Resume word vs latex

Oct 8, 2020 7 Comments

What's your opinion on the contribution of resume layout and formatting in getting screened for a role?

I believe it can't make up in anyway for the lack of skills and experience. But a poorly formatted resume or one with spelling or grammatical errors can give negative signals. Resumes built with latex are exceptionally more beautiful compared to ones written in Word and also easier to manage in the long run.

Recently, a few folks have shared their resumes for review on Blind, and if I was a recruiter inundated with resumes, I would reject them based on the poor formatting.

If you are in the job market, and can relate to these thoughts, consider building a resume in latex. Make an account on overleaf dot com and start with a free resume template. I recommend searching for "Sourabh bajaj resume template" and there are several other great ones. If you have never used latex, the learning curve can be discouraging. But stick with it, long term benefits outweigh the initial pains.

#resume

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TOP 7 Comments
  • Tableau / Eng
    Avian

    Go to company page Tableau Eng

    Avian
    Sounds like an ad, honestly. And I am doubtful that improved formatting would make much difference (assuming reasonable care was taken in Word, or whatever). That said, I did write my resume in Latex, and it does look better.
    Oct 8, 2020 1
  • Asana
    A Sauna

    Go to company page Asana

    A Sauna
    I did my resume in Word, but used Latex fonts. This strategy also works for problem sets (many Latex conventions are in Word's equation editor). I mostly did this to poke fun at Latex enthusiasts
    Oct 8, 2020 0
  • Amazon
    okdn21

    Go to company page Amazon

    okdn21
    Latex 2e. Always.
    Oct 9, 2020 0
  • GoHealth / Eng
    dataguy_

    Go to company page GoHealth Eng

    dataguy_
    I've found some good templates in word- I like to think I have a pretty nice resume. Fwiw, I've looked at hundreds of resumes and never thrown one out because of formatting.
    Oct 8, 2020 0
  • Uber
    pJcfg

    Go to company page Uber

    pJcfg
    I just got asked to provide a Word resume after sending in a tex version. Tempted to cancel the application. In research world, any conference that requires a manuscript in Word is a conference you don’t want to go to.
    Oct 8, 2020 0