July 23, 2013 at 11:15Create a resume on LaTeX - how and why?
I prepare many documents in LaTeX, and not in Word. And by the time I decide on the next place of work, I summarize what has been done, and so as not to disappear, I fix them in the documents that make up the framework of my CV . In my personal opinion, thoroughness in creating documents for the future employer is needed not so much for communication with the “eychars” as for understanding the path you are taking and the direction you decide to move on. So why did I choose LaTeX for my resume?
A small introduction to the topic for those who are not aware of what LaTeX is. This is a processor that accepts the markup language at the input, and gives the PDF with the finished document at the output. The markup language tells the processor that in the document what, where are the pictures and why, tables, pictures, links to them, table of contents, index, footnotes, etc. are automatically made up. An ideal tool for collaboration, for complex large documents, with graphs and formulas, which can make serious edits in the middle half an hour before printing and you need to be in time. A style can also be rendered separately, like CSS in HTML. The author focuses on the content, and when publishing, document styles are used, where the author’s article is included. For these reasons, all mathematical and physical journals are published only in LaTeX.
Let's look at the source. In the case of my resume, it looks like this: http://pastebin.com/eqM1f2AY . At first glance, it is frighteningly complicated, especially for those who hear about LaTeX for the first time. In fact, if you scroll to the middle, you can see the analogy with the markup language, and notice the logical partition. For example, here is a small piece of my document from another publication document - http://pastebin.com/cy3r1paX .
Here I get the following PDF document:
http://raufaliev.ru/cv/eng/full/
It’s convenient for me that I can include the source of the document under the version control system and make “brunches” for different needs - that is, establish collaboration on the document in the same way as it is done on the program code. It’s convenient for me that in order to replace the scheme in several documents, it’s enough for me to simply export the new version to the same file name on disk and the next version will be pulled up during the next PDF assembly. If it turns out to be 1 cm longer, then LaTeX most likely correctly reverses everything to the end of the document, replaces all links, does not allow dangling lines, etc.
Having corrected one line in the text, I “compiled” an extended version of the resume or an abridged one. If I need to take out a fragment in two documents at once, I put it out in a separate file and include a link to it from the two documents I need. This is very convenient in the case of a resume when you have to prepare many versions for different positions.
For recruitment agencies, you need the Word option, as they fill out their own copy-paste forms from resumes for clients, and this is not easy to do from PDF. For LaTeX, in general, the TeX4ht converter helps ; it can export to Word. In my case, it didn’t help much: but the layout is floating on any complicated documents, he does not know how to work with conditional constructions, there are other limitations. Therefore, the Word version had to be done separately - the word version . But in most cases a pretty decent result comes out.
A very convenient means of automating similarly designed blocks in LaTeX are the macro definitions specified by the \ newcommand command. You can parameterize any part of the document — that is, substitute # 1, # 2, # 3 instead of real blocks, and then call this piece by name, passing these parameters in curly brackets after the name.
LaTeX is a great technology when:
An important advantage of LaTeX is that almost all the “problems” with LaTeX have already been solved by anyone, everything is googled perfectly. By problems we mean everything non-standard: LaTeX does not really like deviations from best practice, but admits if it is very necessary. But you have to google it and look for solutions yourself.
The downside of LaTeX is the relatively poor readability of the "source code." Control structures litter some text and the same tables without looking at the compiled PDF is not always easy to understand. Incompatibility with HTML and Wiki, for example, does not allow the use of the same blocks for display on the web, in Wiki and in PDF - and this is a fairly common task, for example, to keep documentation up-to-date in the print version, in the Wiki version and in Public online version for partners. Converters partly solve the problem, but you have to make a number of compromises.
As an unusual experiment, I can recall trying to make presentations in LaTeX (there is a special Beamer package for this) and name cards-business cards with QR codes (there are also special packages). In the case of presentations, you can generate a “one-click” slide set for a specific category of client, which is not possible in Microsoft PowerPoint. About creation of presentations on Habré already wrote. In the case of business card badges, it is easier to automate the printing of complex PDFs - you will need programming skills, but working with LaTeX may be more convenient than for a programmer to generate PDF on his own. For example, for business cards, I once debugged a page with business cards (including the auto-creation of a QR code using the LaTeX module), and then I fed LaTeX a list of several thousand lines Surname-Name-Company-Position-Phone-E-mail, and the output received a PDF of several thousand pages with a fully prepared set of business cards, with cut marks, etc.
And in conclusion, I wanted to advise the WriteLatex.Com service. It allows you to compile a document in real time, and for starters it provides a framework that can be easily fixed to fit your needs (and at the same time deal with the syntax). Such a "sandbox" in which it is easy to test the technology. While you are writing the document source, the PDF is updated in the next window. Moreover, it can edit documents together for several people, and he normally "digests" the simultaneous editing of one document. Using writelatex.com allows you not to install a large distribution kit MikTeX (Windows) or MacTex (MacOS) in order to decide how much it is needed and useful.
UPDATE: thanks- there is also a very nice analogue of writelatex fresh service Papeeria ( http://habrahabr.ru/post/179021/ ). By the way, authorization through VKontakte, including, is very unusual there (but through facebook - no).
