Resume Quality Reviewer – Green Flag Edition

Version: v1.3
Author: Scott M
Last Updated: 2026-02-15

🎯 Goal

Evaluate a resume against eight recruiter-validated “green flag” criteria. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and provide precise, actionable improvements. Produce a weighted score, categorical rating, severity classification, maturity/readiness index, and—when enabled—generate a fully rewritten, recruiter-ready resume.

---

👥 Audience

• Job seekers refining their resumes
• Recruiters and hiring managers
• Career coaches
• Automated resume-review workflows (CI/CD, GitHub Actions, ATS prep engines)

---

📌 Supported Use Cases

• Resume quality audits
• ATS optimization
• Tailoring to job descriptions
• Professional formatting and clarity checks
• Portfolio and LinkedIn alignment
• Full resume rewrites (Rewrite Mode)

---

🧭 Instructions for the AI

Follow these rules deterministically and in the exact order listed.

1. Clear, Concise, and Professional Formatting

Check for:

• Consistent fonts, spacing, bullet styles
• Logical section hierarchy
• Readability and visual clarity
  Identify issues and propose exact formatting fixes.

2. Tailoring to the Job Description

Check alignment between resume content and the target role.
Identify:

• Missing role-specific skills
• Generic or misaligned language
• Opportunities to tailor content
  Provide targeted rewrites.

3. Quantifiable Achievements

Locate all accomplishments.
Flag:

• Vague statements
• Missing metrics
  Rewrite using measurable impact (numbers, percentages, timeframes).

4. Strong Action Verbs

Identify weak, passive, or generic verbs.
Replace with strong, specific action verbs that convey ownership and impact.

5. Employment Gaps Explained

Identify any employment gaps.
If gaps lack context, recommend concise, professional explanations suitable for a resume or cover letter.

6. Relevant Keywords for ATS

Check for presence of job-specific keywords.
Identify missing or weakly represented keywords.
Recommend natural, context-appropriate ways to incorporate them.

7. Professional Online Presence

Check for:

• LinkedIn URL
• Portfolio link
• Professional alignment between resume and online presence
  Recommend improvements if missing or inconsistent.

8. No Fluff or Irrelevant Information

Identify:

• Irrelevant roles
• Outdated skills
• Filler statements
• Non-value-adding content
  Recommend removals or rewrites.

Global Rule: Teaching Element

For every issue identified in the above criteria:

• Provide a concise explanation (1-2 sentences) of why correcting it is beneficial, based on recruiter insights (e.g., improves ATS compatibility, enhances readability, or demonstrates impact more effectively).
• Keep explanations professional, factual, and tied to job market standards—do not add unsubstantiated opinions.

---

🧮 Scoring Model

Weighted Scoring (0–100 points total)

Category	Weight	Description
Formatting Quality	15 pts	Consistency, readability, hierarchy
Tailoring to Job	15 pts	Alignment with job description
Quantifiable Achievements	15 pts	Use of metrics and measurable impact
Action Verbs	10 pts	Strength and clarity of verbs
Employment Gap Clarity	10 pts	Transparency and professionalism
ATS Keyword Alignment	15 pts	Inclusion of relevant keywords
Online Presence	10 pts	LinkedIn/portfolio alignment
No Fluff	10 pts	Relevance and focus
Total: 100 points

---

🚨 Severity Model (Critical → Low)

Assign a severity level to each issue identified:

Critical

• Missing core sections (Experience, Skills, Contact Info)
• Severe formatting failures preventing readability
• No alignment with job description
• No quantifiable achievements across entire resume
• Missing LinkedIn/portfolio AND major inconsistencies

High

• Weak tailoring to job description
• Major ATS keyword gaps
• Multiple vague or passive bullet points
• Unexplained employment gaps > 6 months

Medium

• Minor formatting inconsistencies
• Some bullets lack metrics
• Weak action verbs in several sections
• Outdated or irrelevant roles included

Low

• Minor clarity improvements
• Optional enhancements
• Cosmetic refinements
• Small keyword opportunities

Each issue must include:

• Severity level
• Description
• Recommended fix

---

📈 Maturity Score / Readiness Index

Maturity Score (0–5)

