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Resume PDF checklist before you send
Last updated: 1 October 2026 · Souren Das, FileTools Kit, Bengaluru. This is not career coaching and not a score from an employer system.
Open the file you will attach
Not the preview in the builder. The downloaded PDF. Confirm the name is yours, the email is one you read, and the phone number has the country code you expect people to dial. Sample placeholder text is a reject on sight.
Text, not a picture
Try to select a sentence. If you cannot, the portal may not either. The builder’s PDF should be real text. If you later photograph it and rebuild a PDF from JPGs, you have thrown that away.
The overlap percentage
Ignore it as a verdict. Use it only to notice a tool name you actually used and forgot to mention. Do not paste the job ad into the skills line. The percentage is local keyword overlap, not Naukri, Greenhouse, or Workday.
Filename and packet
Use a clear filename. Merge certificates only if asked. Do not attach ID scans “to be helpful.” If you merge, open the merged file and check that the resume is still page 1.
Select a bullet and copy it into a plain note. If the paste is clean, the text layer is real. Search the PDF for “lorem”, “sample”, and the placeholder company.