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> E: Embrace LaTeX How does a hiring manager know that a resume was created using LaTex? I downloaded the author's PDF resume and it pretty much looked like an

> E: Embrace LaTeX How does a hiring manager know that a resume was created using LaTex? I downloaded the author's PDF resume and it pretty much looked like any other PDF.

wunderland 3y ago
It also had a number of lists and most of his jobs were short stints!
olddustytrail 3y ago
If you've used LaTeX a lot it has a distinctive look. I actually write my CV in markdown and use pandoc to generate a PDF from that, but pandoc uses LaTeX to produce PDFs and I've had interviewers comment on it.
- aloer 3y ago
  Does that mean most of the formatting is still done in LaTeX and the only change is the input format?
  - olddustytrail 3y ago
    Nope, I think I have about 2 lines of actual LaTeX, second is to ensure the pagination is correct. Otherwise I just let it use the defaults for headings etc
- jakey_bakey 3y ago
  That's actually a great idea
partdavid 3y ago
They won't--it's nonsense. It's something you can point out if you get a screen or interview. But in my experience (and I like LaTeX and the notion of programming with neat markups for documents a lot) it just makes it hard to adapt if someone wants another format (HTML, Word or whatever) and is more of a "quirk" than a positive.
claytonjy 3y ago
I have a LaTeX resume, and the way to give it away is to use the \LaTeX command somewhere; hard to get that typeset well anywhere else.
doix 3y ago
It was immediately obvious to me that it was written in LaTeX because of the font. Sure, you could use Computer Modern without LaTeX, or use LaTeX with a different font, but that's pretty uncommon in my experience. You can also check the pdf metadata and see: Creator: LaTeX with hyperref Producer: pdfTeX-1.40.24 This rule only applies to a certain percentage of people, but I've benefited from it as well. For my first internship, I later found out that the only reason they interviewed me was because I used LaTeX. On paper, I was a generic student, but using LaTeX for my CV made me stand out. I think it creates an unconscious bias. If you've gone to university and read some papers, chances are all the papers were written with LaTeX. You spend hours reading and re-reading these papers and it creates an unconscious bias where you read things in the font more carefully because you're used to the content being insanely dense.
twic 3y ago
The typeface is Computer Modern, which is an absolute giveaway for TeX. Personally, i find the use of LaTeX a small red flag. Using it certainly does send "a subtle but clear message", but it's not that you love software engineering, it's that you're willing to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff rather than doing something useful.
- belval 3y ago
  That is such an awful take. There are so many professional-looking LaTeX templates online, associating it with "willingness to waste time" and actually ditching a candidate shows that you likely don't know how to recruit anyway.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- computerfriend 3y ago
  It's the least painful way to create a high quality PDF. And "fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff" (not that I agree with the characterisation) is something probably 80% of HN enjoy.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- vitehozonage 3y ago
  For me I would have to buy/pirate and install Windows and buy/pirate Office. Or make a Google account and learn to use Google documents for the first time. Both of those are companies I think are unethical and will violate my privacy. Libre Office doesn't make documents that look nice to me. I used LaTeX for hundreds of hours at university so it is really not hard to me. The laziest option to me is definitely LaTeX, and I am a lazy person that doesnt like to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff
- unmole 3y ago
  > it's that you're willing to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff rather than doing something useful. Yeah, having an easily versioned plaintext format is such a waste of time. So much better to deal with constantly changing GUIs instead. /s
kibwen 3y ago
What they mean is that you should use the Computer Modern font, which causes everyone to assume that you used LaTeX (and then were too lazy to pick a non-default font).

> E: Embrace LaTeX How does a hiring manager know that a resume was created using LaTex? I downloaded the author's PDF resume and it pretty much looked like any other PDF.

wunderland 3y ago

It also had a number of lists and most of his jobs were short stints!

olddustytrail 3y ago

If you've used LaTeX a lot it has a distinctive look. I actually write my CV in markdown and use pandoc to generate a PDF from that, but pandoc uses LaTeX to produce PDFs and I've had interviewers comment on it.

aloer 3y ago
Does that mean most of the formatting is still done in LaTeX and the only change is the input format?
- olddustytrail 3y ago
  Nope, I think I have about 2 lines of actual LaTeX, second is to ensure the pagination is correct. Otherwise I just let it use the defaults for headings etc
jakey_bakey 3y ago
That's actually a great idea

partdavid 3y ago

They won't--it's nonsense. It's something you can point out if you get a screen or interview. But in my experience (and I like LaTeX and the notion of programming with neat markups for documents a lot) it just makes it hard to adapt if someone wants another format (HTML, Word or whatever) and is more of a "quirk" than a positive.

claytonjy 3y ago

I have a LaTeX resume, and the way to give it away is to use the \LaTeX command somewhere; hard to get that typeset well anywhere else.

doix 3y ago

It was immediately obvious to me that it was written in LaTeX because of the font. Sure, you could use Computer Modern without LaTeX, or use LaTeX with a different font, but that's pretty uncommon in my experience. You can also check the pdf metadata and see: Creator: LaTeX with hyperref Producer: pdfTeX-1.40.24 This rule only applies to a certain percentage of people, but I've benefited from it as well. For my first internship, I later found out that the only reason they interviewed me was because I used LaTeX. On paper, I was a generic student, but using LaTeX for my CV made me stand out. I think it creates an unconscious bias. If you've gone to university and read some papers, chances are all the papers were written with LaTeX. You spend hours reading and re-reading these papers and it creates an unconscious bias where you read things in the font more carefully because you're used to the content being insanely dense.

twic 3y ago

The typeface is Computer Modern, which is an absolute giveaway for TeX. Personally, i find the use of LaTeX a small red flag. Using it certainly does send "a subtle but clear message", but it's not that you love software engineering, it's that you're willing to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff rather than doing something useful.

belval 3y ago
That is such an awful take. There are so many professional-looking LaTeX templates online, associating it with "willingness to waste time" and actually ditching a candidate shows that you likely don't know how to recruit anyway.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
computerfriend 3y ago
It's the least painful way to create a high quality PDF. And "fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff" (not that I agree with the characterisation) is something probably 80% of HN enjoy.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
vitehozonage 3y ago
For me I would have to buy/pirate and install Windows and buy/pirate Office. Or make a Google account and learn to use Google documents for the first time. Both of those are companies I think are unethical and will violate my privacy. Libre Office doesn't make documents that look nice to me. I used LaTeX for hundreds of hours at university so it is really not hard to me. The laziest option to me is definitely LaTeX, and I am a lazy person that doesnt like to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff
unmole 3y ago
> it's that you're willing to waste time fiddling around with abstruse technical stuff rather than doing something useful. Yeah, having an easily versioned plaintext format is such a waste of time. So much better to deal with constantly changing GUIs instead. /s

kibwen 3y ago

What they mean is that you should use the Computer Modern font, which causes everyone to assume that you used LaTeX (and then were too lazy to pick a non-default font).