What an ATS actually does with your resume
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software most employers use to collect and sort applications. It turns your file into plain text, splits it into sections such as experience, education and skills, and lets recruiters search and filter that text. Recruiters then search for the words that matter for the role: a job title, a tool, a certification, a skill.
That creates two ways to get lost. First, the system may read your file badly: a two-column layout, a table, text boxes or a header with your contact details can scramble the order or drop information. Second, your resume may describe the right experience in different words from the posting, so a search for the posting's terms does not find you.
What this checker looks at
- Requirements from the posting. Each important term in the job description is marked as shown in your experience, only listed in your skills, or not found.
- Format and parsing. Clear section headings, a simple single-column layout, dates on every role, and contact details in the body of the page.
- Job title match. Whether your branding title mirrors the title in the posting.
- Summary. Five to six sentences, 70 to 95 words, no personal pronouns and no years of experience.
- Bullets. Action verbs, the right tense, and measurable results.
How to raise your score honestly
Start with the terms marked not found. If you have done that work, add a bullet that proves it, using the posting's own wording. If you have not, leave it out: adding keywords you cannot back up gets noticed in the interview. Then move terms that are only in your skills list into a real bullet, because recruiters trust experience more than a list.
Next, fix the format. Use standard headings (Professional Summary, Skills, Experience, Education), one column, and no tables or text boxes. Save as Word or a text-based PDF, never a scanned image.
Is the score a guarantee?
No. Every employer configures its ATS differently, and a person makes the final decision. The score is an estimate based on widely used North American resume rules. Use it to find the gaps, then fix them with true, specific wording.
Check your own resume now
Paste a job posting, upload your resume and see your estimated score, the requirements you do not show yet, and a tailored version that never invents experience. The check is free; your first tailored application is free after sign-in.
Check my resume, freeQuestions
Is the ATS resume checker free?
Yes. Uploading your resume and reading the score, format notes and keyword gaps is free. Signing in gives you your first tailored application free.
Which file types can I upload?
Word (.docx), text-based PDF and plain text. A scanned PDF is an image, so its text cannot be read.
Is my resume stored?
Your resume is read in your browser and your draft is saved only in your browser. Our server does not save it.