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Final resume checklist

Run this before every important application. Tick the boxes; the site saves your progress in this browser.

How to use this page

  1. Run every section once on your base resume.
  2. For each tailored version, rerun "Tailoring for this job" and "Before you submit".
  3. Get two human reviews from the free review sources below.

The checklist

Length and layout

  • One page (students and 0 to 3 years). UK CV: at most two A4 pages.
  • One column. No tables, text boxes, icons, images, or charts.
  • Standard headings: Education, Experience, Projects, Skills.
  • Section order matches your track (section order).
  • Font 10 to 12 pt. Margins 0.5 to 1 inch.
  • Nothing in the page header or footer.
  • One date format everywhere.
  • No single line spilling onto a second page.
  • Name, city and state, phone, personal email, LinkedIn, GitHub.
  • Links clickable, current, and shown as readable text.
  • Pinned GitHub repos match the projects on the resume.
  • No photo, date of birth, age, marital status, or street address (US and UK).
  • No visa line unless you chose one on purpose (international students).

Education

  • Degree, major, school, and graduation month and year ("Expected May 2027").
  • GPA only if 3.5/4.0 or higher, or a strong local score shown on its original scale.
  • Coursework only if there is room: 4 to 6 upper-level courses.
  • High school removed, unless this is your first semester or it holds a national-level result.

Bullets

  • Every bullet starts with an action verb, and verbs differ within each role.
  • No "Responsible for", "Worked on", "Helped", or "Assisted with".
  • Every bullet has an outcome, and at least half carry a number.
  • Numbers have a baseline or a scale ("from 500 ms to 300 ms").
  • Each bullet is 1 to 2 lines.
  • 4 to 6 bullets for the most relevant role, 1 to 2 for less relevant roles.
  • Present tense for the current role, past tense for the rest.
  • No internal code names or team jargon.
  • Your own part is clear in every team effort.

Projects

  • 2 to 4 projects, the one closest to the target job first.
  • Each project name links to GitHub or a live demo.
  • Stack listed with each project.
  • Each project shows an outcome: users, an eval score, a benchmark, or a deployment.
  • Each linked repo has a README that says what it does and how to run it, with a screenshot or demo (README checklist).

Skills

  • Grouped lines: Languages, Frameworks, Cloud and tools, Databases.
  • Only tools you can be interviewed on.
  • No soft skills, skill bars, or ratings.
  • Lines ordered by the job description's priority.

Truth check

  • Every number is real, and you can explain it for 5 minutes.
  • Every listed tool was used in something you can describe.
  • Titles and dates match LinkedIn and your offer letters.
  • AI edits reviewed line by line (check the AI's work). No invented technologies, metrics, responsibilities, or projects, Jugal's rule in I Asked Claude to Make My Resume Unrejectable.
  • No hidden text, white text, or prompts anywhere.

Proofreading

  • Spell-checked in your editor and in LanguageTool.
  • Read aloud once, slowly.
  • Read by one other person.
  • Product names spelled the official way: GitHub, PostgreSQL, JavaScript, TypeScript.

Parsing and file

  • Highlight test passes: every word is selectable.
  • Plain-text paste keeps order, bullets, characters, and dates (parse test).
  • The OpenResume parser extracts name, email, phone, school, jobs, and dates.
  • Saved as a PDF named Firstname_Lastname_Resume.pdf (.docx only if the posting asks).
  • File under 2 MB, with no password.

Tailoring for this job

  • Hard filters checked: sponsorship, citizenship or export control, graduation window, location (tailoring step 2).
  • Every Must qualification you meet appears in the job's own words.
  • No keyword you cannot back up.
  • The top third shows your most relevant evidence for this job.
  • Skills lines reordered for this job.
  • The right role-type version picked.

Before you submit

  • Form answers match the resume: graduation date, degree, employers, dates, location.
  • Work authorization and sponsorship answered truthfully.
  • After Workday autofill, every field fixed by hand and Skills typed in.
  • The uploaded file is the tailored version, not the base.
  • Transcript PDF ready if the posting asks for one (Google intern postings do).
  • Application logged with the date and resume version in your tracker.
  • Referral ask or recruiter message sent where you have a contact (referrals).

International applications

  • Format matches the job's country (country formats).
  • Paper size is US Letter for the US and A4 elsewhere.
  • Spelling matches the market: American for the US, British for the UK.
  • Personal details removed for US and UK applications.

Free review sources

Source What you get How to use it
Your university career center A trained reviewer who sees hundreds of student resumes Book a 30-minute slot. Bring the resume and one target posting. Georgia Tech then asks students to upload the reviewed resume to Handshake
An engineer at a target company (alumnus, senior, former TA) The 10-second test from someone who interviews Find one with finding people, then send the script below
r/EngineeringResumes Public critique from engineers Read the subreddit wiki and posting rules first. Anonymize: remove your name, contact details, links, and employer and school names
r/cscareerquestions Resume discussion Search past resume threads for your situation before you post
r/csMajors Student community Ask intern-specific questions. Anonymize first
ColorStack Community for Black and Latinx CS students, with a resume book shared with partner companies Join if eligible and submit to the resume book
Jugal's video His own resume, explained section by section This Resume Got Me Into Amazon
Resume Worded scanner Automated flags (freemium) Fix the flags you agree with. Ignore the score
AI review with Jugal's prompts A fast first pass Run the prompt chain after you write your own draft
The Tech Resume Inside Out: common mistakes A self-review list from a former hiring manager Check your resume against each mistake

Jugal gets feedback "from professors, mentors, and even Reddit" (How I turned my resume into a job magnet).

Tip: Pay for a review only after two free ones. FAANGPath is one paid option.

Review request script

Hi [Name],

I'm applying for [role type] roles at [companies] and would value 10 minutes of your eyes on my resume (attached).

Two questions:
1. Look at it for 10 seconds, then close it. What do you remember?
2. Which bullet would you cut first, and which one would you ask me about in an interview?

Thanks either way,
[Your name]

The 10-second test

  1. Show your resume to someone for 10 seconds, then take it away.
  2. Ask what they remember.
  3. If they do not name your top two achievements, move those two into the top third and test again.
  4. Apply feedback in one batch, then rerun the parse test.

Next: Optimize your LinkedIn profile