What your resume file quietly reveals
A resume is one of the most scrutinized documents you will ever send, and it carries
metadata that can undercut you. A Word or PDF resume typically includes the author name (which
may not match the name on the page if you reused a template from someone else), the
Company field inherited from the computer that created it (awkward if it names your
current employer), the creation and modification dates, and a revision count that can reveal you
rushed it the night before — or that you have been job-hunting for months.
The tracked-changes trap
If you edited your resume from a version someone else reviewed — a friend, a career coach, a previous application — it may still contain tracked changes or comments. Recruiters have opened resumes to find review comments like "remove this, it's a stretch" still embedded. Accepting changes in Word is not always enough; the revision data can persist in the file.
How to clean it
- For a PDF resume, use the PDF tool; for a Word file, use the Word tool.
- Drop the file in — the inspector shows the author, company, dates, and any tracked changes.
- Clean it with one click.
- Download and send the cleaned version.
It stays your document
Cleaning changes none of the visible content, formatting, or layout — your resume looks exactly the same. Only the hidden metadata is removed. And because it all happens in your browser, your resume is never uploaded to anyone's server.
Frequently asked questions
What metadata does my resume contain?
Typically the author name, the company name from the computer that made it, creation and modification dates, a revision count, and sometimes tracked changes or comments from earlier versions.
Can a recruiter really see who I made my resume on?
Yes. The author and company fields are readable in the document properties of a Word or PDF file. If they were inherited from a template or a work computer, they can be revealing or inaccurate.
Will cleaning change how my resume looks?
No. The visible content, fonts, formatting, and layout are unchanged. Only the hidden metadata is removed.
Does it remove tracked changes and comments?
Yes, for Word documents. The Word tool removes tracked changes, comments, and author data, so old review notes do not travel with the file.
Is my resume uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is processed entirely in your browser and never leaves your device.