Resume Review Checklist: Essential Checks Before Submitting Your Application

That moment before clicking “submit” on a job application can be nerve-wracking. Is your resume really ready? Did you catch every typo? Does it present you effectively? A systematic review catches problems that quick glances miss and ensures your resume represents you professionally.

Rushing to submit applications often results in preventable mistakes—typos, outdated information, formatting issues, or missing content that undermines otherwise strong candidacies. Taking fifteen minutes for a thorough review before each submission prevents regret and demonstrates the attention to detail employers value.

This comprehensive checklist covers everything you should verify before sending your resume. Work through each section systematically, checking items off as you confirm them. What seems like extra time invested actually saves time by reducing rejected applications and avoiding the need to explain errors during interviews.

Contact Information Checklist

Your contact information seems simple, but errors here can prevent employers from reaching you.

☐ Your name is prominently displayed and spelled correctly. Confirm this even though it seems obvious—autocorrect occasionally causes problems.

☐ Your phone number is correct. Call it from another phone to verify. Include area code. Use consistent formatting (either 555-123-4567 or (555) 123-4567, not a mix).

☐ Your email address is professional. [email protected] works better than [email protected]. Verify the address is typed correctly—one wrong character means lost communications.

☐ Your email inbox is checked regularly. Employers may contact you within days. Make sure you’ll see their message.

☐ Your voicemail is set up and professional. When employers call, your voicemail greeting should sound professional, clearly state your name, and provide instructions for leaving a message.

☐ Your location is appropriately included. City and state typically suffice—full street address is unnecessary and raises privacy concerns.

☐ Your LinkedIn URL is included (if applicable) and is customized rather than the default string of numbers.

☐ Any portfolio or website links work correctly. Click every link to verify they lead where intended.

☐ Contact information formatting is consistent with your resume’s overall style.

Content Quality Checklist

The substance of your resume determines whether you’ll be considered.

☐ Your professional summary is tailored to the position you’re applying for, not generic.

☐ Each experience entry includes achievements, not just duties. Look for quantified results (numbers, percentages, dollar amounts).

☐ Action verbs begin each bullet point. Strong verbs like “Led,” “Developed,” “Increased,” “Implemented” beat weak openings like “Responsible for” or “Helped with.”

☐ Results and impact are evident. Readers should understand not just what you did, but why it mattered.

☐ Content is relevant to the target position. Everything included should help your candidacy for this specific role.

☐ Nothing essential is missing. Relevant certifications, key skills, or important achievements should all appear.

☐ Nothing irrelevant is included. Old jobs, outdated skills, or personal information that doesn’t strengthen your candidacy should be removed.

☐ Your most impressive content appears early. Strong achievements belong in positions of prominence.

☐ Bullet points are appropriately detailed—not so brief they say nothing, not so long they’re exhausting to read.

☐ Career gaps are addressed appropriately or contextualized if necessary.

Accuracy and Honesty Checklist

Errors in facts create serious problems when discovered.

☐ All dates are accurate. Employment start and end dates, graduation dates, and certification dates should be correct and verifiable.

☐ Job titles exactly match what your employers called the positions (even if you want to inflate them).

☐ Company names are spelled correctly and reflect current names if companies have rebranded or merged.

☐ Educational credentials are accurate. Degree names, institutions, and graduation dates should be precise.

☐ Certifications are current and not expired. Remove outdated certifications or update expiration dates.

☐ Claims are defensible. Everything on your resume should be something you can discuss in detail during interviews.

☐ Numbers and statistics are accurate. Don’t guess at figures you’ll be asked to verify.

☐ Nothing is misrepresented or exaggerated. Background checks and reference calls can reveal discrepancies.

Formatting and Appearance Checklist

Visual presentation creates the first impression.

☐ Formatting is consistent throughout. Date formats, bullet styles, spacing, fonts, and heading styles should be uniform.

☐ Font choice is professional and readable. Standard fonts like Calibri, Arial, Garamond, or Helvetica in 10-12 point size work best.

☐ Margins are appropriate—at least 0.5 inches, typically around 0.75-1 inch.

☐ White space is adequate. The resume shouldn’t appear cramped or overwhelming.

☐ Section headers are clearly distinguished and easy to navigate.

☐ Alignment is consistent—left-aligned text is standard and most readable.

☐ The document prints correctly. Print a copy to check appearance, especially if submitting paper copies.

☐ Page length is appropriate. One page for early-career candidates; two pages maximum for most experienced professionals.

☐ If multi-page, pages are properly numbered and your name appears on page two in case pages separate.

☐ The document displays correctly across different devices and programs—check on both computer and phone if possible.

Grammar and Spelling Checklist

Language errors undermine credibility.

☐ Spell-check has been run (but don’t rely on it exclusively).

☐ There are no typos. Read slowly and carefully, or read backward sentence by sentence to catch errors your brain might autocorrect.

☐ Grammar is correct throughout. Subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, and proper tense usage matter.

☐ Punctuation is consistent. If some bullet points end with periods, all should. Choose a style and stick with it.

☐ No homophones are confused (their/there/they’re, your/you’re, its/it’s, then/than).

☐ Company and product names use correct capitalization and formatting.

☐ Industry terminology is spelled correctly—technical terms, acronyms, and specialized vocabulary.

☐ Someone else has proofread the resume. Fresh eyes catch errors you’ve become blind to.

ATS Compatibility Checklist

Many resumes are processed by applicant tracking systems before reaching human reviewers.

☐ File format is appropriate. PDF preserves formatting; Word (.docx) may be requested or parse better in some systems. Have both versions ready.

☐ Keywords from the job posting appear naturally in your resume.

