Vocations · Career Resources

Check it once
before you click send.

Most applications that never get a reply are missing something easy to check: a required qualification the resume does not show, the wrong company name in the cover letter, a file called final v3. Copy the requirements from the posting, mark which ones your resume shows, and work through ten quality checks. The page scores the match and flags the fixes.

Check an applicationWhat you get

Applications

The worked example is made up: a front desk role, a warehouse shift lead and an office assistant posting. Saved on this device only.

Loading the application form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Vocations · Career ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per application: employer, role, deadline, each required qualification with whether the resume shows it, the resume file name, the cover letter length and a ten-item quality checklist. Works out the share of requirements shown and compares applications; flags requirements not shown, a working-file name, a long cover letter and a close or passed deadline.
Who it is for
Job seekers of any age: students looking for a first job, career changers, adults returning to work.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per application. Prints one application, all of them in a table or a blank checklist; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Career Resources space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Copy each required qualification from the posting.
  2. Mark whether your resume shows it.
  3. Fix what it does not, in the posting’s words.
  4. Work the ten quality checks.
  5. Send it, and set a follow-up date.

Check an application

Application quality

What a reader checks firstFitEvery requiredqualificationIn the posting’s ownwordsNear the topProofResults with numbersHow many, how often, howmuchCareNo typos, right employernameThe format they askedforA clean file nameWhat a reader checks firstFitEvery required qualificationIn the posting’s own wordsNear the topProofResults with numbersHow many, how often, how muchCareNo typos, right employer nameThe format they asked forA clean file name
Many employers use applicant tracking software that searches for the posting’s words, and a recruiter may spend under a minute on the first read. Both reward the same thing: clear fit.

Use the posting’s words

If a posting asks for insurance verification and your resume says checking coverage, a search for the posting’s words may not find you. Use the employer’s terms where they are true of you.

Following up

A short, polite message about a week after applying, to the recruiter or hiring manager if you can find them, is common and rarely hurts. Say which role, the date you applied and one line about why you fit.

Sources

  1. CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor (careeronestop.org): resumes, cover letters and applications.
  2. National Association of Colleges and Employers (naceweb.org): attributes employers look for on resumes.
  3. Society for Human Resource Management (shrm.org): applicant tracking systems.
  4. O*NET OnLine (onetonline.org): job requirements and task language for thousands of occupations.

The worked example is made up; the employers named in it are not real. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.