Make a CV from Markdown: real pages, print-ready PDF

Write your CV as plain text and see it typeset on A4 or US Letter pages as you type, in one of four styles. Fit it to one page, then save it as a PDF or Word file. Nothing is uploaded.

CV templates in word processors fall apart the moment you add a line: tables shift, dates wander, a heading strands itself at the foot of a page. Writing the CV as text and letting a typesetter lay it out avoids all of that. The dates line up on the right by themselves, sections never break away from their first entry, and a role is not split across two pages if it can be kept together.

The format

What to type, and where it goes

Write	Becomes
# Your Name	Your name, set large
The line after it, items separated by · or |	Contact details; emails, phone numbers and web addresses become links
A paragraph before the first section	Your summary
## Experience	A section heading
### Role | Company | 2021 – Present	An entry: role in bold, organisation beside it, dates to the right
- What you did	Bullet points under the entry

Four styles

• Classic — serif type, a centred name, ruled sections. Law, academia, government.
• Modern — clean sans-serif, your name in the accent colour.
• Sidebar — skills, education and contact details in a tinted column beside your experience.
• Compact — smaller type and a tighter rhythm, for a long history on one page.

Pick any colour for the accent. The style, paper and colour are saved at the top of your Markdown file, so the file opens the same way next time.

What you see is what prints

Browsers don't show page breaks until you print, so most online CV builders guess. Here the pages are laid out for real, at full size, before you see them: a paragraph that runs over a page keeps at least two lines on each side, a section heading moves with its first entry, and the PDF is made from those same pages. Use your browser's print dialog and choose Save as PDF.

Questions

How do I make my CV fit on one page?

Tick Fit to one page. The text is shrunk just enough for everything to fit, never below 80% of normal size. If it still runs over at that size, the preview says so, and it is time to cut rather than shrink further.

Is my CV uploaded or stored anywhere?

No. Your CV is laid out in the page, in your browser, and the PDF is made by your browser's own print function. A copy is kept on your device so it is there when you come back, and nowhere else. A CV is full of personal details; it should not pass through anyone's server.

Will application tracking systems read it?

The PDF contains real, selectable text in reading order, which application systems handle well. The Classic, Modern and Compact styles are single-column, which is the safest choice. If an employer asks for a Word document, the Word button gives a plain .docx with the same headings and lists.

How do I put the dates on the right?

End the role heading with them, separated by a vertical bar: ### Lead Designer | Northwind Bank | 2022 – Present. Anything at the end that contains a year, or Present, goes to the right-hand edge. Dates in brackets at the end work too.

Can I use my existing Word CV?

Yes. Open the .docx and it is converted to Markdown in your browser. Check that your name is a # heading, sections are ## and roles are ###, and it will pick up any of the styles.

A4 or US Letter?

A4 for Australia, the UK, Europe and most of the world; US Letter for the United States and Canada. Switching paper re-lays the pages, so check the page breaks after you change it.

Does the PDF look the same as the preview?

Yes. The preview is made of the actual pages, laid out at full size, and printing prints those same pages. Page breaks fall where you see them.

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