☐ Standard section headings are used (Professional Experience, Education, Skills—not creative alternatives).

☐ No tables, text boxes, or columns that might parse incorrectly (unless you’re confident the system handles them).

☐ Headers and footers don’t contain critical information that might be stripped by parsing systems.

☐ Graphics, images, and unusual formatting are avoided unless applying to positions where design is valued and you’re confident about how submissions are reviewed.

☐ File name is professional (FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf, not Resume_Final_v3.doc).

☐ The file is not corrupted—open it after saving to verify everything appears correctly.

Customization Checklist

Generic resumes underperform tailored ones.

☐ This version is tailored for the specific position. The summary, emphasized skills, and prioritized achievements should match this job’s requirements.

☐ Keywords and terminology from the job posting are incorporated naturally.

☐ The most relevant experience is prominently featured.

☐ Irrelevant or less relevant content is minimized or removed for this version.

☐ The resume would make sense to someone who knows this specific role and company.

☐ You haven’t accidentally left in information from another application. Check for references to different companies or positions.

Professional Standards Checklist

Certain conventions apply across professional contexts.

☐ First-person pronouns are omitted. Don’t use “I” in resume bullet points—the “I” is implied.

☐ Abbreviations are used appropriately. Spell out terms on first use if there’s any chance of confusion.

☐ Dates are formatted consistently. Either “May 2020” or “05/2020” throughout, not mixing styles.

☐ Salary information is not included (unless specifically requested).

☐ References are not listed. “References available upon request” is also unnecessary—it’s assumed.

☐ Personal information that doesn’t belong (age, marital status, photos in most cases) is excluded.

☐ The tone is professional but not stiff—confident without arrogance, accomplished without bragging.

Pre-Submission Final Checks

These final verifications catch last-minute issues.

☐ You’ve saved the final version properly and are submitting the correct file (not an earlier draft).

☐ The file name is professional and includes your name so recruiters can identify it later.

☐ If applying via email, the attachment is actually attached. Many application emails arrive without the promised resume.

☐ If applying through a portal, the upload completed successfully and you can view what was submitted.

☐ You’ve kept a copy of exactly what you submitted for this application (helpful for interview preparation).

☐ Your accompanying cover letter (if any) matches this resume and references the correct position and company.

☐ Any online profile (LinkedIn, portfolio) is updated and consistent with your resume.

Using professional tools and platforms like 0portfolio.com can help ensure consistency across your resume, portfolio, and professional profiles—reducing the chance of inconsistencies between documents.

Read-Through Techniques

Different reading approaches catch different types of errors.

The slow read: Read every word deliberately, pointing at each word if it helps slow you down. This catches typos and awkward phrasing.

The backward read: Read sentences from bottom to top. This disrupts your brain’s tendency to autocorrect and helps catch spelling errors.

The read-aloud: Read your resume out loud. Hearing awkward phrasing is often easier than seeing it.

The stranger read: Imagine you know nothing about yourself. Does the resume clearly communicate who you are and what you offer?

The quick scan: Time yourself spending just 10 seconds scanning the resume. What stands out? Is it what you want employers to notice first?

The mobile read: View your resume on a phone screen. How does it appear on smaller devices?

The print read: Print your resume and review the paper copy. You’ll often catch things you missed on screen.

When Others Should Review

Getting outside perspectives strengthens your resume.

A professional in your field can assess whether your content aligns with industry expectations and whether you’re highlighting the right things.

Someone outside your field can assess clarity—if someone unfamiliar with your work can understand your accomplishments, you’ve communicated effectively.

A detail-oriented proofreader can catch the typos and errors you’ve become blind to after multiple reviews.

A career coach or resume professional can provide expert assessment of strategy and presentation.

When asking others to review, provide specific questions rather than just “What do you think?” Ask: “Does my most impressive achievement stand out?” or “Can you understand what I actually did in my last role?” or “Do you notice any typos?” Specific questions yield more useful feedback.

Red Flags to Catch

Watch for these common problems during your review.

Inconsistent tense. Current jobs use present tense; past jobs use past tense. Mixing creates confusion.

Unexplained gaps. If there are significant employment gaps, have you addressed them appropriately?

Missing quantification. If many bullets lack numbers or specific results, strengthen them with metrics.

Passive voice. “Was responsible for…” is weaker than “Led…” Active voice creates stronger impressions.

Dense text blocks. If any section looks like an unbroken wall of text, break it up or trim it down.

Old content dominating. If your most recent experience has less detail than older positions, rebalance.

Jargon overload. Some specialized terms are appropriate, but excessive jargon obscures rather than impresses.

Missing contact information. You’d be surprised how often this happens.

Creating Your Personal Checklist

While this comprehensive checklist covers common concerns, you may have additional items based on your specific situation.

Note any mistakes you’ve made before and add reminders to catch them. If you tend to confuse “affect” and “effect,” add that check specifically. If you’ve submitted wrong file versions before, add extra verification steps.

Create a consistent pre-submission ritual. The same steps, in the same order, every time. This systematic approach catches errors that random reviewing misses.

Build in time for this review. If you’re rushing to meet a deadline, you’ll skip steps and miss problems. Allow 15-20 minutes for thorough review of each application.

Conclusion

A thorough review before submitting your resume demonstrates professionalism and catches errors that could eliminate you from consideration. While this process takes time, that investment pays dividends in more successful applications and interviews.

No checklist catches everything, and no review process is foolproof. But systematic checking dramatically reduces preventable errors. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s presenting yourself as professionally and accurately as possible.

Your resume represents you when you’re not in the room. Make sure what it says is exactly what you intend, free from errors, and optimized for both human readers and automated systems. That few minutes of careful review might make the difference between an interview and a rejection.