Resume review — free, both ways

Find out what's actually wrong with it.

An instant automated check that never uploads your file, and a real human read if you want a second opinion. Both free. No account, no card, no catch.

Free

Option one — instant

Automated review, in about a minute

Scores your resume out of 100 across five categories and gives you a prioritised list of fixes — including the conventions from CVs outside the US that quietly get international applicants filtered out.

  • Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
  • PDF, DOCX, or just paste the text
  • No sign-up, no email, no results held hostage
Start the instant check
Free

Option two — human

A person reads it and writes back

Send it over and someone reads the whole thing properly — the wording, the ordering, whether your experience is landing for the roles you're actually targeting. You'll get written feedback by email.

  • Written notes, not a template
  • Tell us the roles you want — the feedback follows them
  • Best-effort turnaround, usually within a week
Request a human review

Instant check

Run it now

Everything below happens on your own device. Your resume is never sent to us, never stored, and never seen by anyone. Close the tab and it's gone.

Nothing you type here leaves this page.

Processed on your device. No upload, no storage, no tracking of your content.

Human review

Have a person read it

Free, and it stays free. Tell us what you're going for and we'll write back with honest notes. Please don't include passport, visa, SEVIS or Social Security numbers in anything you send.

The more specific you are, the more useful the feedback.

PDF or Word, up to about 8 MB.

By sending this you agree we may store your submission solely to respond to you. Feedback is general opinion, offered free and best-effort — it is not professional career counselling or immigration advice, and we cannot advise on how to describe your visa status. Check that with your DSO.

The short guide

What US resumes want that yours might not do

If you learned to write a CV outside the United States, some of what you were taught is now actively working against you. None of this is about your ability — it's about a different format.

No photo, no age, no marital status, no nationality

In much of the world these are expected. In the US they are a liability for the employer — considering them creates discrimination exposure — so many recruiters are trained to set those resumes aside rather than risk it. Remove your photo, date of birth, marital status, gender, religion, nationality and any declaration statement. This is often the single highest-impact change an international applicant can make.

One page, and call it a resume — not a CV

In the US, a “CV” means a long academic document used for research and faculty roles. For jobs and internships you want a one-page resume — two only if you have substantial work history. Don't put the word “Resume” at the top either; your name goes there.

Every bullet needs a number

This is the biggest difference between a resume that gets interviews and one that doesn't. “Responsible for social media” tells a recruiter nothing. “Grew Instagram from 800 to 4,200 followers in six months” tells them everything. If you don't have exact figures, an honest estimate is fine — percentages, headcounts, hours saved, volume handled, money raised.

Start with the verb, drop the pronouns

US resumes use an implied first person. Write “Built a scheduling tool that cut coordination time by 30%”, not “I was responsible for building…”. Open every bullet with a strong verb — built, led, launched, cut, shipped, negotiated — and let the result close it.

Write for the robot before the human

Most applications pass through an applicant tracking system first. Use plain section headings it can recognise — Education, Experience, Skills — keep to a single column, avoid tables, text boxes, headers and footers, and send a PDF unless the posting asks otherwise. A beautiful two-column template that parses into nonsense costs you the role before a person ever sees it.

Explain your grades and your institution

A US recruiter may not know your university or your grading system. Write your GPA with the scale — “3.7/4.0” — or convert a percentage or degree classification. Add the city and country of your school. One clarifying line is worth more than a paragraph of explanation.

Handling work authorisation

There is no universal right answer, and it depends on the role and the employer. Many international students include one short factual line so a recruiter isn't left guessing. What matters is that whatever you write is accurate for your actual status — never overstate it. Confirm your exact wording with your DSO or your university career centre before you use it. We can review how a resume reads, but we cannot advise you on your immigration status, and neither can anyone who isn't qualified to.