Generate a Custom Resume for Every Job Application Without Starting from Scratch

If you're job hunting, you already know the struggle. You find a great job posting, spend time rewriting your resume to match what they're looking for, maybe write a cover letter, save it as a PDF, and then do it all over again for the next job. It's exhausting and time-consuming.

Tailor Resume is a free tool that makes this process much easier. You keep one master resume with all your experience, and the tool helps you create a customized version for each job you apply to — complete with a matching cover letter and professional PDF.

What This Tool Does

Think of it this way:

• 
  Your master resume is like a complete list of everything you've done — all your jobs, skills, education, and achievements


• 
  Each job application gets its own tailored version — you pick what's most relevant for that specific role


• 
  The tool turns that tailored version into a clean, professional PDF that works with automated hiring systems (ATS)

No more manually reformatting. No more wondering which version you sent to which company.

How to Get Started

Step 1: Download the Tool

You'll need a few things first:

1. 
   Node.js — Download it from nodejs.org (get the LTS version)


2. 
   Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge — You probably already have one of these


3. 
   Git — Download from git-scm.com (needed to get the tool files)

Then open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac) and run:

git clone https://github.com/elias-soykat/tailor-resume.git

cd tailor-resume

npm install

Step 2: Create Your Master Resume

Open the master_resume.json file in any text editor (Notepad works fine). Replace the example information with your own:

{

  "personal_info": {

    "full_name": "Your Full Name",

    "title": "Your Current or Target Job Title",

    "email": "[email protected]",

    "location": "City, Country",

    "linkedin": "your-linkedin-profile-name",

    "github": "your-github-username"

  },

  "professional_summary": "A short paragraph about who you are professionally...",

  "skills": {

    "languages": ["English", "Spanish", "Other Languages"],

    "frontend": ["Skill 1", "Skill 2"],

    "backend": ["Skill 1", "Skill 2"],

    "tools_ops": ["Tool 1", "Tool 2"]

  },

  "experience": [

    {

      "company": "Company Name",

      "position": "Your Job Title",

      "start_date": "2023-06",

      "end_date": "Present",

      "location": "City, Country",

      "achievements": [

        {

          "description": "What you did in this role",

          "impact": "The result or outcome (optional)"

        }

      ]

    }

  ],

  "education": [

    {

      "degree": "Your Degree or Certification",

      "institution": "School or University Name",

      "start_year": 2014,

      "end_year": 2018

    }

  ]

}

Don't worry about getting it perfect — you can always add more later. The key is to include everything you might want to use across different applications.

Step 3: Generate a Tailored Resume for a Job

This is where the magic happens. You can use an AI assistant (like Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor) to help you:

1. 
   Copy a job description from a job posting you're interested in


2. 
   Paste it into a chat with the AI assistant


3. 
   Ask it to create a tailored resume and cover letter based on your master resume

The AI will create a folder in the output/ directory with your customized files.

Step 4: Create the PDF

Once you have your tailored resume and cover letter as JSON files, run this command in the terminal:

npm run generate -- --dir output/CompanyName

Replace CompanyName with the actual folder name. The tool will create professional PDFs you can submit with your application.

What You Get

For each job application, you'll have:

output/

  Company_Name/

    YourName_Job_Title_resume.json      ← Your tailored resume data

    YourName_Job_Title_resume.pdf       ← Your resume as a PDF

    YourName_Job_Title_cover_letter.json ← Your cover letter data

    YourName_Job_Title_cover_letter.pdf  ← Your cover letter as a PDF

Everything is organized by company, so you'll never lose track of what you sent where.

Why This Helps

The old way:

• You edit your resume manually for each job


• You might forget which version you sent to which company


• Formatting takes time and can break between applications


• Cover letters are often skipped because they take too long

With this tool:

• One master list of everything you've done


• Each application gets its own tailored version


• PDFs are generated automatically — no formatting headaches


• Cover letters are included with every application


• Everything is organized and easy to find later

Tips for Best Results

• 
  Keep your master resume complete — Include all your experience, even if you don't use it all for every application. You can always leave things out for specific jobs.


• 
  Be specific in your achievements — Instead of "Responsible for sales," write "Increased sales by 30% in 6 months." Numbers and results stand out.


• 
  Update your master resume regularly — Add new skills and achievements as you go, so you're always ready for the next opportunity.


• 
  Review the AI output — The AI does a good job, but always read through the tailored version to make sure it represents you accurately.

Quick Start Summary

1. Install Node.js, Chrome/Edge, and Git


2. Clone the tool: git clone https://github.com/elias-soykat/tailor-resume.git
   


3. Install: npm install
   


4. Edit master_resume.json with your information


5. Find a job posting and use an AI assistant to create tailored versions


6. Run npm run generate -- --dir output/CompanyName to get your PDFs


7. Apply with confidence

Good luck with your job search! If you have questions, open an issue on the GitHub repository.