# Resume Content Standards & Guidelines

> **Purpose:** This document is the **single source of truth** for ALL resume content updates.  
> Whether you're using Kiro, Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or editing manually, follow these standards to ensure consistency, ATS optimization, and professional quality.

**Last Updated:** December 2025  
**Version:** 1.0

---

## 🎯 Core Principles (NEVER Violate)

These principles are **non-negotiable** and must be followed in every resume update:

1. **ATS-First Optimization** - 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before human review
2. **Quantified Achievements** - Every bullet point needs measurable metrics
3. **AI Skills Prominence** - 47% of employers prioritize AI skills in 2025
4. **2-Page Maximum** - For professionals with 5+ years experience
5. **No Clichés** - Terms like "results-driven", "team player" cause instant rejection
6. **Achievement-First** - Lead with impact, not responsibilities
7. **Skills-Centric** - Capabilities matter more than job titles

---

## 📋 Mandatory Structure

### Section Order (5+ Years Experience)

1. **Contact Information** - Name, email, phone, location, LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio
2. **Professional Summary** - 2-3 sentences highlighting expertise and achievements
3. **Core Competencies/Skills** - Grouped by category (Frontend, AI Tools, Architecture, etc.)
4. **Work Experience** - Reverse chronological, achievement-focused bullets
5. **Education** - Degree, institution, graduation date
6. **Optional Sections** - Certificates, Projects, Languages (if space permits)

### File Location

- **Resume Data:** `app/data/resume.en.ts`
- **Portfolio Data:** `app/data/portfolio.en.ts`

---

## ✍️ Content Writing Rules

### Professional Summary Formula

**Structure (3 lines):**
```
Line 1: Title + Years of Experience + Specialization
Line 2: Specific achievements with quantifiable results
Line 3: Key skills/tools + relevant certifications
```

**Example:**
```
Frontend Developer with 3+ years building high-performance Vue.js/Nuxt applications 
for international clients. AI-first engineer leveraging Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and 
AI-powered tools to accelerate development by 50% while maintaining code quality. 
Specialized in performance optimization, scalable architecture (SSR, PWA, RBAC), 
and accessibility.
```

**Rules:**
- ✅ 50-80 words maximum
- ✅ Lead with strongest differentiator
- ✅ Include specific metrics (percentages, dollar amounts, time saved)
- ✅ Mention AI tools if used regularly
- ❌ No clichés ("passionate", "results-driven", "team player")
- ❌ No generic statements without proof

---

### Work Experience Guidelines

**Format:**
```typescript
{
  company: 'Company Name',
  position: 'Job Title',
  location: 'City, Country',
  startDate: 'YYYY-MM',
  endDate: 'YYYY-MM', // or undefined for current
  highlights: [
    // 4-6 achievement-focused bullets
  ]
}
```

**Bullet Point Formula:**

```
[Action Verb] + [What You Did] + [Quantifiable Result/Impact]
```

**Examples:**

✅ **Good:**
```
"Accelerated feature development by 50% using Cursor and GitHub Copilot for 
component generation and real-time debugging, while maintaining zero critical 
bugs through AI-assisted code review"
```

❌ **Bad:**
```
"Responsible for developing features using AI tools"
```

**Quantification Templates:**

| Category | Template | Example |
|----------|----------|---------|
| **Performance** | "Improved X by Y%" | "Reduced bundle size by 35%" |
| **Time Savings** | "Reduced X from Y to Z" | "Cut build time from 5min to 90sec" |
| **Scale** | "Serving X users/requests" | "Platform serving 10K+ users across 10 languages" |
| **Team Impact** | "Led team of X" | "Mentored 3 junior developers" |
| **Business Impact** | "Generated $X revenue" | "Delivered project worth $500K" |

**Action Verbs (Use These):**

| Instead of... | Use These |
|---------------|-----------|
| "worked on" | Architected, Engineered, Developed, Built, Implemented |
| "helped" | Accelerated, Enabled, Facilitated, Drove |
| "made" | Designed, Created, Established, Launched |
| "managed" | Led, Directed, Coordinated, Orchestrated |
| "improved" | Optimized, Enhanced, Streamlined, Transformed |

