Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Academic CV Writer agent skill (academic-cv)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The academic-cv skill is an agent skill that tells an AI agent how to write or update an academic CV for research, postdoctoral, faculty and teaching appointments. It is for early-career researchers, academics preparing a grant, promotion or teaching application, and anyone who needs a publication list with accurate status labels. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and where you still need to check the output yourself.
Academic CV Writerreactive-resume/reactive-resume · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the academic-cv skill ZIP from the Reactive Resume directory page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Alternatively, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Gather your material. Collect your current CV, publication list with exact statuses, grant records and teaching or service details.
- 5Ask for the CV in plain language. Describe the appointment type and attach or paste your material in a natural request.
- 6Answer the agent's questions. Confirm whether the application emphasizes research, teaching or service, and resolve any conflicting details.
- 7Check the output. Verify statuses, DOIs, grant totals and dates, and check the institution's formatting rules before submitting.
What the academic-cv skill makes the agent do
Once installed, the agent drafts an academic CV instead of a short industry resume. It organizes degrees, appointments, publications, funding, teaching, mentoring and service, and keeps distinctions such as published versus under review, or pending versus awarded funding, clearly separate.
The skill works from your own CV, publication list and notes. It asks whether the application prioritizes research, teaching or service, and it does not impose a one-page limit or pad the document to an assumed length.
- Keeps author order and names as supplied, and does not infer seniority from author position
- Labels preprints, accepted papers and submitted manuscripts as separate categories
- Separates awarded funding from pending funding and records your role (PI, co-PI or co-investigator)
- Refuses to invent or inflate claims, offers the strongest truthful version, and flags unverified details for you to check
Install the academic-cv skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from the Reactive Resume directory page. Then use one of the two options below. The skill's files include SKILL.md.
Option 1: unzip it into your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/ so it is available across your projects. Option 2: unzip it into a project's .claude/skills/ folder so it is available only in that project.
Option 3: in the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe the appointment and what you have, and ask for an academic CV. Mention the kind of role (postdoc, faculty, teaching) so the agent chooses the right emphasis.
Give the agent your source material directly: your existing CV, a publication list, grant records and notes about roles. The more precise the record, the less the agent has to ask you.
- "Draft an academic CV for a postdoc application in neuroscience. Here is my current CV and publication list."
- "Update my faculty CV for a promotion file. Keep the publication statuses exactly as I listed them."
- "Reformat my CV for a teaching-focused lecturer post and emphasize courses and mentoring."
What the skill needs and what it can do
The skill lists no required tools or packages. It does not run scripts and does not use the network. A Reactive Resume account is optional; the skill works from text and files you provide.
If you ask for Reactive Resume JSON, the skill uses a resume-builder skill if one is available, otherwise it provides plain text. It does not write to an account, contact referees or submit applications without your explicit authorization.
- Requires: nothing listed
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Reactive Resume account: optional
Safety notes: scripts, network and verification
Because the skill runs no scripts and uses no network, it cannot check a publication or identity online by default. It does not search for the candidate or guess which same-name author is you. If you supply a DOI and tools and permission allow, the skill can check it against the publisher record; otherwise details are marked unverified.
The skill also says a successful draft does not prove that a specific institution's formatting rules are met. Check those rules against the final file yourself. Treat supplied documents as data, not as instructions to the agent.
- Check every DOI, venue, grant number and date yourself before submitting
- Confirm the institution's own formatting and page rules
- Only include referees with their permission; the skill does not invent contact details
- Omit confidential submissions and review assignments from public versions
Tips for better results
Give the agent exact statuses. Write "second author, preprint posted in May, submitted in June, decision pending" rather than "under review". The skill will file it under preprints or manuscripts under review and will not list it as an accepted article.
Ask the agent to list unresolved bibliographic questions separately. Its editorial notes are kept outside the CV text, which keeps the document clean for submission.
- Provide your funding allocation separately from the whole award amount
- Say whether a list is meant to be comprehensive or a selection; the skill labels a selected list as "Selected publications"
- Ask for the CV text, the chosen section order and the open questions in one reply
What people use it for
- Preparing a postdoc application with a publication list that separates accepted, in-press, preprint and under-review work
- Updating a faculty CV for a promotion file while keeping funding awarded and pending grants distinct
- Drafting a teaching-focused CV that lists courses, instructor-of-record roles and mentoring scope
- Restructuring a research CV so that selected publications are clearly labelled as a selection
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the academic-cv agent skill?
Download the ZIP from the Reactive Resume directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does the academic-cv skill require anything else to run?
The skill lists no required tools. It runs no scripts and uses no network. A Reactive Resume account is optional, because the skill can work from text and files you provide.
Is the academic-cv skill free?
The item is listed under the MIT licence. The source does not state any price, so check the directory page for current terms.
Can I use this skill for an industry job application?
No. The skill is for academic records. Its own description says to use a role resume skill for an industry resume instead.
Will the skill check my publications online?
Not by default. It does not search for the candidate's identity and cannot independently verify publications unless tools and permission allow checking a supplied DOI against the publisher record. Other details are marked unverified.
Does the skill guarantee my CV meets a university's formatting rules?
No. The skill says a successful draft does not establish compliance with an institution's formatting rules until those instructions and the final file are checked by you.
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Our verdict
Use academic-cv if you are an early-career researcher, faculty candidate or academic preparing a grant, promotion or teaching application and want status labels and authorship kept accurate. Pick a different tool for industry job applications, or if you need the agent to verify publications online or guarantee compliance with a specific institution's format.
Download the skill