Creating Resume Templates

Resume Template Maker Skill

Create personalized Typst resume templates that fit each person's unique content. The built-in templates are starting points—most resume projects need a custom template to fit their content on the desired number of pages.

When to Use

Always consider customization when:

• Resume content doesn't fit cleanly on target page count
• Content overflows onto a partial second page (or leaves awkward whitespace)
• User has significantly more or less experience than template was designed for
• Spacing feels too tight or too loose with built-in templates
• User wants to emphasize different sections than template prioritizes

Also use for:

• Industry-specific styling (finance, creative, tech, academic)
• Aesthetic preferences ("minimalist", "bold headers", "elegant serif")
• Major layout changes (sidebar, two-column, skills-forward)

Core Philosophy

Reality: Each person's resume content is different. A template designed for 15 years of experience won't work for a new grad. A 1-page template won't work for someone with 25 achievements. Fitting content well requires tuning line spacing, margins, section gaps, and font sizes.

Approach: Start from the closest built-in template, then adjust parameters to fit the specific content. Use design vectors for aesthetic decisions, but focus first on making content fit the target page count cleanly.

Content Fitting (Do This First)

Before aesthetic decisions, ensure content fits the target page count:

Quick Tuning Parameters

| Too Much Content | Parameter | Too Little Content | |------------------|-----------|-------------------| | Reduce to 0.5in | Margins | Increase to 0.75in | | Reduce to 9pt | Body font | Increase to 10.5pt | | Reduce to 0.5em | Line height (leading) | Increase to 0.7em | | Reduce to 6pt | Section gap | Increase to 12pt | | Reduce to 2pt | List spacing | Increase to 4pt | | Reduce to 18pt | Name size | Increase to 24pt |

Content Reduction (When Still Too Long)

If parameter tuning isn't enough:

1. Reduce bullets per role (4-5 instead of 6-8)
2. Combine or remove older/less relevant positions
3. Condense skills into inline format vs. grouped
4. Shorten summary to 2-3 lines
5. Remove optional sections (volunteer, languages, publications)

Whitespace Addition (When Too Short)

If content doesn't fill the page well:

1. Add a summary section if missing
2. Expand skills into categorized groups
3. Add a Projects section for side work
4. Include certifications, awards, or volunteer work
5. Increase spacing parameters (generous margins, larger section gaps)

Page Break Decisions

For 2-page resumes:

• Break after a complete job entry, never mid-bullets
• Keep related content together (don't split one job across pages)
• Aim for roughly equal page density

Design Vector Framework

Every template decision maps to four vectors:

1. Typography

• Font families (Inter, Source Sans, Roboto, etc.)
• Weight contrasts (name vs. body)
• Size hierarchy (5-level scale)
• Character: authoritative, approachable, creative, traditional

2. Layout

• Single column vs. multi-column vs. sidebar
• Section order and grouping
• Information density
• Visual flow pattern (F-pattern, Z-pattern)

3. Whitespace

• Margin philosophy (generous vs. efficient)
• Section rhythm (breathing room vs. compact)
• Internal spacing consistency
• Balance and distribution

4. Color

• Palette size (1-3 colors)
• Usage pattern (headers only, accents, backgrounds)
• Industry appropriateness
• Print considerations

Workflow

Step 1: Assess Content and Requirements

- How much content? (count: jobs, bullets, skills, education entries)
- Target page count? (strict 1-page, prefer 1, flexible 2-page)
- Industry/role context? (affects font choice, formality)
- Any specific aesthetic preferences?

Step 2: Choose Starting Template

Pick the closest match based on content volume:

| Content | Recommended Start | |---------|-------------------| | Light (new grad, 1-2 jobs) | minimal or executive with increased spacing | | Medium (5-10 years) | executive or tech-modern | | Heavy (15+ years, many roles) | modern-dense or compact |

Step 3: Compile with Actual Content

# Generate with chosen template
uv run resume-formatter/scripts/yaml_to_typst.py resume.yaml  -o test.typ
uv run resume-formatter/scripts/compile_typst.py test.typ -o test.pdf

Step 4: Evaluate Fit

Check the PDF:

• Does content fit target page count?
• Any orphan lines (single line on new page)?
• Awkward whitespace at bottom of pages?
• Sections feel too cramped or too sparse?

Step 5: Create Custom Template

# Copy and customize
cp resume-formatter/assets/templates/typst/.typ.j2 \
   resume-formatter/assets/templates/typst/-custom.typ.j2

Adjust parameters per "Content Fitting" section above.

Step 6: Apply Design Vectors (If Needed)

For aesthetic changes beyond spacing:

• Use references/design_vectors.md for typography, layout, color decisions
• Use references/industry_themes.md for industry-specific guidance
• Use references/typst_patterns.md for implementation patterns

Step 7: Iterate

Use resume-reviewer skill to evaluate:

1. Content fit (primary concern)
2. Visual hierarchy
3. Readability
4. Professional appearance

Continue until content fits well and reviewer passes all checks.

Quick Start Templates

Start from the template closest to your needs:

| Template | Content Volume | Page Target | Style | |----------|---------------|-------------|-------| | executive.typ.j2 | Medium | 1-2 pages | Professional, balanced | | tech-modern.typ.j2 | Medium | 1 page | Modern, creative | | modern-dense.typ.j2 | Heavy | 1-2 pages | Maximum density | | compact.typ.j2 | Heavy | 1 page strict | Minimal spacing | | minimal.typ.j2 | Light-Medium | 1 page | Understated, clean |

References

• references/design_vectors.md — Detailed guidance on typography, layout, whitespace, color
• references/industry_themes.md — Industry-specific design recommendations
• references/typst_patterns.md — Code patterns for common template features
• references/iteration_workflow.md — Detailed iteration process

Integration with Reviewer

The template-maker and reviewer form an iteration loop:

[Design] → [Create .typ.j2] → [Compile PDF] → [Review] → [Adjust] → ...
                                    ↑                         ↓
                                    └─────────────────────────┘

The reviewer provides structured feedback that maps directly to template adjustments. Iteration continues until the reviewer passes all quality checks.

Output Checklist

Before considering a template complete:

Content Fit (Primary)

• [ ] Content fits target page count without overflow
• [ ] No orphan lines or awkward page breaks
• [ ] No excessive whitespace at page bottoms
• [ ] Spacing feels balanced throughout

Technical

• [ ] Compiles without errors
• [ ] Handles all required YAML sections
• [ ] Handles optional sections gracefully (empty = no output)
• [ ] Special characters escaped properly

Quality

• [ ] Tested with actual resume content (not sample data)
• [ ] Reviewer passes all categories
• [ ] Consistent with stated design rationale

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: vibewith-brent
• Source: vibewith-brent/claude-resume-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.