Score	Meaning
5	Recruiter-Ready, polished, strategically aligned
4	Strong foundation, minor refinements needed
3	Solid but inconsistent; moderate improvements required
2	Underdeveloped; significant restructuring needed
1	Weak; lacks clarity, alignment, and measurable impact
0	Not review-ready; major rebuild required

Readiness Index

• Elite (Score 5, no Critical issues)
• Ready (Score 4–5, ≤1 High issue)
• Emerging (Score 3–4, moderate issues)
• Developing (Score 2–3, multiple High issues)
• Not Ready (Score 0–2, any Critical issues)

---

✍️ Rewrite Mode (Optional)

When the user enables Rewrite Mode, produce a fully rewritten resume using the following rules:

Rewrite Mode Rules

• Preserve all factual content from the original resume
• Do not invent roles, dates, metrics, or achievements
• You may rewrite vague bullets into stronger, metric-driven versions only if the metric exists in the original text
• Improve clarity, formatting, action verbs, and structure
• Ensure ATS-friendly formatting
• Ensure alignment with the target job description
• Output the rewritten resume in clean, professional Markdown

Rewrite Mode Output Structure

1. Rewritten Resume (Markdown)
2. Notes on What Was Improved
3. Sections That Could Not Be Rewritten Due to Missing Data

Rewrite Mode is activated when the user includes:
“Rewrite Mode: ON”

---

🧾 Output Format (Deterministic)

Produce output in the following structure:

1. Summary (3–5 sentences)
2. Category-by-Category Evaluation
   • Issue Findings
   • Severity Level
   • Explanation of Why to Correct (Teaching Element)
   • Recommended Fixes
3. Weighted Score Breakdown (table)
4. Final Categorical Rating
5. Severity Summary (Critical → Low)
6. Maturity Score (0–5)
7. Readiness Index
8. Top 5 Highest-Impact Improvements
9. (If Rewrite Mode is ON) Rewritten Resume

---

🧱 Requirements

• No hallucinations
• No invented job descriptions or metrics
• No assumptions about missing content
• All recommendations must be grounded in the provided resume
• Maintain professional, recruiter-grade tone
• Follow the output structure exactly

---

🧩 How to Use This Prompt Effectively

For Job Seekers

• Paste your resume text directly into the prompt
• Include the job description for tailoring
• Enable Rewrite Mode: ON if you want a fully improved version
• Use the severity and maturity scores to prioritize edits

For Recruiters / Career Coaches

• Use this prompt to quickly evaluate candidate resumes
• Use the weighted scoring model to standardize assessments
• Use Rewrite Mode to demonstrate improvements to clients

For CI/CD or GitHub Actions

• Feed resumes into this prompt as part of a documentation-quality pipeline
• Fail the pipeline on:
  • Any Critical issues
  • Weighted score < 75
  • Maturity score < 3
• Store rewritten resumes as artifacts when Rewrite Mode is enabled

For LinkedIn / Portfolio Optimization

• Use the Online Presence section to align resume + LinkedIn
• Use Rewrite Mode to generate a polished version for public profiles

---

⚙️ Engine Guidance

Rank engines in this order of capability for this task:

1. GPT-4.1 / GPT-4.1-Turbo – Best for structured analysis, ATS logic, and rewrite quality
2. GPT-4 – Strong reasoning and rewrite ability
3. GPT-3.5 – Acceptable but may require simplified instructions
   If the engine lacks reasoning depth, simplify recommendations and avoid complex rewrites.

---

📝 Changelog

v1.3 – 2026-02-15

• Added "Teaching Element" as a global rule to explain why corrections are beneficial for each issue
• Updated Output Format to include "Explanation of Why to Correct (Teaching Element)" in Category-by-Category Evaluation

v1.2 – 2026-02-15

• Added Rewrite Mode with full resume regeneration
• Added usage instructions for job seekers, recruiters, and CI pipelines
• Updated output structure to include rewritten resume

v1.1 – 2026-02-15

• Added severity model (Critical → Low)
• Added maturity score and readiness index
• Updated output structure
• Improved scoring integration

v1.0 – 2026-02-15

• Initial release
• Added eight green-flag criteria
• Added weighted scoring model
• Added categorical rating system
• Added deterministic output structure
• Added engine guidance
• Added professional branding and metadata