guides

What actually matters, explained once.

Four long answers to the questions that decide whether a resume works. Written to be useful whether or not you ever use this site.

• What format do ATS systems actually read?

  Most advice about beating the ATS is folklore. Here is what actually happens to your PDF.

• Should a resume be one page?

  A real convention with real force in some places and none at all in others.

• LaTeX vs Word for a resume

  The two tools make different decisions for you, and it shows up in whether your career fits.

• The FAANG resume format

  There is no secret format. There is an observable convention, and there are reasons for it.