[wellylug] Linux on yourCV

Enkidu enkidu at cliffp.com
Tue May 11 22:40:02 NZST 2004


On Tue, 11 May 2004 19:12:08 +1200 (NZST), you wrote:
>
>On Tue, 11 May 2004, Damon Lynch wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 2004-05-11 at 18:37, Enkidu wrote:
>>
>> > 1a) If the CV is in PDF format, send out a hit squad.
>>
>> Why?
>
>I would argue that PDFs are actually a very good format to send (my CV was
>done with LaTeX and rendered to PDF). Basically, The Simpsons are on, so I
>can't elaborate, but the basic gist is:
>
>1. open
>2. easy to view in any OS
>3. difficult to change directly (that's a GOOD thing)
>4. smallish
>5. ... damn ads are over.
>
1. Proprietary. Even if it freely available.

2. You have to download a viewer. Bad! Bad! Bad! 

3. Difficult to change directly (that's a BAD BAD thing). So you have
19 documents in portrait mode and one in landscape mode. In most other
formats you can change that with the click of a button. Doesn't work
with most PDFs. So the PDF document is in dual column mode. Doesn't
the writer realise what a bad impression that makes? It's much harder
to scan read a two column layout than a single column. Can't change
that. If I can read a document in MY chosen format, it might get read.
If I can easily switch a document to MY chosen format I *might* do it.
If I can't change the format to something readable, it goes in the
bin.

4. Bigger than Word - I've been sent PDFs that are 2MB! Even Word
doesn't bloat that much. Usually.

5. Usually contain pictures and "art work". Why do people get their
hands on a layout program and suddenly think that they transformed
into artistic geniuses? I want to know about their qualifications and
achievments, not admired the clever use of fonts in the headings. 

6. Colour. Horror of horrors! Colour has no place in a CV. 

7. Fonts. Why do people insist on creating PDFs with strange fonts
that don't come as standard with the usual PDF readers? 

Cheers,

Cliff




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