Try “wedding”, “budget”, “etsy” or “invoice”.

Free ATS Resume Checker

Upload your resume for an instant ATS score. See the text an applicant tracking system reads, the fixes that matter most and, with a job post, the keywords you are missing.

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No sign-up. Runs in your browser.

1Your resume

or drop it here. PDF, Word (.docx) or .txt

Your resume is read right here in your browser and stays on your device.

2The job optional
0

Your ATS score appears here

Upload your resume to see how applicant tracking systems read it: parsing, contact details, section structure, content and, with a job post, keyword match.

How the ATS resume check works

The checker opens your PDF or Word file the way an applicant tracking system (ATS) does: it pulls out the text, then looks for the parts a recruiter’s software needs. Each check passes, needs a look or needs a fix, and the weighted total becomes your score out of 100.

  1. Parsing. Can the text be extracted at all, do characters come through cleanly, and does the page read in one clear order? Scanned images, icon fonts, two-column layouts, text boxes and tables are the usual problems.
  2. Contact. Email, phone, city and state, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link, placed at the top of the page rather than in a header or footer.
  3. Structure. Standard section headings (Summary, Experience, Education, Skills), a date range for each role and bullet points under each job.
  4. Content. A length of about 300 to 850 words, bullets that start with action verbs, numbers that show results, and fewer duty phrases and generic buzzwords.
  5. Keywords. Paste the job post and the checker pulls out its most repeated skills, tools and phrases, then shows which ones your resume covers and whether it uses the job title.

Open The text an ATS reads under your results to see your resume as plain text. If a line is missing or out of order there, it is likely missing or out of order in the employer’s system too.

What is an ATS?

An applicant tracking system is the software employers use to collect job applications. Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS and Taleo are common examples. When you apply, the system parses your resume into fields such as name, contact details, job titles, dates and skills, and recruiters then search and filter applicants by those fields and by keywords.

That is why an ATS-friendly resume matters: a recruiter can only find what the software was able to read. Clean text, standard headings and the job post’s own wording make your resume show up in those searches, and the person who opens it next sees a clear, well-organized page.

What is a good ATS score?

  • 85 to 100: strong. The resume reads cleanly and covers the job. Proofread it and send it.
  • 70 to 84: good, with a few fixes. Work through the fixes list from the top; the first items carry the most weight.
  • Below 70: fix first. Usually a parsing problem (an image-based PDF, columns or text boxes), a missing section or a low keyword match.

Run the check again for each job you apply to. The parsing, contact and structure results stay the same, while the keyword match changes with every job post.

How to make your resume ATS-friendly

  1. Use one column. Put everything in a single column of real text, top to bottom.
  2. Keep standard headings. Summary, Experience, Education and Skills, each on its own line.
  3. Put contact details in the body of the page. Many systems skip Word headers and footers.
  4. Choose standard fonts and plain words. Arial, Calibri, Garamond or Times New Roman, with “Phone” and “Email” written out instead of icons.
  5. Send a text-based PDF or a Word file. Export from Word, Google Docs or a resume builder, and follow the format the job portal asks for.
  6. Mirror the job post’s wording. If the post says “project management” and you have done it, write “project management”.
  7. Show results. Start each bullet with an action verb and add a number where you can.

Start from an ATS-friendly resume template

All three designs in the free resume builder are single-column pages of real text with standard headings, and they download as Word or PDF. Prefer Google Docs? Copy one of the free Google Docs resume templates, or get the ATS resume templates: six layouts for new graduates, career changers, senior, technical and healthcare roles, each tested with this checker. Then open your summary with one of these resume summary examples, and send it with a letter from the free cover letter builder.

Check your resume on your iPhone

Simple Resume & CV Builder is our free iPhone app with 12 resume templates and 8 cover letter templates. It scores each resume for ATS readiness, matches it to the job description you add and tracks every application, with everything stored on your phone.

Questions people ask

Is this ATS resume checker free?

Yes. Check as many resumes and job posts as you like, with no sign-up and no limit. The full score, every fix and the keyword match are all free.

Is my resume uploaded anywhere?

Your resume is read inside your browser, on your own device. The PDF or Word file stays on your computer or phone, and the check runs right on the page.

What is a good ATS score?

On this checker, 85 or higher means the resume is ready to send, 70 to 84 is good with a few fixes, and anything below 70 has problems worth fixing first. Every applicant tracking system works a little differently, so treat the score as a checklist rather than a guarantee.

Can an ATS read a PDF resume?

Most modern applicant tracking systems read text-based PDFs well. A PDF made from a scan or a photo is only an image, so the system finds no text at all. If a job portal asks for a Word file, send a .docx.

Can an ATS read a two-column resume?

Some can, but many read straight across the page, mixing lines from the left and right columns. A single-column layout keeps your reading order intact in every system, which is why this checker flags two-column pages.

How many keywords from the job description should my resume have?

Aim to cover about 60% or more of the job post’s key terms, using its exact wording. Only add the skills and tools you really have: recruiters read the resume after the software finds it.

Does it work for Workday, Greenhouse, Lever and iCIMS?

The checker tests what all of them depend on: text that can be extracted, standard section headings, contact details in the body of the page, clear dates and the job’s keywords. A resume that passes these reads well in any of them.