Dynamic CV Generator

A LaTeX-based CV generator that automatically pulls data from Notion and deploys a professional PDF online (see here). Based on the autoCV template by jitinnair1.

Features

• Notion Integration: Automatically syncs with your Notion database
• Jinja2 Templating: Dynamic content generation with LaTeX formatting
• Automated Workflow: GitHub Actions for continuous deployment
• Caching System: Reduces API calls with intelligent caching
• Multiple Sections: Work Experience, Education, Projects, Leadership and Other Experience, Awards, Publications
• Date Sorting: Automatically sorts entries chronologically (newest first)

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites

Required:

• Python 3.7+
• LaTeX distribution (only MikTeX was tested here)
• CMAKE (https://cmake.org/download/)
• Notion account

Optional:

• Make (to use the Makefile commands, download chocolatey and then run choco install make)

2. Setup

1. Fork and clone this repository

2. Create a Notion database with these columns:

   • Name (Title)
   • Type (Select: Work Experience, Education, Projects, Leadership and Other Experience, Awards, Publications)

     These are the section types currently supported by the template.
     If you want to add more types (e.g., Certifications, Volunteering), you must also update the Jinja2 template in cv_template.tex and the logic in update_cv.py to handle and render those new types correctly.

   • Organization (Text)
   • Location (Text)
   • Start Date (Date)
   • End Date (Date)
   • Show on CV? (Checkbox)

3. Get Notion API credentials:

   • Create integration at notion.so/my-integrations
   • Copy the integration token
   • Share your database with the integration

4. Configure environment variables:

   # Create .env file in root of this repo
   NOTION_TOKEN=<get token from Notion Integrations page>
   DATA_SOURCE_ID=<get database ID from database settings>

   For the data source ID you can specifically access the database's settings > Manage data sources > Copy data source ID. Note that this data source ID is NOT the id in the URL of the webpage for the database.

5. Install dependencies:

   pip install notion-client python-dotenv Jinja2

3. Usage

# Generate CV from Notion data
make all

# Individual commands
make update    # Fetch from Notion and generate cv.tex
make pdf       # Compile LaTeX to PDF
make clean     # Remove temporary files

Configuration

Notion Database Setup

The database requires specific column names and types for proper integration:

Column	Type	Description
Name	Title	Entry title/name
Type	Select	Section type (Work Experience, Education, etc.)
Organization	Text	Company/institution name
Location	Text	Geographic location
Start Date	Date	Start date
End Date	Date	End date (optional)
Show on CV?	Checkbox	Include in CV

Content Organization

Each database entry can include rich content in the page body:

• Use "For Resume" heading for content to include
• Use "Not For Resume" heading for content to exclude
• Supports rich text formatting (bold, italic, links, etc.)

File Structure

cv-and-resume/
├── cv_template.tex      # Jinja2 LaTeX template
├── update_cv.py         # Notion integration script
├── Makefile            # Build commands
├── .env                # Environment variables
└── notion_cache.json   # API response cache

Branch Structure

• main should be where all manual changes to the repo are done
• build branch is automatically updated by the GitHub action that generates the PDF files for uploading onto the GitHub Pages webpage; it should not be edited manually

GitHub Actions

The repository includes automated CV updates via GitHub Actions:

Automated Workflow

• Daily Updates: Runs every day at midnight UTC to fetch latest data from Notion
• Manual Triggers: Can be triggered manually from the GitHub Actions tab
• Cache Control: Option to force refresh Notion cache when running manually
• Auto-commit: Automatically commits updated CV files back to the repository

Workflow Features

• Fetches latest data from Notion
• Compiles LaTeX to PDF
• Uploads PDF as artifact (retained for 30 days), pushed to build branch
• Commits changes back to repository
• Skips CI on auto-commits to prevent loops

Setup GitHub Actions

1. Add Secrets to Repository:

   • Go to your repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   • Add these repository secrets:
     • NOTION_TOKEN: Your Notion integration token
     • DATABASE_ID: Your Notion database ID

2. Enable Workflow:

   • The workflow is automatically enabled when you push the .github/workflows/update-cv.yml file
   • Go to Actions tab to see workflow runs

3. Manual Trigger:

   • Go to Actions → Update CV → Run workflow
   • Choose whether to refresh the Notion cache
   • Click "Run workflow"

Customization

Template Modifications

Edit cv_template.tex to customize:

• Contact information
• Section ordering
• Styling and formatting
• Static content (Summary, Skills)

Manually Edited Sections

The Summary section is manually written. One suggestion is to feed your CV to an AI chatbot and have it create a short CV summary for you. The Skills section is also manually curated. Again, I'd suggest a mix of getting AI suggestions and manual updates.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"No CV data found"	Check .env file and database permissions
LaTeX compilation fails	Install LaTeX distribution
Notion API errors	Verify token and database ID
Make command not found	Use PowerShell or install make

Development

Adding New Section Types

1. Add new type to TYPES_LONG or TYPES_SHORT in update_cv.py
2. Update template logic in cv_template.tex
3. Test with sample data

Caching

• Cache expires after 1 hour
• Use --refresh flag to force update
• Cache file: notion_cache.json

XeLatex

• XeLaTeX was used instead of the default latexmk to allow different fonts

License

MIT License - Based on original work by Jitin Nair (2021).
Significantly modified by Dabeer Ahmad Abdul Azeez (2024).

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss the proposed changes.