Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Job Application Assistant agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Job Application Assistant is an agent skill for Claude that helps with job applications: it evaluates a posting, tailors a LaTeX CV and cover letter, and prepares interview answers. This guide explains what an agent skill is, how to install this one, how to trigger it with ordinary requests, and what it needs from you before the output is useful. By the end you will be able to run a full evaluate-to-interview workflow and know which parts you still need to check yourself.
Job Application Assistantai-job-search-dev/ai-job-search · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. The folder should be named job-application-assistant and contain SKILL.md and the numbered reference files.
- 2Place it in the skills folder. Move the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. Alternatively, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Complete the profile files. Replace the placeholders in 01-candidate-profile.md, 02-behavioral-profile.md and 03-writing-style.md with your real information.
- 4Prepare your repository folders. Make sure cv/, cover_letters/ and documents/ exist in your repository, since the workflow writes files there.
- 5Send a posting with a request. Ask for an evaluation, paste the posting URL or text, and let the agent run the guard script before reading it.
- 6Review the fit verdict. Read the evaluation table and verdict, then decide whether to proceed with a CV and cover letter.
- 7Check the drafts and compile. Review the generated .tex files for accuracy and tone, then compile them with your LaTeX toolchain before sending.
What is an agent skill and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent loads when a request matches the skill's description. This one is named job-application-assistant and triggers on phrases such as job posting, CV, cover letter, resume, interview prep, job fit and apply.
Once installed, the agent reads a job posting, scores how well it fits your background, and drafts a tailored LaTeX CV and cover letter based on your saved profile and writing rules. It can also research the company, prepare STAR-style interview answers and draft questions to ask the interviewer.
- Evaluate a posting against your profile using the scoring framework in 04-job-evaluation.md
- Create cv/main_<company>_<role>.tex and cover_letters/cover_<company>_<role>.tex files
- Prepare STAR-format answers and role-specific talking points for interviews
- Draft portal free-text answers using 08-application-forms.md
Install the skill from the ZIP or the Claude apps
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. To make the skill available to all your projects, place the unzipped folder in ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/job-application-assistant/
- Project install: .claude/skills/job-application-assistant/ inside your project
~/.claude/skills/job-application-assistant/Fill in your profile files before the first run
The skill's output is only as accurate as the files it reads. Before asking for a CV or cover letter, complete 01-candidate-profile.md (education, experience, skills, publications, awards) and 02-behavioral-profile.md (behavioral assessment and strengths). Also fill in 03-writing-style.md so the tone rules match how you want to sound.
The candidate profile template is marked with placeholders such as [YOUR_NAME] and [LANGUAGE]. Replace every placeholder with your real information. Languages you do not work in professionally should be omitted, not listed as a gap.
- 01-candidate-profile.md: identity, languages, education, experience, skills
- 02-behavioral-profile.md: drives, strengths, ideal environments, how to frame growth areas
- 03-writing-style.md: tone, structure, do's and don'ts
- Repository folders the workflow uses: cv/, cover_letters/ and documents/
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe what you want in plain language and include the posting URL or pasted text. The skill supports a full workflow and several shorter single-step requests.
- Evaluate this job posting: [URL or text] (runs the research and fit evaluation only)
- Write a CV for [company] (tailors the CV only)
- Write a cover letter for [role] at [company] (cover letter only)
- Help me prepare for an interview at [company] (interview preparation only)
- What jobs should I look for? (career strategy using your profile and the evaluation framework)
Understand the workflow the agent follows
For a full run, the agent fetches and gates the posting, researches the company, scores the fit and presents a table with a verdict. It then asks whether you want to proceed. If you do, it writes the CV, then the cover letter, then records the application, and finally prepares interview material.
The agent keeps the full posting text so it can archive it. It also asks you before continuing if the safety check flags the posting.
- Step 1: Research and evaluate fit
- Step 2: Tailor CV
- Step 3: Write cover letter
- Step 3b: Record the application
- Step 4: Interview preparation
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Before evaluating anything it fetched, the agent runs python3 tools/posting_guard.py, using --html for a saved page or --text otherwise. Job postings and company pages are treated as untrusted data, not as instructions. If the verdict contains a warning, the agent shows the quoted findings and asks whether to continue.
The skill sends requests to websites when it fetches postings and researches employers. If that is undesirable for a sensitive job search, do not use this skill for those steps. The instructions also do not describe submitting applications to employer portals, so review every document before you send it yourself.
- Requires Python 3 to run tools/posting_guard.py
- Requires a LaTeX toolchain or editor to compile the .tex files
- Uses WebFetch, WebSearch and file editing tools as listed in its allowed tools
- Review all text for accuracy and tone before sending
python3 tools/posting_guard.py --textTips for better results
Give the agent the full posting rather than a summary, because the skill archives the verbatim text. Keep a LaTeX CV you already trust, since the skill starts from existing variants in cv/. Check every company-specific claim in a cover letter, since the writing rules require verification and the skill is designed to rephrase anything it cannot verify.
- Paste the full posting text when a URL cannot be fetched
- Keep existing CV variants in cv/ as starting points
- Use the interview prep step to practise answers out loud
- Read each draft against your own experience before compiling
What people use it for
- Scoring several postings against your profile before deciding which to apply for
- Creating a separate tailored CV and cover letter per role while keeping one master profile
- Preparing STAR-style answers for behavioural questions based on your own experience
- Drafting questions to ask an interviewer about the team and role
- Writing short portal answers such as a self-introduction using the form guidance file
Frequently asked questions
Is the job application assistant skill free to use?
The source material provided for this page does not state a price or licence terms beyond the project's MIT licence. The skill is listed under the MIT licence, so check the repository licence file for the full terms.
What do I need to run the job application assistant?
You need Python 3 to run tools/posting_guard.py, a LaTeX toolchain or editor to compile the CV and cover letter files, and your own candidate profile and style files filled in inside the skill folder. The workflow also expects the cv/, cover_letters/ and documents/ folders in your repository.
How do I install the job application assistant agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Place the job-application-assistant folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Will the skill submit my applications automatically?
No. The instructions do not describe submitting to employer portals. The skill drafts the CV and cover letter and records them, and you should review all text for accuracy and tone before sending it yourself.
Why does the skill run a guard script on job postings?
Job postings are treated as untrusted third-party data, not instructions. The skill runs tools/posting_guard.py on fetched or pasted text and shows a verdict first. If the verdict carries a warning, the agent shows the quoted findings and asks whether to continue.
What if the job posting page returns a 403 error?
The skill does not treat a 403 as a dead end. It follows an escalation order in 09-web-research.md and prefers the employer's own careers page over an aggregator. If the page still cannot be fetched, you can paste the posting text directly.
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Our verdict
This skill suits job seekers who already keep a LaTeX CV and profile files and want a structured fit assessment and consistent tailored variants per role. It is a poor fit if you have not filled in the profile files, want fully automated submission, or do not want the agent researching employers and fetching websites. Review every draft yourself before it leaves your hands.
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