Run this before you hit send.

Target

• The headline names the role you want, not only the last title you held.
• The summary is two or three lines and names the problem you solve.
• Location and work mode match the roles you will actually apply to.

Proof

• Each recent role has three to five bullets, not a paragraph of duties.
• Bullets start with a verb and include a result.
• At least four bullets contain a number, a time frame, or the size of the work.
• Tools sit next to the outcome. They are not a dump at the bottom only.

ATS

• Section labels are plain: Experience, Education, Skills.
• The file is a .docx or a text-based PDF, not a photo of a resume.
• Email and phone are in the document body, not only a header.
• No tables, text boxes, or icons carry information the words do not.
• Words from the posting appear only where they are true.

Tailoring and the letter

• The top third answers the posting’s first three requirements.
• Early-career detail that does not support this role is cut or compressed.
• Dates and titles match what a background check would show.
• The cover letter names the role, one proof point, and their problem. Then it stops.

Before you send

• Someone outside your field can say what you do after twenty seconds.
• The file name is Lastname-Role-Resume.
• Links, dates, and the exported file all open cleanly.