resume-section-builder — Claude Code skill: structure resumes

---
name: resume-section-builder
description: Create targeted resume sections optimized for different experience levels and roles
---

# Resume Section Builder

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:
- Needs help with specific resume sections
- Wants to optimize a particular part of their resume
- Is unsure what to include in a section
- Needs section-specific guidance
- Mentions: "resume sections", "skills section", "summary section", "experience section", "what to include"

## Core Capabilities

- Build targeted professional summaries
- Structure skills sections effectively
- Optimize experience sections
- Create education sections appropriately
- Add supplementary sections strategically
- Tailor sections for different career stages

## Professional Summary Section

### When to Include

**Include Summary If:**
- Career changers (need to explain transition)
- Senior professionals (distill long career)
- Returning to workforce (address gaps)
- Highly specialized role (emphasize fit)

**Skip Summary If:**
- Entry level with limited experience
- Straightforward career progression
- Space is at a premium

### Summary Framework

**Formula:** [Title/Identity] + [Years/Experience] + [Key Skills] + [Value Proposition]

### By Career Stage

**Entry Level:**
```
Recent Computer Science graduate from UC Berkeley with internship experience in full-stack development. Skilled in Python, React, and AWS. Seeking to leverage academic projects in machine learning and user-facing application development in a software engineering role.
```

**Mid-Career:**
```
Product Manager with 6 years driving B2B SaaS products from concept to scale. Track record of launching products that generated $10M+ ARR through data-driven roadmap prioritization and cross-functional leadership. Expert in API products, developer tools, and enterprise sales motions.
```

**Senior/Executive:**
```
Technology executive with 15+ years building and scaling engineering organizations from 50 to 500+ across global markets. Proven success leading digital transformation initiatives, M&A integration, and platform modernization. P&L ownership of $100M+ with track record of 40%+ efficiency improvements.
```

**Career Changer:**
```
Sales professional transitioning to Customer Success, bringing 5 years of consultative selling experience and proven ability to build lasting client relationships. Skilled in needs assessment, solution design, and stakeholder management. Seeking to apply relationship-building expertise to drive customer retention and expansion.
```

### Summary Don'ts

- ❌ "Seeking a challenging position..."
- ❌ "Hard-working team player..."
- ❌ "Results-oriented professional..."
- ❌ Third person ("John is a...")
- ❌ Objectives (what you want vs. what you offer)

## Skills Section

### Organization Options

**Option 1: Simple List**
```
SKILLS
Python, JavaScript, SQL, React, Node.js, AWS, Docker, Git, Agile, JIRA
```
Best for: ATS optimization, space constraints

**Option 2: Categorized**
```
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL
Frameworks: React, Node.js, Django, FastAPI
Cloud: AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda), GCP, Docker, Kubernetes
Tools: Git, JIRA, Confluence, Datadog
```
Best for: Technical roles, extensive skill sets

**Option 3: Proficiency Levels** (use carefully)
```
SKILLS
Expert: Python, SQL, Product Management
Advanced: AWS, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Management
Proficient: Machine Learning, Figma, Financial Modeling
```
Best for: Roles requiring specific proficiency, honest representation

### What to Include

**Technical/Hard Skills:**
- Programming languages
- Software and tools
- Methodologies (Agile, Lean)
- Platforms (Salesforce, SAP)
- Certifications

**Functional Skills:**
- Project management
- Financial analysis
- Data analysis
- Market research

**Industry Knowledge:**
- Domain expertise
- Regulatory knowledge
- Industry certifications

### What to Exclude

- ❌ Microsoft Office (assumed)
- ❌ "Basic" skills
- ❌ Skills you can't discuss in interview
- ❌ Soft skills (show, don't list)
- ❌ Outdated technologies

## Experience Section

### Standard Format

```
COMPANY NAME | City, State
Job Title | Start Date - End Date

• Achievement bullet with metric and impact
• Achievement bullet with metric and impact
• Achievement bullet with metric and impact
```

### Bullet Guidelines by Career Stage

**Entry Level (0-2 years):**
- 3-5 bullets per role
- Include relevant projects
- Quantify where possible
- Show initiative and learning

**Mid-Career (3-10 years):**
- 4-6 bullets for recent roles
- 2-3 bullets for older roles
- Focus on achievements over duties
- Strong metrics throughout

**Senior (10+ years):**
- 5-6 bullets for recent roles
- 2-3 bullets for older roles
- Emphasize leadership and strategy
- Show increasing scope

