---
title: "LaTeX CV"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2025/09/latex-cv/
last_updated: 2025-09-17
---


For ages I've been using a resumé crafted in Google Docs. I was never a big fan
of it, but it got the job done[^1].

It was always one of my wildest dreams to rewrite my resumé in LaTeX.

The main challenge would be to either i) find a decent template or ii) create my
own template. Thanks to [Overleaf](https://www.overleaf.com/), i) is quite
straightforward:

- https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/software-engineer-resume/gqxmqsvsbdjf
- https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/faangpath-simple-template/npsfpdqnxmbc
- https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/swe-resume-template/bznbzdprjfyy
- https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/software-engineering-resume/mcvwcrmddsyw
- https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/rendercv-engineeringresumes-theme/shwqvsxdgkjy

I could either use overleaf itself, or do everything locally (e.g. with
`texlive` + `TeXShop.app` in macOS).

Another possibility is to use [Typst](https://typst.app/), which is a modern
take for a typesetting engine. Think of writing LaTeX without having to know how
to write LaTeX, using a [markup
language](https://typst.app/docs/reference/syntax/) that heavily resembles
Markdown.

They even provide a neat web [playground](https://typst.app/play/), wherein the
rendered document is updated near instantly. It's such a superb user experience!

And it's [free](https://typst.app/pricing/) and [open
source](https://github.com/typst/typst)! It is capable of rendering multiple
formats: markdown, html, png, pdf. The possibility of using the same source,
with the same looks, for both your printed resumé (PDF) and your website
(markdown, html) is very appealing.

The [RenderCV](https://rendercv.com/) project builds on top of Typst to build a
turnkey solution to write your CV
[declaratively](https://github.com/rendercv/rendercv), purely from a
[YAML](https://github.com/rendercv/rendercv/blob/main/examples/John_Doe_ClassicTheme_CV.yaml)
file[^2].

All these initiatives are great. I have finally had the time to ditch Google
Docs for a fully open source text format.

Now I am debating whether to embed my new CV into this website.

Automated scraping is naughty, but an in-context portfolio would be amazing.
Perhaps I could simply put it behind a
[password-protected](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Guides/Authentication)
page? Or use symmetric cryptography to obfuscate it, with some bits of
JavaScript to decrypt it upon using a pre-shared passphrase key. Of course, both
approaches would be helpful only if I come up with a scheme to share the key with
humans whilst making it hard for bots to decipher it. Perhaps a riddle? If the
friction is too high, humans won't get to fetch it though. We'll see.

[^1]: pun intended
[^2]: what's next, the writing of your CV in [Nix](https://nixos.org/) language?