A small introduction to the topic for those who are not aware of what LaTeX is. This is a processor that accepts the markup language at the input, and gives the PDF with the finished document at the output. The markup language tells the processor that in the document what, where are the pictures and why, tables, pictures, links to them, table of contents, index, footnotes, etc. are automatically made up. An ideal tool for collaboration, for complex large documents, with graphs and formulas, which can make serious edits in the middle half an hour before printing and you need to be in time. A style can also be rendered separately, like CSS in HTML. The author focuses on the content, and when publishing, document styles are used, where the author’s article is included. For these reasons, all mathematical and physical journals are published only in LaTeX.
Let's look at the source. In the case of my resume, it looks like this: http://pastebin.com/eqM1f2AY . At first glance, it is frighteningly complicated, especially for those who hear about LaTeX for the first time. In fact, if you scroll to the middle, you can see the analogy with the markup language, and notice the logical partition. For example, here is a small piece of my document from another publication document - http://pastebin.com/cy3r1paX .
Here I get the following PDF document:
http://raufaliev.ru/cv/eng/full/It’s convenient for me that I can include the source of the document under the version control system and make “brunches” for different needs - that is, establish collaboration on the document in the same way as it is done on the program code. It’s convenient for me that in order to replace the scheme in several documents, it’s enough for me to simply export the new version to the same file name on disk and the next version will be pulled up during the next PDF assembly. If it turns out to be 1 cm longer, then LaTeX most likely correctly reverses everything to the end of the document, replaces all links, does not allow dangling lines, etc.
Having corrected one line in the text, I “compiled” an extended version of the resume or an abridged one. If I need to take out a fragment in two documents at once, I put it out in a separate file and include a link to it from the two documents I need. This is very convenient in the case of a resume when you have to prepare many versions for different positions.
| Russian version (full) | Russian version (compact) | English version (full) | English version (compact) |
 |  |  |  |
| http://raufaliev.ru/cv/rus/full/ | http://raufaliev.ru/cv/rus/ | http://raufaliev.ru/cv/eng/full/ | http://raufaliev.ru/cv/eng/ |
For recruitment agencies, you need the Word option, as they fill out their own copy-paste forms from resumes for clients, and this is not easy to do from PDF. For LaTeX, in general, the TeX4ht converter helps ; it can export to Word. In my case, it didn’t help much: but the layout is floating on any complicated documents, he does not know how to work with conditional constructions, there are other limitations. Therefore, the Word version had to be done separately - the word version . But in most cases a pretty decent result comes out.
A very convenient means of automating similarly designed blocks in LaTeX are the macro definitions specified by the \ newcommand command. You can parameterize any part of the document — that is, substitute # 1, # 2, # 3 instead of real blocks, and then call this piece by name, passing these parameters in curly brackets after the name.
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\newcommand{\theline}[2] { %создаем макрос, печатающую строку в резюме
\item \textbf{#1} -- #2 }
\begin{document}
\begin{itemize}
\theline{2012-2013}{Company1}
\theline{2011}{Company2}
\end{itemize}
\end{document}
LaTeX is a great technology when:
- several documents have common blocks and I want to edit them in one place, and not in every document,
- I want to make a conditional assembly of the document - for example, not include some set of paragraphs / sections for a specific version of the document, or include additional ones. At the same time, be sure that all links, numbering, table of contents and so on. don't break,
- a lot of people work on their pieces and at the last minute you need to consider their latest versions,
- the document is very complex (with footnotes, with cross-references, pictures, tables, formulas),
- there is external data that needs to be collected in PDF (for example, CSV),
- I don’t want or don’t need or don’t have time / energy / desire to think about design, but I don’t want to give “semi-finished”. LaTeX will make sure that the document looks stylish, and the author is up to the content.
An important advantage of LaTeX is that almost all the “problems” with LaTeX have already been solved by anyone, everything is googled perfectly. By problems we mean everything non-standard: LaTeX does not really like deviations from best practice, but admits if it is very necessary. But you have to google it and look for solutions yourself.
The downside of LaTeX is the relatively poor readability of the "source code." Control structures litter some text and the same tables without looking at the compiled PDF is not always easy to understand. Incompatibility with HTML and Wiki, for example, does not allow the use of the same blocks for display on the web, in Wiki and in PDF - and this is a fairly common task, for example, to keep documentation up-to-date in the print version, in the Wiki version and in Public online version for partners. Converters partly solve the problem, but you have to make a number of compromises.
As an unusual experiment, I can recall trying to make presentations in LaTeX (there is a special Beamer package for this) and name cards-business cards with QR codes (there are also special packages). In the case of presentations, you can generate a “one-click” slide set for a specific category of client, which is not possible in Microsoft PowerPoint. About creation of presentations on Habré already wrote. In the case of business card badges, it is easier to automate the printing of complex PDFs - you will need programming skills, but working with LaTeX may be more convenient than for a programmer to generate PDF on his own. For example, for business cards, I once debugged a page with business cards (including the auto-creation of a QR code using the LaTeX module), and then I fed LaTeX a list of several thousand lines Surname-Name-Company-Position-Phone-E-mail, and the output received a PDF of several thousand pages with a fully prepared set of business cards, with cut marks, etc.
And in conclusion, I wanted to advise the WriteLatex.Com service. It allows you to compile a document in real time, and for starters it provides a framework that can be easily fixed to fit your needs (and at the same time deal with the syntax). Such a "sandbox" in which it is easy to test the technology. While you are writing the document source, the PDF is updated in the next window. Moreover, it can edit documents together for several people, and he normally "digests" the simultaneous editing of one document. Using writelatex.com allows you not to install a large distribution kit MikTeX (Windows) or MacTex (MacOS) in order to decide how much it is needed and useful.
UPDATE: thanks