A checklist to run before every application
Most application mistakes are small and avoidable: the wrong resume version, another company's name left in a cover letter, a posting you never saved. Running the same short list before each submission catches nearly all of them.
Materials
- The resume is the correct, most current version, with no spelling, grammar, or factual errors.
- All employer names, titles, dates, and metrics are accurate, and none reference another company or role.
Tailoring
- The resume and cover letter match the job description using only real, honest experience.
- No skills, credentials, or claims you cannot support have been added.
Application details
- Company name, job title, and required materials or files are all correct.
- You saved a copy of the job description and the resume version you are submitting.
- The application is logged with its source, date, and a follow-up reminder.
One-time setup
Four things, done once, make every later application faster.
- Build a master resume holding all relevant experience, skills, and accomplishments, then tailor copies from it rather than editing your only resume.
- Proofread the master and create a small number of honest, role-focused versions, for example technical, research, and general.
- Set up a dedicated AI project or chat for your job search so you stop repeating context.
- Set a follow-up routine so no application slips past the week where a check-in would help.
Where a tracker fits
The checklist only works if the last line is easy. Keeping one row per application, with the date and the follow-up you planned, is the whole job. A spreadsheet template is enough to start.
Related guides
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