Checklist before you send your resume (with a printable PDF)

Print it or keep it next to you while you work. Download the checklist (PDF).

• It fits one page, or two at most.
• The headline or the first lines say what job I'm applying for.
• Each role has results or facts, not just duties.
• Every skill and course I list is something I can prove.
• Gaps of more than two months have a line explaining them.
• There are no personal details that are not needed: age, marital status, or a photo where the local custom is to leave it out.

• No spelling or grammar mistakes (read it aloud).
• No clichés like “hard-working” or “responsible for” without a fact behind them.
• No abbreviations that a reader outside my field would not understand.
• I used the same words as the job ad where they are true for me.

• Single column, standard headings, no tables or skill bars.
• Saved as PDF (unless the ad asks for another format) and named after me.
• I opened the file on my phone and the layout holds.
• My name and contact details are in the body of the document.

• I'm sending from a neutral address with my name, not from my work email.
• The subject names the job or reference, not just “CV”.
• The cover letter is written for this company and fits one page, or sits short in the body of the email.
• The email and attachments weigh under 1 MB.
• I checked the company, the recipient and the attachments three times.