Can every item be checked automatically?

No. The ATS checker handles structure and several content rules for any resume, and font, margin and spacing checks for resumes built in the builder. You still need to check that your claims are true, that names are spelled correctly, and that the resume fits the job.

What does the ATS checker not check?

Spelling and grammar, whether your claims are true, how a specific employer's system is set up, and whether you will get an interview.

What should I check before submitting my resume?

The file type and layout first, then section headings and dates, then your summary, skills and bullets, and finally whether this version fits the posting. The complete checklist on this page follows that order.

How do I proofread my resume?

Read it backwards one line at a time, so you look at each word instead of the meaning. Then read it aloud, and ask one other person to read it. Check company names, product names and your own job titles with extra care.

Can I print this checklist?

Yes. Use the Print this checklist button at the top of the page. The site header, footer and other page furniture are left off the printout.

The Pre-Submission Resume Checklist

Run this before you send your resume. The full checklist comes first, grouped by part of the resume, and every item links to the guide that explains it. You can print it and tick items off on paper. After it, two shorter lists show which items the free tools on this site check for you, and which only you can check.

By ATSResumeKit TeamUpdated October 2026 6 min read

On this page

The complete checklist

Work through the groups in order. The file and layout come first because a problem there can make the software misread everything else.

File and layout

The file is a PDF with real, selectable text, unless the employer asked for Word. See PDF or Word.
The file name has your name and the role, such as Priya-Sharma-Data-Analyst.pdf. See PDF or Word.
The layout is one column, with no text boxes or tables holding your content. See the ATS resume format guide.
Your name and contact details are in the body of the page, not in the page header. See the ATS resume format guide.
Copying all the text into a plain text editor gives it back in the right order. See what makes a resume ATS-friendly.

Structure and length

Section headings use standard names such as Work Experience and Education. See the resume structure guide.
The sections are in an order that suits your career stage. See the resume structure guide.
The length suits your experience, and page two, if you have one, is mostly full. See the resume length guide.
Every date uses the same format, such as Mar 2024. See the ATS resume format guide.

Summary and skills

The summary names the role you are applying for and includes one result. See the resume summary guide.
The skills are grouped under labels, with roughly 8 to 25 entries, fewer for a fresher. See the skills section guide.
Every skill listed is one you could discuss in an interview. See the skills section guide.

Experience and projects

Each bullet opens with a verb that says what you did, not "worked on" or "responsible for". See the bullet points guide.
About half the bullets, including the first under each job, contain a number you can explain. See the guide to quantifying achievements.
Projects, if you list them, have dates, tools and a result. See the projects section guide.
No overused phrases such as "team player" or "detail-oriented". See the resume mistakes guide.

This application

The skills and job title from the posting appear on the resume wherever they are true for you. See the resume keywords guide.
This version is the one you tailored for this posting. See the tailoring guide.
If you are a fresher, projects and internships are written up as experience. See the fresher resume guide.
Someone else has read it, and you have read it backwards line by line for typos. See the resume mistakes guide.

If you only have five minutes

Some applications close today. If you cannot go through every item, check these five, in this order, because a mistake in any of them is hard for a reader to look past:

Your email address and phone number are correct. Send yourself a test email if you changed either recently.
The file is the right one: this version, as a PDF with selectable text, with your name in the file name.
The job title from the posting appears near the top, in your headline or summary, if it describes you accurately.
The first bullet under your most recent job states a result.
Company names, including the one you are applying to, are spelled correctly.

Then go back to the complete checklist before your next application, so the same resume is in better shape next time.

What the ATS checker checks for you

The ATS resume checker runs these on the resume in the builder and names the rule behind every finding:

Name, email, phone number and location are present, and the email address is valid.
There is a Skills section with content, and an Experience or Projects section with entries.
Every section heading is one a parser is likely to recognise.
Each job has a job title, an employer, a start date and at least one bullet.
Dates use a single format that can be read as a month and year.
No emoji, decorative characters, tab characters or HTML tags appear in the text.
Text size, margins and line spacing are within safe ranges.
At least half the bullets contain a number.
No bullet opens with weak phrasing such as "worked on" or "responsible for".
No bullet uses first-person pronouns, and bullet punctuation is consistent.
The summary is a sensible length, and your target job title appears somewhere in the resume.
The skills are grouped, and the list is neither very short nor very long.
The resume is a sensible length for your experience, and no job has more than seven bullets.

Checked by other tools in the builder

The Plain Text preview shows your resume in the order a parser will read it.
The Duplicate Detector finds near-identical bullets and the same figure claimed twice.
The Length Advisor estimates your page count and suggests what to cut.
The Job Description Matcher shows which skills from the posting are missing.

Only you can check these

No tool on this site checks spelling or grammar, and none can tell whether what you wrote is true. The methodology page lists what the ATS checker does not test. Every guide this checklist links to is also listed on the guides page.

Every claim, number and skill is true, and you could explain it in an interview.
Your job titles and dates match what a reference or background check will confirm.
Company, product and people's names are spelled correctly. Read the resume backwards, line by line, to catch typos.
The version you are sending is the one you tailored to this posting.
You copied the text from your PDF into a plain text editor, and it read in the right order.
The file is a PDF with real text (or the format the employer asked for), is not password-protected, and has your name and the role in the file name.
Someone else has read it at least once.

Frequently asked questions

Can every item be checked automatically?: No. The ATS checker handles structure and several content rules for any resume, and font, margin and spacing checks for resumes built in the builder. You still need to check that your claims are true, that names are spelled correctly, and that the resume fits the job.
What does the ATS checker not check?: Spelling and grammar, whether your claims are true, how a specific employer's system is set up, and whether you will get an interview.
What should I check before submitting my resume?: The file type and layout first, then section headings and dates, then your summary, skills and bullets, and finally whether this version fits the posting. The complete checklist on this page follows that order.
How do I proofread my resume?: Read it backwards one line at a time, so you look at each word instead of the meaning. Then read it aloud, and ask one other person to read it. Check company names, product names and your own job titles with extra care.
Can I print this checklist?: Yes. Use the Print this checklist button at the top of the page. The site header, footer and other page furniture are left off the printout.

Run the automatic part of this checklist

The ATS checker runs the items listed under "What the ATS checker checks for you" and shows which ones fail. The last list is still yours to check.

Run the ATS check

Related guides

All 15 resume guides, in the order you would use them while writing a resume.