LaTeX has powered academic publishing and technical documentation for decades. Its appeal isn’t nostalgia—it’s precision. LaTeX separates content from presentation, yielding crisp typography, consistent spacing, and reproducible results. Those same strengths apply to resumes: clean structure improves ATS parsing, while professional typesetting improves human readability and perceived quality.
Why LaTeX still matters
- Consistency at scale. Styles cascade predictably across pages and sections.
- Beautiful typography. Micro‑typographic features (kerning, ligatures, hyphenation) work by default.
- Content portability. Source files are plain text—ideal for version control and collaboration.
- Machine readability. Clean source produces clean output that ATS engines parse reliably.
LaTeX vs. word processors
WYSIWYG editors are convenient for short memos but can become fragile in complex documents. LaTeX keeps your structure semantic—sections, headings, lists—so formatting never drifts. For resumes, this means durable templates, repeatable exports, and less time fixing spacing before every application.
ATS compatibility
ATS issues arise from layout artifacts (tables, floating elements, text boxes) rather than the export format itself. With LaTeX, you maintain a linear reading order, standard section headers, and a single column, which map cleanly to the parsers most companies use.
Tips for LaTeX resumes
- Use a single‑column class and standard headings.
- Prefer vector icons (or none); avoid raster images and logos.
- Keep macros simple; avoid heavy packages unless needed.
- Export to PDF and validate reading order with a plain‑text copy check.
When not to use LaTeX
If a role requires a highly visual or brand‑centric design (e.g., graphic design portfolios), a bespoke layout tool may be better. For most knowledge‑work roles, clarity beats ornamentation—LaTeX excels here.