Episode 6 of 10Write it35 min

Check every claim before you send

Have the AI list every factual claim in your resume and cover letter in one table, then check each row yourself against your own records.

You will have: A resume and cover letter where every title, date, number, tool and qualification has been checked by you, plus a short list of the lines you fixed or removed.

Before you start

Your tailored resume (Episode 4) and your cover letter (Episode 5). Take out your phone number, email, home address, ID numbers and date of birth before you paste
Your notes of what you really did (Episode 2), with numbers marked exact, estimate or unknown
Your own records nearby for the checking: payslips, contracts or offer letters, certificates, old schedules or emails. Do not paste these into the chat; you only look at them
About 30 minutes when you can concentrate. This step is done by you, not by the AI

Make it yours

Change the example (operations job search (fictional)) to your own. Your answers are saved in this browser and used in every episode.

Job you are aiming forOne job title you want to apply for. Episode 1 helps you choose it.CountryWhere you want to work. Hiring and pay rules differ by country.Type of employerFor example: a hospital, a small agency, a school, a bank.

Other series keywords (2)

Your backgroundOne sentence about your work or study so far. Keep it true and short.AI chat you useChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another free chat.

Your prompt

Paste into: A normal AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini). The AI only makes the list. Do the checking yourself, with your own records, outside the chat.

I am applying for a Operations Coordinator job at a mid-sized logistics company in United States. Before I send my application, I will check every factual claim myself. Your only job is to list the claims so I can check them.

My resume (personal details removed):
[PASTE YOUR RESUME]

My cover letter:
[PASTE YOUR COVER LETTER]

My notes about what I really did:
[PASTE YOUR NOTES]

Find every factual claim in the resume and the cover letter: each job title, employer, date, number, tool, skill, qualification, licence, language level, team size and result. Include words I use to describe myself, such as "organised" or "led". Split long sentences so each row holds one claim.

Answer with one plain-text table, one numbered row per claim, with these four columns separated by |:
1. Claim (copy my exact words)
2. Where it appears (resume or cover letter, and which section)
3. What my notes say (quote my notes; if they say nothing about it, write NOT IN MY NOTES; if a number is not in my notes, write [?])
4. Proof I could show (the kind of record that could back it up, such as a certificate, a payslip, an old schedule, an email, a person who could confirm it, or "only my own explanation")

Rules:
- Do not decide whether a claim is true or false. Do not score, rate or comment on claims. I will do that myself.
- Do not rewrite, improve or remove anything in my documents.
- Do not add any claim, number, employer, date, skill or qualification that is not in my documents.
- Copy estimates exactly as written. Do not turn "about 30" into "30".
- If a line is unclear, or you cannot tell where it comes from, ask me instead of guessing.
- Leave out my contact details.

After the table, write only the number of rows and this line: Now check each row yourself.

Review the prompt, then copy it. Never paste real passwords or API keys into a chat.

How to check it worked

Dates: compare every start and end month and year with a payslip, contract, offer letter or tax record. Use the same date format everywhere
Numbers: for each one, can you say where it came from? An exact number needs a record. An estimate must say "about" or "roughly". Remove any number you cannot explain
Job titles and employers: use the title you were actually given (check a contract or payslip). Add a plain description if the title is unusual, but never change the title itself
Tools and skills: could you use this tool tomorrow if someone asked you to? If you have only seen it used, take it out or describe your real level
Qualifications, licences and language levels: check the exact name and year, and that you finished it. If you have not, write "in progress" or remove it
The interview test: for every row, ask "Could I explain this line in an interview, with a real example?" If not, change it or cut it

Sample result

Example: operations job search (fictional)

Fictional example: Maya Torres's claims list for Operations Coordinator at Northline Logistics (a made-up company). The second box shows what Maya found when she checked by hand, not what the AI said.

If something goes wrong

The AI says claims are "strong", "risky" or "true", or starts rewriting them.: Reply: "Do not judge or rewrite anything. Only list the claims in the four columns." The judging is your part of the job.
The table seems to miss claims, such as items in your Skills or Education section.: Reply: "List every item in my Skills and Education sections too, one per row." Then read your resume line by line and tick each claim off against the table.
You cannot find a record for something you really did.: That is common. If you can explain it honestly in an interview, keep it and use "about" or "helped" where that is more accurate. If you cannot explain it, remove it.

Good to know: employers check degrees and past jobs, often after an offer, and a false claim found later can cost you the offer or the job. In some countries, such as the UK, lying on a CV can even be treated as a crime. Checking each line now protects you (as of October 2026).

More in Write it

This is part of the series From no replies to interviews: a 10-step AI job search. See all 10 episodes, the tools used and answers to common questions on the series page.