Rebuild a CV in LaTeX
Create an editable, portable Overleaf project whose content comes from the source CV and whose visual system comes from the reference document.
Establish the contract
Identify these inputs before editing:
- source CV: authoritative content
- reference document: authoritative presentation
- requested output: normally a ZIP containing
main.texand required assets, plus a compiled PDF preview
Treat “keep the content unchanged” as a strict constraint. Preserve wording, capitalization, punctuation, dates, section order, URLs, and item order. Do not silently correct grammar, normalize dates, add sections, remove details, or rewrite bullets. Ask before making content changes.
Inspect both documents
Use PDF/document inspection tools appropriate to the environment. For PDFs:
- Run
pdfinfoto record page size, page count, and metadata. - Run
pdftotext -layoutto recover text and approximate alignment. - Render every page to PNG at about 144 DPI with
pdftoppm. - Inspect the rendered pages visually.
Build two separate inventories:
- Content inventory from the source: header fields, sections, entries, bullets, dates, locations, emphasis, links, and deliberate page breaks.
- Style inventory from the reference: paper size, margins, font families, approximate font sizes, line spacing, heading rules, indentation, bullet geometry, left/right columns, emphasis, link appearance, density, and pagination behavior.
Read references/style-mapping.md for the mapping and preservation checklist.
Implement the Overleaf project
Create a minimal project:
project/
├── main.tex
└── assets/ # only when required
Do not add a README unless the user requests one. Keep dependencies available in a standard Overleaf installation.
Prefer reusable LaTeX commands for repeated structures such as section headings, left/right entry rows, dated entries, and bullet lists. Keep content as plain, editable LaTeX rather than embedding source pages as images.
Choose the compiler intentionally:
- Use XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX when system/OpenType fonts or Unicode text require them.
- Use pdfLaTeX when standard TeX fonts are sufficient and portability is better.
If the exact reference font is unavailable, choose a metrically and visually similar Overleaf-safe font. Do not bundle a commercial font without permission. Record the required compiler in the handoff.
Escape LaTeX special characters without changing visible content. Preserve URLs as clickable links when possible, matching the reference's visible color and decoration.
Separate content from style
Apply only presentation changes from the reference:
- page geometry and paper size
- fonts, sizes, weights, and italics
- heading treatment and rules
- alignment and columns
- spacing, indentation, and bullet style
- link styling
- page-break strategy
Never infer that a reference section such as SUMMARY, PUBLICATIONS, or ACTIVITIES should be added to the source CV. Never reorder the source sections merely because the reference uses a different order, unless the user explicitly asks.
Compile and visually verify
Compile with the selected engine twice. Stop on LaTeX errors. Then:
- Confirm page size and page count with
pdfinfo. - Check the log for overfull boxes, missing glyphs, substituted fonts, and broken links.
- Render every output page to PNG.
- Inspect every page for collisions, clipped text, awkward wrapping, orphan headings, excessive blank space, incorrect alignment, and unintended page breaks.
- Compare the output with both authorities: text against the source CV and appearance against the reference.
- Iterate until there are no visible defects.
Use text extraction or a normalized text diff as an additional content check. Account for expected extraction differences caused by bullets, ligatures, line wrapping, and URL encoding; investigate all substantive differences.
Deliver
Package only the files needed by Overleaf. Provide:
- Overleaf-ready ZIP
- compiled PDF preview
main.texseparately when useful- one concise compiler instruction
State any unavoidable font substitution or material layout deviation. Do not claim pixel-perfect reproduction when source font data or editable originals are unavailable.