5 ms·
I have unpopular opinion. I find writing in LaTeX is much simpler that anything else (well may except markdown in many cases). I always hated Microsoft Word and
by elashri 4y ago
I have unpopular opinion. I find writing in LaTeX is much simpler that anything else (well may except markdown in many cases). I always hated Microsoft Word and me having to think how to format words as I type. Probably this problem is the same with latex but for me having to deal with opening words files with a different format that will change from version to other. And if there are some macros or non-standard fonts used this is a hassle. In contrast, when writing in latex I consider my writing as plain text for most part and then It will depend on how I will format them. I don't usually need to modify anything and if I need to modify how a particular words appears then I will consider just define some `\newcommand{}{}` and just replace the word with `{}`. Overleaf also makes things easier and I can access it everywhere (I used to self-host a overleaf CE but ditched it for overleaf.com when CERN gave professional licenses).
Also, probably this is a biased opinion because of the time and ready macros and styles I developed and tweaked over time that serve almost everything I type. But I find LaTeX superior. More related, I keep my resume updated in LaTeX on GitHub repository with versioning (actually overleaf professional account gives you this versioning option also) and it is much easier to do quick edits to add a new conference/workshop. And a GitHub action will build the PDF and add a new release with the commits as change log. This is a simple system that takes sometime to put together but will make keeping your resume a much easier and organized and you can keep track of changes.
- jofer 4y agoI completely agree in general, and my resume is in latex along with my papers/etc. However, I'd argue that industry-focused resumes are often a poor fit for latex. For an academic CV where going an extra page when you add a new detail is no big deal, latex is perfect. For a business resume, where one face of one page is the absolute most allowable and you're trying to keep content on one page, it gets rough. I'm not sure it's worse than using other things, but "keep the layout on one page hacks" get pretty messy pretty quick in latex.
- irrational 4y agoWhat kind of business only allows one page resumes? I look at resumes all the time and I think the only time I ever saw a one page resume was for an internship.
- jofer 4y agoIt's pretty industry specific, but at least in mine, 2 pages is a more or less immediate disqualification. You're expected to have a substantial publication history, but including that on a resume will get it thrown in the trash immediately. Including your full work history will also get it thrown away quickly. Ditto with full education. Last degree only. A fair bit of detail from your most recent 2-ish jobs. Key certifications. Nothing else.
- cozzyd 4y agoNot really the same thing but biosketches for NSF/NASA grants are often one page.
- dietrichepp 4y agoOne-page-only is great for new grads and people with a few years of experience. I’d expect someone with 10+ years of experience to use a second page. My résumé is about a page and a half. Old (but relevant!) job experience has already been cut down to a single-line description for each job. At some point, there’s just too much content for one page, even if you ruthlessly edit your résumé down and just give the most essential details.
- yakubin 4y ago10 years of experience is what, 2-3 jobs? Easy to fit on one page. Just adjust the font size and padding between sections from the time you applied when you didn't have any experience and needed to pad your résumé.
- dietrichepp 4y agoI suppose it could just be 2-3 jobs and fit in one page. But 4 jobs is not uncommon, and for me, the 4th job is what got bumped to the second page. You could have an entire discussion about how long people should stay at their jobs, but I don’t think it’s unusual to see someone with 4+ jobs in 10 years on their résumé, and it’s not ipso facto a red flag. I also have a small number of non-work projects which belong on my résumé. People will also put non-industry work experience on their résumé.
- rowanG077 4y agoI think writing markdown and restructured text is simpler. But LaTeX still beats out word hard. It's not even a contest imo.
- tomjen3 4y ago> I always hated Microsoft Word and me having to think how to format words as I type. This is the best kept secret that is blantly shown openly in Word. Styles. You select the text you want to be a certain type (quote, title, header, whatever) and mark it. If you don't find a suitable style, you create a new one. Then, later, you can change your styles to look however you want, including margin, font, etc. Using Word you do not have to choose what it should look like while you write it, and unlike LaTeX, (which I love) you can see what it will look like at any given time.