When is a PDF not sufficient? I write all my reports/letters in LaTeX and if someone complained about receiving a PDF, I would send them the source and wish them good luck.

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tombert a day ago | parent | next [-]

That is actually why I got into LaTeX in the first place!

My resume was initially done with LibreOffice and I'd send recruiters a PDF, and they would ask for a .docx, and when I would send that they would screw up all the formatting by inserting their ugly logo on the top.

When I "ported" my resume over to LaTeX, I would send the PDF and they'd ask for a .docx, I would say "Oh, the resume is done in LaTeX. Here's a link to the source and instructions on how to compile it, feel free to do what you need".

Then they would just submit the raw PDF.

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menotyou 20 hours ago | parent [-]

..or they would just not submit it at all.

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tombert 20 hours ago | parent [-]

As far as I am aware that never happened. Every time this particular situation has happened, I have gotten a callback.

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Daviey 6 hours ago | parent [-]

If you did this to me, fine.

If you had done this to a recruiter that funnels screened people to me, I'd make sure to not interview you. It shows total lack of awareness of how to deal with non-tech people, verging on arrogance.

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tombert 6 hours ago | parent [-]

…what?

How would that work logistically? You would get a regular resume with formatting that isn’t fucked up and you would think “this is a guy who I shouldn’t hire”? You’d have a stack of resumes, all of which are broken, and you’d see one that isn’t and that would be a red flag?

How exactly is it “arrogant”? I didn’t like that my resume formatting was breaking because of the people who insisted on inserting their ugly logo on top the page. I had historically asked them to stop doing that, or at the very least to show me the end result before they submitted, and they would simply not work with me. I think my solution actually demonstrates a lot of awareness in how to deal with “non-tech people”.

	▲	Daviey 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		[dead]

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Daviey a day ago | parent | prev [-]

When I need other people to continue editing it.

I also prefer LaTeX, I've written hundreds of letters, multiple papers, a few thesis and my CV (maintained for the last ~20 years). But the defacto for business documents sadly isn't LaTeX.