CV Markup Language (Was: [PLUG] Your Resume)

Geoff Burling llywrch at agora.rdrop.com
Wed May 29 00:39:18 UTC 2002


On Tue, 28 May 2002, Dhruva B. Reddy wrote:

> I recently had a related idea of my own.
>
> There are a lot of HR folks (and most headhunters) who insist on
> receiving resumes as an M$ Word document.  This annoys me for several
> reasons.  In addition to the obvious, I've recently found using a word
> processor messy and tedious (especially since I discovered LaTeX :-)
>
> Also, many organizations are switching to web based job applications.
> If you have ever used one of these, you know what a PITA it is to cut
> and paste your resume to fit their form.
>
> Anyway, my idea is to come up with a format (open, of course!)
> specifically for resumes, based on XML (called, say, CVML--Curriculum
> Vitae Markup Language).  The point of this is to separate the content
> from the formatting.
>
I've had the same idea for a year or two, & looked hard at the DocBook
DTD as a prototype. Unfortunately, one can't print from XML so I've fallen
back on LaTeX to at least start producing a prototype that could be
later ported to an XML DTD.

So far my exploration with resumes & LaTeX have uncovered four different
packages written for resumes or curriculum vitas[*], & of the three I've
tired, none do exactly what I want to: one I couldn't get to work without
error messages; one defines the attributes of the occupational & skill
classes nicely, but it doesn't allow for a simple title class; & the
third defines the classes nicely yet I don't like how it formats the
information.

> My vision includes a desktop application that takes the content and
> formats it however desired (HTML, LaTeX, RTF, even *shudder*...a Word
> document).  This application would also let the user edit the content,
> without worrying about the formatting.  Since the candidate would have
> access to the same application, they could format the resume themselves,
> if appropriate..."Here's my resume, both in CVML and Postscript"...
>
<rant=abbreviated>
Sending a resume in ascii text to a job shop should be good enough.
After all, they are going to enter it into their database, massage it
to their standards -- all of which far too often occurs after the print
the thing out & then scan it back in. (Yes, I was told this happened
once -- which is still one time too often.) And Word will open ascii
text files.
</rant>

On the other hand, I seem to remember MS Word being able to import
LaTeX format documents. Am I confusing MS Word with another word
processing program?

> If successful, this would have the following benefits:
> 	-Resume content would be standardized to an open format.
> 	-You come up with the format for a resume exactly once.  Once
> 	you get it right, you can change the content without ever having
> 	to fiddle with the formatting again.
> 	-The standardization opens up all kinds of possibilities in
> 	information exchange and archival.
> 	-The obvious--freedom from M$'s stranglehold.
>
> What would you folks think of this concept, and of using this
> directory/database as a launching pad for it?
>
It makes sense: I have heard the factoid that the average resume is
read in 10 seconds or less; the hiring manager wants to know what
skills a potential interviewee has, & gain a clue just how strong
those skills are. Such a structured means of presentation would
improve efficiency all around: we could write better resumes, &
hiring managers could read these resumes faster.

Unfortunately, because it's such a good idea I doubt it would work.
Job shops & HR departments would balk at adoption because they
couldn't import the XML resume into MS Word. And if MS adopted
the proposed CVML DTD, I'd bet money they make changes to it that
either break other implimentations, or add features that annoy
the hiring managers (e.g., the ability to embed animation in a
resume).

Having said all of that, I would be interested in working on such
a project. Who knows -- maybe we can create something that proves MS
chases more taillights than the volunteer software camp?

Geoff





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