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Resume + portfolio review

Get it redlinedbefore a hiring manager does.

Drop your resume and portfolio. We check them against 53 rules taken from the notes AEC recruiters wrote while reviewing real candidates, and mark what to fix first.

Files are read in your browser. Only their text goes to our server, and nothing is stored.

What we check

53 checks, taken from 1,527 recruiter notes

AEC recruiters wrote these notes while reviewing real candidates' resumes and portfolios, and while passing on what hiring managers said about them. We pulled out 992 separate pieces of advice and turned every one a file can show into a check. The number beside each is how many times that advice came up.

Resume · 30

  • Make sure software reads your resume the way you wrote it51
  • Use one bullet style and end bullets the same way51
  • Keep fonts and sizes consistent51
  • Send a PDF named with your name51
  • Proofread it, then run it through a grammar checker38
  • Write every date the same way29
  • Use one dash, spaced the same way, in every date range29
  • Give months, not just years29
  • Label short roles so they don't read as job-hopping25
  • Say how well you know each program, in plain terms25
  • Show Revit if the firms you want use it25
  • Name the phases you worked in19
  • Say what kinds of projects you've worked on19
  • Bring it up to date before you send it17
  • Add a list of notable projects17
  • Keep it to one page early on, two at most15
  • Match the resume to the job ad13
  • Explain gaps of six months or more11
  • Keep the summary to two or three sentences11
  • Say what you did, not what you were near9
  • Claim the years your dates add up to9
  • List roles newest first7
  • Put experience before education once you've worked7
  • At senior level, show the team, clients and business you've handled7
  • Remove blank and spill-over pages6
  • Leave off your photo and personal details6
  • Put a working portfolio link on the resume6
  • Cut what doesn't help you get this job4
  • Show the size of what you worked on3
  • Put working contact details at the top, once2

Portfolio · 21

  • Show technical drawings, not only renders84
  • Say what you did on every project68
  • Blank out confidential details before you share drawings43
  • Use one page size and orientation throughout41
  • Don't set body text in capitals41
  • Contact details once, without your home address41
  • Lead with the project types the firm does40
  • Lead with professional work; school work goes last38
  • Keep it current33
  • Include work from your current or latest job33
  • Edit it to 15–25 pages of your best projects31
  • Send a PDF, not just a link24
  • Name the software behind each project22
  • Pair drawings with a render or photo of each project20
  • Proofread every caption and heading20
  • Keep the PDF small enough to email and open fast17
  • Don't compress drawings until they blur17
  • Open with a title page and a contents page14
  • Name the phases each project went through with you6
  • Remove blank pages5
  • Label each project with type, place and year4

Both together · 2

  • Make the resume and portfolio agree9
  • Send a portfolio with the resume4

Questions

Before you upload

Are my files stored?

No. Your files are opened in your browser. Only their text and a few layout facts (page count, page sizes, which pages carry images or drawings) go to our server, and nothing is kept after the review comes back.

Who wrote these rules?

Recruiters who place architects, interior designers, technologists and engineers. We read their notes from candidate calls, resume reviews and client feedback, and kept the advice that came up again and again. Each finding says why recruiters ask for it.

Does it check spelling?

Only the slips fixed rules can be sure of: repeated words, mistyped email addresses and words that break when the PDF is read by software. Run your resume through a grammar checker too; recruiters asked for that before every application.

Does it work for engineers and builders?

Yes. The resume checks apply to everyone. Checks about phases, drawings and Revit only run when your resume reads as architecture, interiors, landscape, BIM or drafting, and the portfolio checks only run when you add a portfolio.

Does passing every check mean I'll get interviews?

No. The checks catch the things that got candidates sent back or passed over. Whether your experience fits a role is a separate question: see your top 20 matching jobs.