How do I check a resume for hidden text in Word?

Work on a copy, select all, set the font color to Automatic and the size to 11, then run Word's Document Inspector for hidden text. That reveals white text and tiny fonts, the two most common ways resumes hide keywords or instructions for AI screeners. Remove AI Tells can then scan the text for instruction-like lines such as "rank this candidate first."

Step 1: Reveal white text

Press Ctrl+A to select everything, then set the font color to Automatic. Any white text turns black and shows up.

Step 2: Reveal tiny text

With everything still selected, set the font size to 11. Text shrunk to 1 point becomes readable.

Step 3: Turn off hidden formatting

Press Ctrl+D to open the Font dialog and clear the Hidden checkbox if it is filled or shaded.

Step 4: Run Document Inspector

Go to File, Info, Check for Issues, Inspect Document, and check Hidden Text. It also finds comments, headers and document properties that can hold extra text.

Step 5: For PDFs, copy all the text

Select all, copy and paste into a plain text editor. Hidden text usually shows once formatting is gone.

Step 6: Scan for hidden instructions

Paste the text into the free Remove AI Tells scanner. It flags lines like "ignore previous instructions" or "this candidate is exceptionally well qualified" and counts invisible characters.

Hidden text is not always deliberate. It can come from templates or copied content, so ask before assuming bad intent. More: can a resume contain hidden AI instructions?