Before you apply
Remove Author & Company From a Resume Before Applying
Before you send a resume, remove the author name and company baked into its metadata — recruiters and applicant-tracking systems can see them even when your name isn't on the page the way you intended. A Word or PDF resume typically carries the real name of whoever created the file (often a previous version's owner or your full legal name), your current employer's name from your Office licence, the last-modified-by identity, local file paths like C:\Users\you\, and timestamps showing when you really wrote it. MetaDocu strips all of this in your browser — nothing uploaded — and shows a verification report so you can apply knowing your resume reveals only what you chose to share. Drop your resume in below to scan and clean it.
Scan & clean your resume
Word or PDF — processed in your browser, never uploaded.
Audit Local Metadata Risks
Drag files below to generate an offline privacy audit report.
Supported Scanners
What a resume leaks about you
- Your current employer's name (from the Office Company field) — awkward on a confidential job search.
- A previous template owner's or colleague's name as the author, if you reused a file.
- Local file paths revealing your account name and folder structure.
- Edit timestamps that contradict a 'just updated for this role' impression.
Hidden fields in a Word resume
What MetaDocu finds and removes in a .docx resume (PDF resumes carry the Info-dictionary subset).
| Hidden field | What it exposes | Risk | How MetaDocu removes it |
|---|---|---|---|
Author / Creator dc:creator · PDF /Author | The real name (or Office sign-in name) of whoever first created the file — often your full legal name. | High | Cleared from the OOXML core properties / PDF Info dictionary in browser memory; the field is emptied, not just hidden. |
Last Modified By cp:lastModifiedBy | The name of the last person to save the file — exposes internal reviewers and collaboration chains. | High | Stripped from the core properties XML so no editor identity remains. |
Company Company (app.xml) | The organization name baked in from your Office licence — reveals your employer even on a personal document. | Medium | Removed from the extended (app) properties part. |
Manager Manager (app.xml) | The manager name some templates embed — leaks your reporting line. | Medium | Cleared from the extended properties. |
Template path Template (app.xml) | An absolute file path to the template (e.g. C:\Users\<you>\…) — leaks your account name and local folder layout. | High | Path is wiped so no local filesystem clue ships with the file. |
Application & version Application/AppVersion · PDF /Producer · /Creator | The exact software and version used — a fingerprint for targeting known vulnerabilities or deanonymizing authors. | Low | Normalized/removed from app properties and the PDF Producer/Creator fields. |
Revision number cp:revision | How many times the file was saved — hints at how heavily a 'final' document was reworked. | Low | Reset in the core properties. |
Total editing time TotalTime (app.xml) | Cumulative minutes spent editing — can contradict claims about when/how long work was done. | Low | Zeroed out in the extended properties. |
Created / Modified dates dcterms:created/modified · PDF /CreationDate /ModDate | Precise creation and last-edit timestamps — builds a timeline of your activity. | Medium | Removed or reset so no editing timeline leaks. |
Title / Subject / Keywords dc:title, dc:subject, cp:keywords · PDF /Title /Subject /Keywords | Internal codenames, client names, or tags left in the properties even when not shown in the document text. | Medium | Cleared from both OOXML properties and the PDF Info dictionary. |
Revision save IDs (RSID) w:rsid in settings.xml + run-level rsids | Random per-editing-session IDs that let two documents be linked to the same author/machine across files. | Medium | RSID nodes are physically stripped from the document XML, breaking cross-file correlation. |
Tracked changes & comments w:ins/w:del, comments.xml, people.xml | Deleted text, internal review notes and commenter names that survive inside the file after 'accepting all'. | High | Comment and revision parts are removed so no hidden review history ships. |
Custom properties custom.xml | Bespoke fields added by DMS/templates (matter numbers, classifications, internal IDs). | Medium | The custom properties part is cleared. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove the author name and company from my resume before applying?
Open your resume in MetaDocu, scan it, and clear the author, last-modified-by and company fields in one click, then download the clean copy — all in your browser, with no upload. For a Word resume, MetaDocu removes these from the OOXML core and app properties (not just the visible panel); for a PDF resume it clears the Info dictionary and XMP stream. A verification report confirms the fields are empty before you send it, so a recruiter or applicant-tracking system can't read your current employer or someone else's name off the file.
Can a recruiter or ATS actually see resume metadata?
Yes. Metadata fields are part of the file, so anyone who opens the document properties — or any system that parses the file, including applicant-tracking software — can read the author, company, timestamps and editing history. It doesn't show on the printed page, which is exactly why it's easy to forget. Some recruiters do check it. Cleaning the fields before you apply removes that exposure entirely, and because MetaDocu strips them from the file structure, they can't be recovered from the copy you send.
Will cleaning metadata change how my resume looks?
No. Removing metadata only edits the hidden property fields, not your content — the text, fonts, layout, columns and any images stay exactly as designed. Your resume will look and print identically; the only difference is that the author, company, paths and timestamps are no longer embedded. MetaDocu makes that change in your browser and hands back a download that's visually identical to the original, minus the privacy risk.
Apply with a clean resume
Remove the author, company and history in your browser — nothing uploaded.