Your resume is quite possibly the most important tool you will use to gain employment as a developer. Without an eye-catching resume, it can be hard to stand out from the rest of the programmers and software engineers applying for the same position you are. Fundamentally, your resume should consist of information about your qualifications and technical skills, as they relate to a developer job.
Read: Top Tech Companies Hiring Right Now.
A programmer’s resume has one simple goal: to land them an interview. For the purposes of this article, though, we will focus on the actual creation of the resume document, which is often overlooked. We will be using a document preparation technology called LaTeX.
Example of LaTeX programming
LaTeX is typically used for high-quality typesetting. It can be used for a variety of different documents, from long scientific reports to the common resume. LaTeX is all about document design – it separates the design and the text that occupies the document. LaTeX is an extension of the TeX typesetting system, which is a programming language. Don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to know how to code in TeX – that’s what templates are for!
You can develop a document using LaTex through Overleaf, an online LaTeX editor that is free and easy to use right through your Internet browser. One of the most frustrating aspects of creating a resume is making sure the format and spacing are consistent and even. LaTex takes care of that for you, ensuring your document is uniform and visibly pleasing. You can select from hundreds of beautiful resume templates within Overleaf’s gallery. There are also numerous categories for document templates on Overleaf, including cover letters and thesis papers.
Overleaf LaTeX Editor Example
Once you have a resume template selected, click “Open as template”. If you have not already, you will need to create an account in order to save your work. When your template opens, you will notice that the interface is split in two – the source code on the left and the view of your document on the right.
Read: Top Java Job Interview Questions.
The text in the source code directly affects what appears on your document, so all of your editing will be done there. This makes it so you do not need to know how to code in order to create your document; you just need to know what to change and where it is located in the source code. Most templates even have notes laid out within the source code to help guide you.
That is all there is to it. Simply replace the information in the template’s source code with the information you want to include on your resume. The more you do this, the more you will get familiar with the code and learn how to manipulate it. You may also pick up a few tricks along the way, such as how to include hyperlinks or change the color of your text.
LaTeX Document Creation Tips
Here are a few tips to get you started using LaTeX for your document creation:
- If you change the source code and do not see the document view being changed, click “recompile” in the upper toolbar of the Document View. You can also click the arrow next to the recompile button to do this automatically.
- To include an “&” symbol in your resume, you will need to put a forward slash (/) in front of it (this may or may not work depending on what packages are installed in the template).
- Do not be afraid to copy and paste sections of the document that you want to duplicate; just be sure to notice where the section begins and ends when selecting which text to copy.
- If you make a mistake, don’t worry – you can Undo with CTRL+Z on Windows (Command+Z on Mac).
When you are comfortable with the look of your resume, click “Save as PDF” in the upper toolbar of the Document View. Now you have a resume that is beautiful, consistent, and pleasing to read!
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