Jake's Resume template, without the LaTeX

What Jake's Resume actually is

The original is a single file, resume.tex, in the jakegut/resume repository on GitHub. Its header comment credits Jake Gutierrez as author and names an earlier template, sb2nov/resume, as its basis. The README links to an Overleaf copy but marks it as not updated, so the GitHub file is the current source.

The document is set on US Letter at an 11 pt base size in LaTeX's default typeface, Computer Modern; the alternative font packages in the file are all commented out. The preamble pulls the margins in to roughly half an inch and defines a few macros, such as \resumeSubheading for a two-line entry and \resumeItem for a bullet, so every entry is typeset identically. It also turns on \pdfgentounicode, a pdfTeX setting the file's own comment describes as making the PDF machine readable for applicant tracking systems.

Keystone next to the original, element by element

Keystone copies the structure of the page, not the source code. Keystone's values below are read from the template itself.

LaTeX and Overleaf workflow vs the builder

Both routes end in a similar one-page PDF. They differ in how you get there and what you can do afterwards.

LaTeX is the better tool if you already keep your resume in git, want to tune spacing to the point, need A4, or want clickable links. Keystone is quicker if you have never compiled a .tex file, need a Word copy for a recruiter or a portal that asks for one, or want to see the page break move while you edit.

The section order engineers use with this layout

The original file runs in student order, and most people who use it keep that order until their first full-time job is the strongest thing on the page.

1. 1Education: school, degree and dates on two lines, then one line for GPA (if it helps) and the relevant upper-level courses.
2. 2Experience: internships, co-ops, research positions and teaching assistant jobs, newest first, two to four bullets each.
3. 3Projects: two or three, each named with its stack and year and one line on what it does or who used it.
4. 4Technical Skills: grouped under short labels such as Languages, Frameworks and Developer tools.

After a year or two of full-time work, drag Experience to the top, move Education to the bottom and cut the details line to the degree alone. Projects shrink to the one or two that show something your jobs do not.

Moving an existing Jake's Resume into ResumeFinch

There is no .tex importer, so the move is copy and paste, entry by entry.

1. 1Open the builder with Keystone, then drag Education above Experience and hide the Summary if you want the original's order exactly.
2. 2Each \resumeSubheading becomes an experience or education entry: title, company, location and dates go into their own fields.
3. 3Each \resumeItem becomes a bullet. Paste the text, then delete the leftover markup, such as backslashes before & and %, \textbf and stray braces.
4. 4Add a custom section from the Projects preset and paste one line per project, with the stack in parentheses after the name.
5. 5Rename Skills to Technical Skills and enter each group, label included, as one item, such as "Languages: Python, Go, SQL". Keep each group under 80 characters, the limit for one skill item.
6. 6Put your GitHub or portfolio address in the website field and your profile in the LinkedIn field, so both print in the contact line.

Worked example: the new graduate sample

Notes on the choices in the preview. The numbers in its bullets are placeholders; use your own.

• Education sits first because he graduated recently and his degree and coursework still carry weight. The details line holds GPA and five courses rather than a separate Coursework section.
• The teaching assistant job is listed under Experience, not left off. Grading and explaining data structures to 90 students is real work and fills the gap a short career leaves.
• A summary is written but switched off, matching the original, which has none. ResumeFinch's strength score will suggest adding one; turn it on if a posting asks for a profile or you are changing direction.
• Each project names its stack in parentheses and ends with who used it, the closest a one-line item gets to the original's project heading.

What you get in the PDF and the Word file

The PDF embeds Gelasio, an open font with the same measurements as Georgia, so lines break where the preview showed them. The .docx uses Georgia, sets your name in Word's Title style and each section heading as Heading 1, places dates at a right tab stop so they line up as they do in the original, and uses Word's own bullet lists. There are no tables, text boxes or images in it, so it opens cleanly in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice.

Frequently asked questions