Libre Office compatibility
 

I'm wondering how compatible Libre Office is with documents written with Microsoft Office, and vice versa.

I've just opened in Libre Office a couple of uni assignments I wrote a couple of years ago using either Office 2013 or 2016. The formatting is all over the place (title page buried amongst the table of contents), none of the references are included (ie,[ CITATION GEO6b \l 2057 ]. instead of "Jones, 2005") and text doesn't fit in boxes correctly.

I know MS fonts might help a couple of issues (though I think I have them installed already) but messed up title pages and missing references seem a bit harder to remedy.

I'm slightly worried because after 15 years at uni I've finally plucked up enough courage to apply for a 'proper' job and my CV/resume is written up with Libre Office. I usually save it as a pdf but not always. I hope I haven't emailed a bunch of garbled pages... some of which read "Strong ICT skills"!!

Well, let us know how it goes.

FWIW, you're probably using the best office suite that isn't from Microsoft. It's popular all over the world.

Sorry to give advice, but always email your CV in PDF format, unless otherwise requested, and always check it first.

Out of interest, which MS fonts do the documents use and why do you only "think" you have the MS fonts installed already?

Which version of LibreOffice are you running?

LibreOffice is a very good office suite but you should always check documents if you're switching between document formats created by Word and Writer.

I'm afraid that there's no perfect solution to porting documents from one WP to another. It's not always reliable when you switch from one version to another of the same WP! In my experience, simple texts will be OK, but the more complex the layout, the more tweaking will be needed.

A PDF created with LibreOffice is fine, in my experience, but always proof-read!

Agreed. I use it exclusively, but the only problems I typically encounter are Microsoft related. Their 'standards' aren't standard...going to Google Docs? No problems. Word? Eh..maybe.

And I agree with hydrurga about PDF's and proofreading. When I'm hiring, if I spot a typo/bad grammar (and have even see text-speak), it goes right in the trash. A PDF will at least look the same on whatever you display it on. But do spend time converting your docs correctly.

I've found that, for relatively simple documents, LO generally does a good job with *.doc and *.docx files. If the formatting is complicated, sometimes stuff happens. I've had this happen in either direction.

Thank you for your replies.

I might have to install Windows 10 and Office to double check things in the future. I think my old uni subscriptions will expire soon (they seem to run for 2 years after the course ends) so I will be limited to Office 2007.

I do prefer to sent CVs off in PDF but I've been advised by CIWM and a CV advice service that the software that reads and redacts for agencies etc makes more mistakes with PDFs than .doc and .docx.

hydrurga - "why do you only "think" you have the MS fonts installed already" - Simply because I hadn't checked at the time of writing. I was certain I had at some point but "sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts" just installed .

Just a note that the package I used to install the MS core fonts on my Mint 19.1 system (built on the Ubuntu 18.04 repos) is ttf-mscorefonts-installer, not the virtual msttcorefonts package.

Not at all...because..
...formatting doesn't matter to those programs, just content. Not sure of how things are where you live, but I can only speak for myself and my experience; any company/outfit that uses such software isn't worth dealing with. Get your resume into someones hands; a hiring manager, a person at the company in the department you want to work, or some channel like that. I have seen FAR too many people read a job description, and try to cheat such software.

How? Simple...say the job needs 5 years of PHP development with MySQL, and use of perl, python, and bash, and the candidate doesn't have it. They put phrases in like "..starting PHP development", and "familiar with MySQL, and have written scripts in perl, python and bash". Software picks up the keywords, and shovels the (unqualified) resume along.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO substitute for in-person, ever. Call a company/look on their website, and get the name of a manager in the area you want. Stop by, and ask to speak with them, put your resume in their hands, and speak honestly to them. Tell them you would love to work for their company, and sell yourself. If you come across as someone eager to learn, honest, and hardworking (after all, you're THERE, instead of sending an email), you'd be surprised at the results.