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Can I make a résumé upload more accurately by providing machine-readable tags?
I use LaTex for my résumé and ideally would be able to upload a PDF generated by pdflatex.
I could export to another format if necessary (e.g., using pandoc), and although I don't use MS Word, I think that a solution for Word users would also be helpful.
Some sites require this steps, for others it is optional; here are some examples:
(note: I asked a similar question last month on tex.SE, but it remains unanswered).
I will assume your resume/CV is in LaTeX or TeX, since you already asked there.
I used this method with my LaTeX resume the last time I was looking for work:
Don't use fancy columns or layouts. PDF parsers seem to work from left to right, line by line, so text from columns get mixed together. Keep the text as one flow. Make it simple. Use a pdf to text dump to test the linearity of your resume.
use detex to keep a plain text version of your resume on hand. Some sites will allow you to upload a pdf + plain text version. If you can, upload the plain text version too.
I was told by a guy who works in the unemployment office:
You should always, always keep and upload a formatted plain text version. What happens behind the scenes is that PDFs and Word docs get parsed and mangled when the servers look for keywords in your résumé.
Trust me; he's right.
