Free check · 10 questions · about 4 minutes
Resume self-check
Ten questions about your resume as it is right now, not the version you’re planning to write. At the end you’ll see what’s already working, what to fix first and why, with the source behind every point so you’re not just taking my word for it.
Ladders, a US job site, ran an eye-tracking study in 2018 and found recruiters spent an average of 7.4 seconds on their first look at a resume, and more time on job titles than anything else. So a lot of this check comes down to making those first few seconds count.
Source: Ladders eye-tracking study, 2018
Your answers stay in your browser. Tap “Why this matters” under any question and you’ll see my reasoning and where it comes from. Draft questions for Jim to approve.
0 of 10 answered
1Is this resume aimed at one specific role, or one type of role?
Why this matters
SEEK’s advice is to tailor your resume to each job, putting forward the skills and achievements that matter most for that role. The thing is, you can’t tailor to a target you haven’t picked yet, so this one comes first.
2Could someone who’s never met you tell your current role and level from the top third of page one?
Why this matters
In the Ladders study, recruiters looked at job titles more than anything else, and the resumes that did best had a short overview at the top of the first page. If your role and level aren’t obvious up there, that first quick look may be as far as it gets.
3In your last two roles, do most of your bullet points say what changed because of you, rather than what the job involved?
Why this matters
Ultimately, a duty only tells someone what the job was. What they really want to know is what changed because you were there. SEEK’s advice to Australian job seekers says the same thing: focus on results, and put numbers on them where you can.
4Where you’ve got the skills the job ad asks for, does your resume use the ad’s own words for them?
Why this matters
A Harvard Business School and Accenture study called Hidden Workers found most employers admitted their hiring systems were knocking back capable people, often because they didn’t exactly match the criteria. But Ladders also found that stuffing in keywords counted against a resume, so the ad’s words need to show up inside real examples, not in a list.
Source:Harvard Business School, Hidden WorkersLadders eye-tracking study, 2018
5Is the layout a single column, with bold headings, short bullet points and some white space?
Why this matters
In the Ladders study, the weaker resumes had long sentences, more than one column and hardly any white space. The stronger ones had clear headings, bold job titles and short bullet points the eye could run straight down.
6Is your most recent role first, and does it get the most space?
Why this matters
SEEK describes putting your most recent role first as the usual starting point for anyone with a clear work history, and says to focus on recent and relevant roles. It makes sense, because your latest role is the best evidence of what you can do right now.
7If you had to cut half a page, would you struggle to find anything worth cutting?
Why this matters
SEEK says there’s no one right length for a resume. One or two pages suits a lot of people, but it depends on your experience, the role and what the application asks for. So the real test isn’t the page count, it’s whether every line is pulling its weight.
8If you’ve had a gap in work of six months or more, is it explained in one line? (If you haven’t had a gap, that’s a yes.)
Why this matters
The Hidden Workers study found hiring systems lean heavily on “negative” filters, like “rank candidates who have not been employed for a six-month period”. One line won’t get you past every filter, but it answers the question before a person has to ask it.
9Have you left off details like your date of birth, age, marital status, religion and nationality?
Why this matters
SEEK’s advice is that you generally don’t need to include these unless the application specifically asks and it’s lawful to provide. They take up space and don’t tell anyone whether you can do the job.
10Has someone other than you proofread the final version?
Why this matters
SEEK lists typos and errors among the common resume mistakes and says to proofread before you send it. The trouble is your own mistakes are the hardest ones to see, because you read what you meant to write.
Answer every question and your result will show up here. “Partly” is a fair answer if that’s where you’re at.
YOUR RESULT
Your answers: yes · partly · no. Some questions count for more than others, because some fixes make a bigger difference.
Already working
Start here
In the order I’d tackle them. The ones that make the biggest difference come first.
Also worth doing
Nothing to fix from these questions, which is a great spot to be in. If you’d still like a second set of eyes on it, that’s what the service below is for.
Want a second set of eyes on one application?
The Application Reality Check is a short written report on your resume against one job ad: what’s working, what’s holding you back and the three fixes that matter most. If you go on to a Resume Rebuild, the price comes off.
See the Reality CheckGeneral information only. It’s not personal financial, legal or employment advice, and it doesn’t predict any outcome.
Where this comes from
Every reason in this check points to a published source you can look at yourself. Where something is my own view rather than what the source found, I’ve written it as advice, not as fact.
- Ladders Inc. (US job site), Eye-Tracking Study, 2018. Reported by HR Dive, 8 November 2018. The study does not publish its sample size. View source
- SEEK, “How to write a resume in Australia: A step-by-step guide with examples”, updated 30 September 2026. View source
- Fuller, J.B., “How to tap the talent automated HR platforms miss”, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, 5 November 2021. Covers the Hidden Workers study by Harvard Business School and Accenture (survey of employers and workers in the US, UK and Germany). View source