Convert your PDF resume to LaTeX
Turn an existing PDF resume into editable LaTeX in your browser, what the conversion keeps and what it cannot, and how to tidy the result.
If your current resume only exists as a PDF, you do not have to retype it to move it into LaTeX. Resume Studio can read the text out of the PDF and turn it into an editable LaTeX document, entirely in your browser.
How to convert
- Open Resume Studio and click Import.
- Choose your PDF file.
- A new document opens with your resume's text as LaTeX. Your original file is not changed and is never uploaded.
What the conversion keeps
The importer reads the PDF's text in reading order and rebuilds it as a simple, single-column LaTeX resume:
- your name as the heading,
- recognised section headings such as Experience, Education, Skills, Projects and Summary,
- bullet points, as LaTeX lists,
- every other line of text, with special characters such as
%and&escaped so the result compiles.
What it cannot recover
A PDF stores where each character is drawn, not the structure behind it, so some things cannot be read back:
- Fonts, colours and exact spacing are replaced by a clean default layout.
- Columns, tables and icons become plain lines of text.
- Scanned resumes (a photo or image of a page) contain no text at all. Run them through OCR software first, then import the result.
Tidying the result
After importing, a few minutes of cleanup gives you a resume that is easier to maintain than the original:
- Switch to the guided form. Click Form above the editor. Resume Studio reads the LaTeX into fields for contact details, experience, education, projects and skills. Check that each field landed in the right place.
- Or apply a template. Pick one from the template gallery as a new document and paste your content into it, keeping its consistent entry commands.
- Run the review. Click Review to check how an ATS reads the result and to catch anything that came through oddly, such as dates in an unusual format.
Why LaTeX afterwards?
Once your resume is in LaTeX, you can keep it in version control, tailor copies for different roles in seconds, and export a consistent PDF every time. See Writing your resume in LaTeX for the basics.