Jake's Resume Template
The most-used LaTeX resume among software engineers, rebuilt as a Word file. Same structure and reading order — without Overleaf or a single line of .tex.
Free · .docx · No account needed
Used for
Software engineering, new-grad and intern applications, technical roles generally
Jake's Resume is the template a large share of computer science students and working engineers actually use. It is a compact single-column LaTeX layout — Education, Experience, Projects, Technical Skills — written by Jake Gutierrez and released under the MIT licence, and it became the default largely because it is disciplined: tight spacing, no ornament, and just enough room for one page of real content.
The friction is LaTeX. Using the original means an Overleaf account, compiling a .tex file, and editing markup to change a bullet. That is fine if you already work that way and a genuine obstacle if you do not — and it is why people search for the template far more often than they finish one.
This is the same layout as an editable Word document. Identical section order, identical entry structure with the role on the left and dates flush right, the same compact spacing. What it is not is the original file: if you want the .tex source, it is on GitHub and Overleaf, and you should get it there.
The layout also happens to be a strong ATS candidate, which is not why it became popular but is worth knowing. Single column, standard headings, no tables and no graphics — the four things that actually decide whether a parser reads your resume in the order you wrote it.
What makes this format different
Education first — but only while it earns the position
The original puts Education at the top, which is correct for students and new graduates and wrong within a couple of years of your first job. Move Experience above it once you have shipped anything. The template's structure does not change; only the order does.
Experience — role left, dates flush right
Each entry is two lines: job title with dates on the right, then company with location on the right. Bullets underneath, one or two lines each. The tight leading is doing real work — it is what lets a full internship history fit on one page without shrinking the type.
Projects — the section that carries new-grad applications
The reason this template suits students specifically. Each project gets a name, its stack in a parenthetical, and one or two bullets on what it does and what you built. For a candidate without much work history, this section is the evidence, and it deserves as much space as Experience.
Technical skills — grouped, not listed
Languages, frameworks, developer tools, libraries — as four labelled lines rather than one undifferentiated block. This is where keyword matching does most of its work, so mirror the vocabulary in the job posting rather than your own shorthand.
Mistakes specific to this format
- Keeping Education at the top three years into a career, because the template put it there. The order is a default for students, not a rule.
- Filling the page because the tight spacing allows it. The layout fits more; that is not an instruction to include more.
- Listing projects without saying what you built. "E-commerce site (React, Node)" tells a reader nothing — what did it do, and which part was yours?
- Padding the skills section with everything ever touched. A recruiter reading twelve languages assumes you are strong in none of them.
- Reducing the font to squeeze onto one page. Cut a project instead; sub-10pt type reads as desperation and parses worse.
- Sending the compiled PDF without checking it parses. Some LaTeX PDF output extracts in the wrong reading order — worth running through a checker whichever version you use.
Download the template
A blank Word document with the structure, headings and spacing already set, and an italic prompt under each section explaining what belongs there. Delete the prompts before you send it.
- Single column with standard headings — no tables, text boxes or graphics
- Verified to parse cleanly through the same library CVEdge uses to read uploads
- Editable in Word, Google Docs or Pages
- No account, no card, no watermark
A Word recreation of the Jake's Resume layout, originally a LaTeX template by Jake Gutierrez, released under the MIT licence. Not affiliated with or endorsed by its author. The original source is on GitHub and Overleaf.
Questions about the Jake's Resume Template
Is this the actual Jake's Resume template?+
It is the same layout, not the same file. The original is a LaTeX template by Jake Gutierrez, released under the MIT licence and available on GitHub and Overleaf — if you want the .tex source, get it from there. This is a Word recreation with the same section order, entry structure and spacing, for people who would rather not compile anything. Layouts are not themselves copyrightable and the original is permissively licensed, but the credit belongs to its author.
Why use the Word version instead of LaTeX?+
Because the LaTeX toolchain is the reason most people who find this template never finish one. If you already use Overleaf, the original is better — you get the typographic precision LaTeX is for. If you do not, an Overleaf account and a compile cycle to fix a typo is a poor trade for a layout you can have directly.
Is Jake's Resume ATS-friendly?+
The layout is: one column, standard heading names, no tables, no text boxes, no graphics. That covers the failure modes that actually matter. One caveat specific to the LaTeX original — PDF output from LaTeX occasionally extracts in an unexpected reading order depending on how the document is compiled, so it is worth running the compiled file through a checker. The Word version here parses cleanly, verified against the same library CVEdge uses to read uploads.
Is Jake's Resume good for experienced engineers?+
Yes, with two changes. Move Experience above Education, and cut Projects down or drop it — past about five years, personal projects compete for space with work that a recruiter weights more heavily. The compact spacing is arguably more useful to a senior engineer than to a student, because it is what lets fifteen years fit on two pages without the document feeling crowded.
What about Deedy, Awesome CV and the other LaTeX templates?+
Different tools for different situations. Deedy is two-column with a narrow sidebar, which looks sharp and carries some parsing risk. Awesome CV is built for longer academic documents. Jake's is the plainest of the three and the safest through an ATS, which is why it is the one recreated here first.