Free ATS résumé checklist

20 checks before you submit your résumé

A clean, truthful résumé helps software parse your experience and helps a recruiter understand your fit. Use these checks for every application.

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Use a clear, readable structure

Keep the document easy to scan from top to bottom. Complex design can distract from the evidence an employer needs.

  • Use familiar headings: Summary, Skills, Experience, and Education
  • Keep dates, employers, titles, and locations consistent
  • Avoid text boxes, charts, ratings, and critical information in headers or footers
  • Submit the file type requested by the employer

Align with the actual job

Identify the role’s repeated responsibilities and required skills. Reflect the same language only where your experience genuinely supports it.

  • Target one role per résumé
  • Put the most relevant qualifications near the top
  • Use important terms naturally—not as a keyword list
  • Remove unrelated details that hide stronger evidence

Show evidence, not adjectives

Replace broad claims with actions, scope, and supported outcomes. Numbers help when they are accurate and understandable.

  • Start bullets with clear actions
  • Include team, customer, revenue, project, or operational scope
  • Quantify results you can verify
  • Never invent tools, credentials, dates, or outcomes

Finish the human review

An ATS does not make the final hiring decision. Read the résumé as a recruiter would: quickly, skeptically, and in context.

  • Check spelling, tense, and punctuation
  • Confirm contact information and links
  • Read the first half-page in 20 seconds
  • Save a final copy with a professional filename

Important: there is no universal ATS score. Systems and employer settings vary. The safest strategy is a conventional layout, relevant language, and verifiable experience.

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