### Handling Different Situations

**Multiple Roles at Same Company:**
```
COMPANY NAME | City, State
Senior Manager | 2021 - Present
• [Bullets for current role]

Manager | 2019 - 2021
• [Bullets for previous role]

Analyst | 2017 - 2019
• [Bullets for earliest role]
```

**Short Tenure:**
- Include if relevant experience
- Frame around project or achievement
- Don't apologize or explain in resume

**Contract/Freelance:**
```
Freelance Product Consultant | 2022 - Present
Clients include: Company A, Company B, Company C
• [Achievement with Client A]
• [Achievement with Client B]
```

## Education Section

### Standard Format

```
EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley | 2020
GPA: 3.8/4.0 | Honors: Magna Cum Laude
```

### What to Include by Career Stage

**Entry Level:**
- Degree, major, school, year
- GPA (if 3.5+)
- Honors and awards
- Relevant coursework
- Academic projects
- Study abroad

**Mid-Career:**
- Degree, major, school, year
- GPA only if exceptional
- Skip coursework (replaced by experience)

**Senior:**
- Degree, school
- May skip year (age discrimination)
- Professional development more relevant

### Advanced Degrees

```
MBA, Finance & Strategy
Harvard Business School | 2022
• Leadership Fellow
• Relevant coursework: Corporate Finance, M&A Strategy

M.S. in Computer Science
Stanford University | 2018
• Specialization: Artificial Intelligence
• Thesis: "Title of Thesis"
```

### Certifications

```
CERTIFICATIONS
AWS Solutions Architect Associate | Amazon Web Services | 2023
PMP (Project Management Professional) | PMI | 2022
Google Analytics Certified | Google | 2023
```

## Additional Sections

### When to Include Each

**Projects Section:**
- Entry level with limited work experience
- Career changers showing new skills
- Technical roles with personal projects

**Volunteer Section:**
- Relevant volunteer experience
- Leadership roles
- Fills employment gaps meaningfully

**Languages:**
- If relevant to role/company
- List proficiency levels accurately
- Only if beyond basic conversational

**Publications/Patents:**
- Academic positions
- Research roles
- Technical thought leadership

**Awards/Recognition:**
- Significant industry awards
- Company-wide recognition
- Relevant honors

### Format Examples

**Projects:**
```
PROJECTS
E-commerce Platform | React, Node.js, PostgreSQL | github.com/user/project
• Built full-stack marketplace with 500+ active users
• Implemented payment processing with Stripe integration
```

**Volunteer:**
```
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Board Member | Local Nonprofit | 2021 - Present
• Led fundraising committee, increasing annual donations by 40%
```

**Languages:**
```
LANGUAGES
English (Native) | Spanish (Professional) | Mandarin (Conversational)
```

## Section Order by Role Type

### Standard Order
1. Contact
2. Summary (optional)
3. Skills
4. Experience
5. Education
6. Additional

### Technical Roles
1. Contact
2. Skills (prioritized)
3. Experience
4. Projects
5. Education
6. Certifications

### Recent Graduate
1. Contact
2. Education (prioritized)
3. Skills
4. Experience/Internships
5. Projects
6. Activities

### Executive
1. Contact
2. Executive Summary
3. Career Highlights
4. Experience
5. Board Roles
6. Education

### Career Changer
1. Contact
2. Summary (explaining transition)
3. Skills (transferable)
4. Experience (reframed)
5. Bridge Experience
6. Education

## Output Format

When building resume sections:

```markdown
# RESUME SECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

## For: [User's situation/role]

### Recommended Section Order
1. [Section] - [Why]
2. [Section] - [Why]
...

### Section Details

#### Professional Summary
**Recommendation:** [Include/Skip]
**Draft:**
[Written summary if recommended]

#### Skills Section
**Format:** [Simple/Categorized/Proficiency]
**Content:**
[Organized skills list]

#### Experience Section
**Format:** [Standard/Functional/Hybrid]
**Bullets per Role:**
- Recent: [X] bullets
- Older: [X] bullets

#### Education Section
**Include:**
- [Items to include]
**Exclude:**
- [Items to exclude]

#### Additional Sections
**Recommended:** [Section name] because [reason]
**Skip:** [Section name] because [reason]
```

## Section-Building Checklist

- ✅ Section order optimized for role
- ✅ Summary is concise and targeted (if included)
- ✅ Skills are relevant and organized
- ✅ Experience bullets are achievement-focused
- ✅ Education appropriate for career stage
- ✅ Additional sections add value (not filler)
- ✅ Consistent formatting throughout
- ✅ All sections support the target role
- ✅ Nothing irrelevant or outdated included
- ✅ Total length appropriate (1-2 pages)