Using Plain
Why it is dense
Early-career engineering resumes in the US and India are expected to be one page, and the reader is scanning for three things: school, internships, projects. Plain sets the organisation in bold on one line and the role in italics under it, with location and dates on the right, so each entry takes two lines before its bullets.
How to fill it
Put Education first while you are still studying; move it below Experience after your first full-time job. Give each project a link and one bullet that says what it does and who uses it, with a number if you have one. Keep skills to two lines: languages, then tools.
When to pick another
Once you have five or more years of work, the density starts to hide the jobs that matter. Ledger gives each role more room. For roles where a two-page CV is normal, such as the UK or Australia, Ledger or Modern read more comfortably.
Words to use
The layout is half of it. For the terms recruiters search for, see the keyword lists for software engineer, frontend developer and devops engineer resumes.
About Plain
Is Plain the same as Jake's Resume?
It follows the same pattern (centred name, ruled headings, organisation then role, dates on the right), which many students recognise. The Typst source is our own and it is set in Source Serif 4.
Can I use Plain on US Letter paper?
Yes. Switch paper in the Design tab or pick the US / Canada format when you start. Both sizes are tested.
Should a student put GPA on the resume?
If it is strong and the job asks for it, add it as the first bullet under your degree, as the sample does. Leave it off otherwise; nobody reads its absence as a gap.