4 ms·

Two quick facts, as a hiring manager (your mileage may vary, but this is how I think): 1) I can usually tell that you wrote your resume in TeX 2) I then class

Two quick facts, as a hiring manager (your mileage may vary, but this is how I think): 1) I can usually tell that you wrote your resume in TeX 2) I then classify you immediately in the "advanced geeks" category, with a "probably hard to work with because is picky" flag...

zyfo 15y ago
The (negative) "picky flag" says more about you or the company that you represent than the person applying. Being picky about your tools and what you produce should be a positive sign. It shows that you care. It doesn't say anything about how flexible the person is.
- eru 15y ago
  Also if they send in their TeX-ed resume as a pdf (and not a sensible format like postscript), it shows that they can compromise.
  - sliverstorm 15y ago
    Considering postscript "sensible" is a red flag, if I ever saw one. Not to be negative, but while that might have been suitable 30 years ago...
    - eru 15y ago
      I meant `sensible' purely in the technical sense. Postscript is superior to pdf. pdf is basically a stripped down postscript in binary format as a premature size optimization. ps.gz is usually smaller than the equivalent pdf. I wouldn't send out postscript files to people I don't know, since you can't assume that people are able to read them. I assume your comment was purely about the social point of view? Or are there technical reasons for foregoing postscript documents you may want to print? (Especially reasons that didn't exist 30 years ago.) Thanks!
      - sliverstorm 15y ago
        I would say my comment was purely about the "user-friendly" point of view, which overlaps technical and social. The right answer, speaking from a technical worldview, is always at least related to what is user-friendly. Technically superior is the same as technically worthless if nobody can use it.
        eru 15y ago
        I used ps (in favour of pdf) whenever I can get away with it. Especially if I am the consumer of the data and can decide which format somebody else prepares for me. E.g. when downloading scientific paper there's often a .ps version. I wouldn't want to force other people (especially non-geeks) to learn about data formats they don't care about. And after all a pdf is still better than MS Word.
Zephyr314 15y ago
I'd be happy to get into that first category and then prove you wrong on the flag in an interview, unless step three is the trash... I personally think it is more about using the right tool for the job than picky-ness. I like the way TeX looks and there are some things that you can do very easily (and maintainably) compared to OO/Word.
eldina 15y ago
Are you sure you have enough data to make 1) a fact ? I doubt that anyone but very, very few, writes resumes in TeX. LaTeX, yes some. TeX ? Nah. Someone in command of LaTeX, can make a CV look essentially like whatever they want, so 1) is perhaps not as "usually" as you think. Regarding 2), what, if anything, do you conclude about an applicant's level of geekiness if you believe you have identified their resume as having been written in Word ? If you really use this strategy and you are a hiring manager in an area related to technology or computing/programming, someone should seriously consider if it is to their advantage having you involved in the hiring process.

zyfo 15y ago

The (negative) "picky flag" says more about you or the company that you represent than the person applying. Being picky about your tools and what you produce should be a positive sign. It shows that you care. It doesn't say anything about how flexible the person is.

eru 15y ago
Also if they send in their TeX-ed resume as a pdf (and not a sensible format like postscript), it shows that they can compromise.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Considering postscript "sensible" is a red flag, if I ever saw one. Not to be negative, but while that might have been suitable 30 years ago...
  - eru 15y ago
    I meant `sensible' purely in the technical sense. Postscript is superior to pdf. pdf is basically a stripped down postscript in binary format as a premature size optimization. ps.gz is usually smaller than the equivalent pdf. I wouldn't send out postscript files to people I don't know, since you can't assume that people are able to read them. I assume your comment was purely about the social point of view? Or are there technical reasons for foregoing postscript documents you may want to print? (Especially reasons that didn't exist 30 years ago.) Thanks!
    - sliverstorm 15y ago
      I would say my comment was purely about the "user-friendly" point of view, which overlaps technical and social. The right answer, speaking from a technical worldview, is always at least related to what is user-friendly. Technically superior is the same as technically worthless if nobody can use it.
      - eru 15y ago
        I used ps (in favour of pdf) whenever I can get away with it. Especially if I am the consumer of the data and can decide which format somebody else prepares for me. E.g. when downloading scientific paper there's often a .ps version. I wouldn't want to force other people (especially non-geeks) to learn about data formats they don't care about. And after all a pdf is still better than MS Word.

Zephyr314 15y ago

I'd be happy to get into that first category and then prove you wrong on the flag in an interview, unless step three is the trash... I personally think it is more about using the right tool for the job than picky-ness. I like the way TeX looks and there are some things that you can do very easily (and maintainably) compared to OO/Word.

eldina 15y ago

Are you sure you have enough data to make 1) a fact ? I doubt that anyone but very, very few, writes resumes in TeX. LaTeX, yes some. TeX ? Nah. Someone in command of LaTeX, can make a CV look essentially like whatever they want, so 1) is perhaps not as "usually" as you think. Regarding 2), what, if anything, do you conclude about an applicant's level of geekiness if you believe you have identified their resume as having been written in Word ? If you really use this strategy and you are a hiring manager in an area related to technology or computing/programming, someone should seriously consider if it is to their advantage having you involved in the hiring process.