---

### AI Skills Strategy

**Critical Insight:** 47% of employers consider AI the most important skill in 2025.

**Where to Mention AI:**

1. **Professional Summary** - Mention AI-first approach
2. **Skills Section** - Dedicated "AI-Assisted Development" category
3. **Work Experience** - Show AI tools in context with results

**AI Tools to Highlight:**

| Tool | Priority | Context |
|------|----------|---------|
| **Cursor AI** | High | "AI-powered IDE for 3-4x faster development" |
| **GitHub Copilot** | High | "Real-time code suggestions and pair programming" |
| **Claude/ChatGPT** | Medium | "Advanced code analysis and architecture planning" |
| **AI Code Review** | Medium | "Automated quality assurance" |

**How to Write AI Achievements:**

✅ **Good:**
```
"Leveraged Cursor AI to reduce development time by 40% across 6 projects, 
enabling 100% on-time delivery while maintaining code quality standards"
```

❌ **Bad:**
```
"Used AI tools for coding"
```

**Rules:**
- ✅ Always include quantifiable impact
- ✅ Mention specific tools by name
- ✅ Show how AI enhanced productivity/quality
- ❌ Never say "AI wrote my code" (implies lack of skill)
- ❌ Don't list AI tools without context

---

### Skills Section Structure

**Format:**
```typescript
skills: [
  {
    name: 'Category Name',
    keywords: ['Skill 1', 'Skill 2', 'Skill 3']
  }
]
```

**Recommended Categories:**

1. **Frontend Core** - Vue.js, Nuxt.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3
2. **AI-Assisted Development** - Cursor AI, GitHub Copilot, Prompt Engineering
3. **Architecture & Performance** - SSR, SSG, PWA, RBAC, Code Splitting
4. **Development Tools** - Git, CI/CD, ESLint, Vite, REST APIs
5. **Quality & Accessibility** - WCAG 2.1, Lighthouse, Code Review, i18n

**Rules:**
- ✅ Group by logical categories
- ✅ List 15-20 total skills (not more)
- ✅ Order by relevance to target role
- ✅ Include both technical and soft skills
- ❌ No generic skills ("Microsoft Office", "Communication")
- ❌ Don't list skills you can't demonstrate

---

## 🔄 Portfolio → Resume Sync Rules

### Decision Matrix: When to Include in Resume

| Portfolio Item | Include in Resume? | Where? | How? |
|----------------|-------------------|--------|------|
| **New Project** | If client-facing & production | Projects section OR Work highlights | 3-bullet format with metrics |
| **New Skill** | If used in 2+ projects | Skills section | Group by category |
| **New Job** | Always | Work section | 4-6 achievement bullets |
| **Certification** | If relevant to target role | Certificates section | Standard format |
| **Side Project** | Only if impressive/relevant | Projects (optional) | Brief, 2-3 bullets |
| **Tool/Framework** | If used professionally | Skills section | Add to appropriate category |

### Content Transformation Rules

**Portfolio → Resume Translation:**

| Portfolio (Casual) | Resume (Professional) |
|--------------------|----------------------|
| "Built a cool medical tourism app" | "Architected medical tourism platform serving international patients across 10+ languages with real-time scheduling and PWA capabilities" |
| "Used AI tools to code faster" | "Accelerated development by 50% using Cursor AI for component generation while maintaining zero critical bugs" |
| "Made the site faster" | "Optimized application performance through code splitting and lazy loading, reducing bundle size by 35%" |

**Quantification Requirements:**

Every portfolio item added to resume MUST answer:
- ✅ **Scale:** How many users/requests/transactions?
- ✅ **Impact:** What improved? By how much?
- ✅ **Technology:** What tools/frameworks were used?
- ✅ **Result:** What was the business/user outcome?

