Resume Coach: Interactive Resume Improvement Process

Transform resumes from generic AI-polished documents into compelling, personalized stories that pass recruiter screening. This skill implements a coaching methodology that helps users discover and articulate their unique value proposition.

Overview

Most AI-assisted resume improvements produce similar results because they lack context. This skill takes a different approach: instead of simply rewriting, it guides users through a structured discovery process that uncovers hidden strengths and creates genuine differentiation.

Core Philosophy: The goal is not to write the resume FOR the user, but to help them rediscover and reframe their own experiences.

Required Inputs

Before starting the process, collect:

1. Resume: User's current resume (file path or pasted text)
2. Job Posting: Target position description (URL, file, or pasted text)

If either is missing, request it before proceeding.

The Coaching Process

Phase 1: Recruiter Perspective Analysis

Analyze the resume from a hiring manager's viewpoint. Identify 3-5 questions a recruiter would ask when reviewing this resume.

Question Types to Generate:

• Ambiguous scope: "Did you lead this project alone or as part of a team?"
• Missing metrics: "What was the actual impact of this initiative?"
• Unclear responsibilities: "Were you responsible for A, B, or both?"
• Skill depth: "How extensively did you use this technology?"
• Gap filling: "What happened between these two positions?"

Implementation:

Use AskUserQuestion to present questions one at a time.
Collect answers to enrich the resume context.
Store responses for use in final resume.

Phase 2: Ideal Candidate Generation

Based on the job posting, generate a fictional "ideal candidate" resume. This represents what the hiring manager imagines as the perfect fit.

Include in the ideal candidate:

• Relevant competitor/industry experience
• All required skills at proficiency level
• Impressive quantified achievements
• Perfect career trajectory for the role

Present to User:

## Ideal Candidate Profile

Based on this job posting, here's what the hiring manager's
"dream candidate" might look like:

[Generated ideal candidate resume summary]

This helps us understand what we're competing against.

Phase 3: Gap Analysis

Compare the user's resume against the ideal candidate. Create a structured comparison that reveals strengths and areas for improvement.

Comparison Format:

| Area | Ideal Candidate | Your Resume | Analysis |
|------|-----------------|-------------|----------|
| Industry Experience | Competitor A, B | Similar Industry C | Transferable |
| Core Skills | X, Y, Z | X, Y | Highlight Z experience |
| Achievements | 50% revenue growth | Project completion | Quantify impact |

Output:

• Strengths: Areas where user matches or exceeds ideal
• Opportunities: Gaps that can be addressed with existing experience
• Limitations: Genuine gaps to acknowledge

Phase 4: High-Spec Version Generation

This phase uses the high-spec-generator subagent.

Why a Subagent? The subagent operates without seeing the original resume details, only:

• Company names
• Job titles
• Employment periods
• The job posting

This isolation prevents anchoring to the original resume's framing, producing fresh perspectives on how achievements could be presented.

Invoke the Subagent:

Use your environment's agent invocation method. In Claude Code, use Task tool with subagent_type="resume-coach:high-spec-generator".

IMPORTANT: Do NOT include original resume content in the prompt. Only provide:

• User's company names, titles, dates
• Target job posting
• Request: Generate a competitive-level resume

This isolation prevents anchoring to the original resume's framing.

Phase 5: Expression Discovery

Compare the high-spec version against the original resume. Help the user identify expressions and framings they can legitimately adopt.

Present Discoveries:

## Expressions from High-Spec Version

The high-spec version uses these compelling framings:

1. "Drove 30% increase in team efficiency"
   → Do you have any similar efficiency improvements?

2. "Led cross-functional initiative spanning 3 departments"
   → Did you work across teams? How many stakeholders?

3. "Implemented data-driven decision framework"
   → Any analytical approaches you introduced?

Use AskUserQuestion: For each compelling expression, ask if the user has similar experiences they haven't highlighted.

Phase 6: Final Resume Assembly

Synthesize all collected information into the final resume:

1. From Phase 1: Specific details from recruiter-perspective questions
2. From Phase 3: Identified strengths to emphasize
3. From Phase 5: Validated expressions and framings
4. Original tone: Maintain the user's authentic voice

Quality Criteria:

• All numbers are factual (from user's answers)
• No fabricated experiences
• Expressions are adapted, not copied verbatim
• Maintains user's professional voice
• Directly addresses job posting requirements

Output Options:

1. Display in chat as formatted markdown
2. Save to file (offer path options)

AskUserQuestion Integration

This skill heavily uses AskUserQuestion for interactive coaching. Follow these patterns:

Fallback: If AskUserQuestion is unavailable in your environment, present one question at a time as a numbered list and wait for user response before proceeding to the next question.

For Recruiter Questions (Phase 1):

• header: Role/scope clarification
• options: Mutually exclusive choices about responsibilities, scope, or metrics

For Expression Validation (Phase 5):

• header: Achievement confirmation
• options: Whether user has similar experiences to adopt the framing

Progress Tracking

Use your environment's task tracking tool to track progress through phases. In Claude Code, prefer TaskCreate/TaskUpdate.

• Phase 1: Recruiter Perspective Questions
• Phase 2: Ideal Candidate Generation
• Phase 3: Gap Analysis
• Phase 4: High-Spec Version (via subagent)
• Phase 5: Expression Discovery
• Phase 6: Final Resume Assembly

Update task status as each phase completes.

Language Handling

• Support both Korean and English
• Match the user's input language
• For bilingual job postings, ask user's preference
• Technical terms may remain in English regardless of language choice

Output Format

Final Resume Structure

# [Name]

## Contact
[Email] | [Phone] | [LinkedIn] | [Location]

## Summary
[2-3 sentences highlighting key value proposition aligned with job posting]

## Experience

### [Job Title] | [Company]
[Start Date] - [End Date]

- [Achievement with metric from user's answers]
- [Responsibility aligned with job requirements]
- [Project highlighting relevant skills]

### [Previous Position]
...

## Skills
[Skills matching job posting requirements]

## Education
[Relevant education]

Subagent Reference

This skill uses one subagent:

high-spec-generator: Generates a competitive-level resume version using only company names, titles, and dates. Located in agents/high-spec-generator.md.

Tips for Effective Coaching

1. Don't rush: Each phase builds on the previous one
2. Validate everything: Never assume or fabricate details
3. Respect user's voice: Adapt framings, don't impose them
4. Focus on alignment: Always tie back to job requirements
5. Be honest about gaps: Some gaps are real and that's okay

Error Handling

Missing resume: "이력서를 먼저 공유해주세요. 파일 경로나 텍스트를 직접 붙여넣어도 됩니다."

Missing job posting: "어떤 포지션에 지원하시나요? 채용공고 URL이나 내용을 공유해주세요."

Incomplete answers: If user skips questions, note the gap and proceed. Missing context will be reflected in final output quality.