Can I automate these checks?

Most of them, yes — the ATS checker in this project runs the parsing, content and consistency checks automatically and shows you which ones fail. The delivery checks are still yours.

The Pre-Submission Resume Checklist

Last updated 2026-08-08

Run this before you submit. It takes about five minutes and catches the mistakes that are invisible to you after staring at the same document for an hour.

Parsing

Contact details are in the body, not the page header or footer.
Single column throughout.
No text inside tables or text boxes.
Copy-paste into a plain text editor produces the right content in the right order.
Text is selectable in the PDF — it is not an image.
Section headings use conventional names.
All dates use the same format.
No emoji or decorative glyph characters.

Content

The target job title appears in the headline or summary.
At least half the bullets contain a number.
No bullet starts with "Worked on", "Helped with" or "Responsible for".
No first-person pronouns.
No bullet runs past two lines.
The first bullet of your most recent role is your strongest.
The skills section has 12-25 concrete, grouped skills.
Every skill listed is one you could be questioned on.
No two bullets say substantially the same thing.
No verb opens more than two bullets.

Consistency

Past tense for past roles, present only for current responsibilities.
Bullet punctuation is consistent throughout.
Company and product names are spelled and capitalised correctly.
Your own job titles match what your references will confirm.
Margins are equal left and right.
One or two fonts, not three.

Delivery

The file is named Firstname-Lastname-Role.pdf.
The file is not password-protected.
The length matches your experience level.
You have read it backwards, line by line, for typos.
Someone else has read it at least once.
The version you are sending is the one tailored to this posting.

Frequently asked questions

Can I automate these checks?: Most of them, yes — the ATS checker in this project runs the parsing, content and consistency checks automatically and shows you which ones fail. The delivery checks are still yours.

Run this checklist automatically

The ATS checker runs the parsing, formatting and consistency items on this checklist for you, and shows exactly which ones fail.

Run the ATS check

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