---

## ✅ Pre-Commit Checklist

Before ANY change to `app/data/resume.en.ts`, verify:

### Content Quality
- [ ] All work experience bullets start with strong action verbs
- [ ] Every achievement includes quantifiable metrics
- [ ] AI tools mentioned with specific context and results
- [ ] No clichés used ("results-driven", "team player", "passionate")
- [ ] Professional summary follows 3-line formula
- [ ] Skills grouped into 4-6 logical categories

### ATS Compliance
- [ ] Keywords from target job descriptions included
- [ ] Standard section headings used
- [ ] Date format consistent (YYYY-MM)
- [ ] No special characters in content
- [ ] Skills include both full terms and acronyms where applicable

### Structure & Length
- [ ] Total content fits within 2-page limit (estimate ~1000 words)
- [ ] Section order follows standard structure
- [ ] Contact information complete and professional
- [ ] LinkedIn/GitHub URLs are current and active

### Accuracy
- [ ] All dates are correct
- [ ] Company names spelled correctly
- [ ] No typos or grammatical errors
- [ ] All claims can be backed up with evidence

---

## 🚫 Common Mistakes (Auto-Reject)

### Clichés That Kill Resumes

**NEVER use these phrases:**
- ❌ "Results-driven professional"
- ❌ "Team player with strong communication skills"
- ❌ "Think outside the box"
- ❌ "Hard-working and dedicated"
- ❌ "Detail-oriented"
- ❌ "Self-starter"
- ❌ "Passionate about technology"
- ❌ "Go-getter"

### Content Mistakes

| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do Instead |
|----------|---------------|
| "Responsible for managing projects" | "Led 9 concurrent projects totaling $10M budget, achieving 94% on-time delivery" |
| "Worked with Vue.js" | "Architected Vue.js applications serving 10K+ users with 99.5% uptime" |
| "Helped improve performance" | "Optimized load time by 40% through code splitting and lazy loading" |
| "Used AI tools" | "Leveraged Cursor AI to accelerate development by 50% across 6 production projects" |
| "Good communication skills" | "Collaborated with CEO on product strategy, translating requirements into technical specs" |

### Formatting Mistakes

- ❌ Using multiple fonts or colors
- ❌ Including photos or graphics
- ❌ Using tables or columns
- ❌ Exceeding 2 pages
- ❌ Inconsistent date formats
- ❌ Generic email addresses (partyguy@email.com)

---

## 🔗 Reference Documents

### Full Research & Analysis
- **Comprehensive Research:** [docs/research/resume-research-2025.md](./research/resume-research-2025.md) - 100+ sources, full analysis
- **AI Skills Report:** [docs/research/mension-ai-skills-in-resume-report.md](./research/mension-ai-skills-in-resume-report.md) - Deep dive on AI skills importance

### Quick References
- **Content Guide:** [docs/resume-content-guide.md](./resume-content-guide.md) - Quick lookup for writing tips
- **Current Resume:** [app/data/resume.en.ts](../app/data/resume.en.ts) - Live resume data
- **Portfolio Data:** [app/data/portfolio.en.ts](../app/data/portfolio.en.ts) - Portfolio source

---

## 🤖 For AI Agents

If you're an AI agent (Kiro, Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, etc.) helping with resume updates:

### Your Responsibilities

1. **Read this document FIRST** before making any resume suggestions
2. **Apply all rules** from Core Principles and Content Writing Rules
3. **Use the Decision Matrix** to determine if portfolio items belong in resume
4. **Transform content** using the Portfolio → Resume translation guidelines
5. **Validate** against the Pre-Commit Checklist before presenting changes
6. **Never violate** the Common Mistakes section

### Workflow for Resume Updates

```
1. User requests resume update
   ↓
2. Read current resume.en.ts and portfolio.en.ts
   ↓
3. Identify what changed or what needs to be added
   ↓
4. Apply Decision Matrix: Should this be in resume?
   ↓
5. If YES: Transform content using standards
   ↓
6. Generate suggestion with quantified achievements
   ↓
7. Validate against Pre-Commit Checklist
   ↓
8. Present to user for approval
```

### Example Prompt for Agents

```
"I need to update my resume with a new project. Please:
1. Read docs/RESUME-STANDARDS.md
2. Compare app/data/portfolio.en.ts with app/data/resume.en.ts
3. Identify the new project
4. Determine if it should be in resume (use Decision Matrix)
5. If yes, write achievement-focused bullets following the standards
6. Validate against Pre-Commit Checklist
7. Show me the suggested changes"
```

---

## 📝 Version History

| Version | Date | Changes |
|---------|------|---------|
| 1.0 | 2025-12-04 | Initial creation with core principles, content rules, and sync guidelines |

---

**Remember:** This document is living. Update it as you learn new best practices or when resume standards evolve.
