile | Extract pinned repos, bio, tech stack, contribution summary (section 4f). |
| 7 | Resume file (DOCX / PDF / TXT) | Parse and rewrite. Flag scanned PDFs; apply OCR. |

---

## Purpose, seniority, and format

### Purpose

Ask after source selection:

> "What is the main purpose of this CV?"

| Purpose | Key adaptation |
|---------|----------------|
| Applying for a specific job | Full JD analysis + keyword targeting (section 9) |
| General professional CV | Balanced, role-agnostic, reverse-chronological |
| Internship / entry-level | Education and projects lead; transferable skills foregrounded |
| Academic / research | Publications, grants, teaching, research interests |
| Freelance / client proposal | Deliverables, outcomes, services |
| Career change | Functional or hybrid; transferable skills reframed |
| Executive / board-level | Executive summary, board positions, P&L scope |
| Military-to-civilian | Translate ranks and jargon to civilian equivalents |
| Return to work / career break | Frame gap positively; emphasise upskilling |
| Other | Ask the user to describe the goal in one sentence |

### Seniority

Detect from data. If undetectable, **default to mid-level and tell the user:**
> "I've assumed mid-level (3–8 years). Let me know if this should be different."

| Level | Years | CV emphasis |
|-------|-------|-------------|
| Student / fresh graduate | 0–1 | Education first; projects; extracurriculars; 1 page |
| Junior / entry | 1–3 | Skills + education prominent; 1 page |
| Mid-level | 3–8 | Experience leads; achievements over duties; 1–2 pages |
| Senior | 8–15 | Leadership, scope, impact, mentoring; 2 pages |
| Executive / C-suite | 15+ | Strategic narrative; board roles; P&L; 2–3 pages |
| Academic | Any | No page limit; publications; grants; teaching |

### Format

| Format | Use when |
|--------|----------|
| Chronological (default) | Clear career progression; most job applications |
| Functional / skills-first | Career changers; large gaps; military-to-civilian |
| Hybrid / combination | Senior professionals rebranding; career changers with strong experience |
| Academic CV | University, research, PhDs, postdocs |
| Executive / Board bio | C-suite, NED, advisory |
| Portfolio-led | Designers, architects, creatives |

---

## Data extraction rules

### LinkedIn URL

If the page is blocked or returns no content, **stop immediately** and ask:
> "LinkedIn blocked the fetch. Please export your LinkedIn profile as a PDF
> (LinkedIn → Me → Settings → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data) and upload it."

If accessible, extract in order:
1. Full name and headline
2. Contact information (email, phone, location — public only)
3. About / Professional Summary
4. Work experience: title, company, location, dates, bullets
5. Education: degree, institution, dates, grade/honours
6. Skills (flag top endorsed skills)
7. Certifications and licences
8. Projects
9. Achievements, honours, awards
10. Volunteer experience
11. Languages and proficiency
12. Publications, patents, courses

### LinkedIn PDF

Hard rules:
- Extract only what is physically present in the document.
- Preserve all dates exactly as written.
- If a section is absent, mark it **[Not provided]** — do not skip silently.
- Do not merge bullets across different roles.
- If scanned: apply OCR and display this warning before continuing:
  > "OCR was used to read this document. Please review the extracted text below
  > for accuracy before we continue."

### Portfolio / personal website

Extract:
- About / bio → Professional Summary
- Projects: name, description, technologies, outcomes, live/repo URLs
- Skills and services
- Testimonials or client logos → Achievements
- Case studies → 2–4 bullets each
- Blog posts or articles → Publications / Thought Leadership
- Contact details

### Questionnaire

**One question at a time. Wait for the answer before continuing.**
Do not display the full list unless the user explicitly asks for a form.

```
Q1.  Full legal name (as it should appear on the CV)
Q2.  Target job title or role
Q3.  Email address
Q4.  Phone numbe