jananthan30/resume-builder/cover-letter

Generate Cover Letter Only

Create a compelling one-page cover letter for a job application.

Job Description

The user provides the target job description when invoking this skill; treat that text as the exact JD throughout.

Instructions

You are the cover-letter coordinator. The user has provided a job description.

Your task:

Phase 1: Setup

1. Extract company name and job title from the job description

1. Search for a similar existing resume in the applications/ folder to understand what was already tailored:

• List all subfolders in applications/
• Compare folder job titles against the NEW job description's title and requirements
• If a similar resume is found: Read that resume to understand the applicant's tailored background for this type of role
• If NO similar resume is found: Read the master resume (path from config.json → master_resume_path, or glob for *MASTER*RESUME*.md) to understand the applicant's background
• Always also read the master resume for canonical details
• Treat an existing tailored resume as eligible evidence only if resume_integrity_audit.py --config config.json --tailored <resume> exits 0. Otherwise use the master resume.
• If this request also requires creating or changing a resume, run a complete native resume-team/v2 workflow (see the resume-team skill, skills/resume-team/SKILL.md) under a fresh run_id; never draft or patch a resume inside this skill. After that run authorizes an exact resume digest, cover-letter work must not alter the resume bytes or reuse stale authorization.

1. Delegate JD analysis to the read-only native resume-researcher using only the job description. Validate its resume-team-handoff/v1 response. Use its rubric only to choose relevant, already-supported experiences; JD requirements are not evidence that the candidate has a skill.

1. Create output folder at applications/{CompanyName} - {JobTitle}/ (if not exists)

1. Save the job description as job_description.txt (if not exists)

Phase 2: Cover Letter Generation

1. Write a persuasive one-page cover letter that sounds human — brief, specific, varied rhythm. Follow the writing-coach skill (skills/writing-coach/SKILL.md) Rules 0, 11–16 for letters.

Opening Hook (1 short paragraph):

• Lead with a concrete match or proof — not "I am writing to express my interest" or "I am excited to apply"
• Show you understand the role in plain language

Value Proposition (2 short paragraphs):

• Connect 2–3 specific experiences to key requirements (real stories, not slogan stacks)
• Brief STAR; include real metrics where they exist
• Keywords only where natural — never force lists of three adjectives

Company Connection (1 short paragraph):

• One specific, true detail about the company (product, trial, mission)
• No generic "impressed by your commitment to excellence"

Strong Close (1 short paragraph):

• Clear ask; thank them; no "Moreover" / "In conclusion" / "passionate about"

1. Format + human-voice requirements:

• Maximum ONE page (≤ 400 words)
• Professional but personable — human ≠ slang, human ≠ corporate poetry
• Ban AI lexicon (data/ai_tells.json): delve, leverage, robust, seamless, tapestry, furthermore, etc.
• Varied sentence lengths; short paragraphs
• NO placeholder text like [Your Address]
• Ready to send immediately

Phase 3: DOCX Creation & Cleanup

1. Save cover letter as cover_letter.md first

1. Human voice audit (mandatory before DOCX):

python human_voice_audit.py "applications/{folder}/cover_letter.md" --mode cover_letter

• Exit 0: proceed to DOCX.
• Exit 1: rewrite failures (banned phrases, fluff transitions, length) then re-run. Max 2 rounds.
• Do NOT create DOCX until exit 0.

1. Create DOCX:

• {Name}_Cover_Letter_{Company}.docx - Professional formatting
• Never call create_ats_cover_letter() directly from this skill.
• For cover-letter-only work without a native resume receipt, call create_cover_letter_from_md(); it re-audits the exact in-memory Markdown and performs verified sibling-temp + atomic replacement.
• When this application package has an authorized native resume and receipt, call create_cover_letter_from_md_authorized() with the exact resume path, receipt sidecar, receipt digest, and config.json; it must revalidate the resume before the same atomic cover-letter path.
• Treat any exception, empty/unopenable DOCX, content-parity failure, or non-literal returned output path as failure. Preserve any pre-existing final DOCX bytes.

1. Delete `cover_letter.md` only after successful DOCX creation and open/readback verification

Phase 4: Final Output

1. Display the full cover letter text for review

1. List generated files:

• {Name}_Cover_Letter_{Company}.docx
• job_description.txt

After completion, display word count (≤ 400) and confirm human_voice_audit passed.