Think of this checklist as your pre-flight check before every job application. Spend 5 minutes running through it and you'll catch the formatting, keyword, and structural issues that cause most resumes to get filtered out. Then upload to CV Chackr for an instant automated score.

Section 1: File and format

• ✅ Saved as PDF or DOCX (not .pages, .odt, or image-based PDF)
• ✅ File is not password-protected
• ✅ Text is selectable (not a scanned image)
• ✅ File name is professional: FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf

Section 2: Layout and structure

• ✅ Single-column layout — no tables, text boxes, or multi-column grids
• ✅ No graphics, icons, progress bars, or images in the main content
• ✅ Standard section headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills
• ✅ Contact info in the main body (not in header/footer)
• ✅ ATS-safe font (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) at 10–12pt
• ✅ Consistent date format throughout (e.g. Jan 2023 — Apr 2024)

For detailed formatting guidance, see How to Format Your Resume for ATS and our best resume fonts guide.

Section 3: Keywords and content

• ✅ Resume contains keywords from the specific job description
• ✅ Job title in your summary matches or closely mirrors the role title
• ✅ Key tools, skills, and technologies from the JD appear in your resume
• ✅ No keyword stuffing — every keyword appears in natural context
• ✅ Skills section is grouped and clean (not a wall of 30+ items)

Use AI-powered keyword analysis to find what's missing. CV Chackr does this automatically when you upload your resume and a job description together.

Section 4: Summary and experience

• ✅ Summary is 2–4 lines and mentions role, domain, and 2–3 key strengths
• ✅ No generic phrases ("hardworking", "team player", "results-oriented")
• ✅ Experience bullet points start with action verbs
• ✅ At least 2–3 bullet points include a measurable outcome
• ✅ Most recent job is listed first (reverse chronological)

For help writing stronger bullet points, see How to Write Resume Bullet Points That Get You Hired.

Section 5: Final checks

• ✅ No spelling errors or inconsistent capitalization
• ✅ LinkedIn URL is included and matches your resume
• ✅ Career gaps are briefly explained if longer than 3 months
• ✅ Resume is 1 page (under 10 years experience) or max 2 pages
• ✅ Uploaded to CV Chackr and ATS score reviewed

Run the automated check

After going through this checklist manually, upload your resume to CV Chackr. The tool checks formatting, keyword match, section completeness, and ATS compatibility automatically — giving you a score and specific items to fix before you hit apply.