ATS resume and CV checker
An applicant tracking system, or ATS, turns your resume or CV into fields a recruiter can search: name, jobs, dates, schools and skills. If the file reads badly, a strong resume can look weak. This free ATS check runs 17 plain checks, compares your resume with a job ad you paste, and measures how full the page is, all in your browser.
No sign-up to write and check, and downloads are free with a free account. Your documents stay in this browser; text goes online only when you press an AI button.
Free trial: 1 run of Resume & Cover Letter Builder every day. After that, 2 credits per run. Only the AI actions count as runs; building, checking and downloading are free.
What the checker looks at
- Contact details that read as text: an email that looks complete and a phone number
- Standard section headings such as Experience, Education and Skills
- A date on every job and qualification, in one consistent style
- Achievements with numbers, and no line repeated word for word
- Words from the job ad that your resume does not use yet
- How full the last page is, measured from the real PDF layout
- A plain one-column PDF for job sites that struggle with design
What screening software does with your file
When you apply through a careers site, the ATS extracts the text from your file and fills in a candidate record. Recruiters then search those records by job title, skill or location, and some systems sort applicants by how closely their words match the job. Parsers differ from vendor to vendor, which is why a file that reads cleanly as text, with familiar headings and clear dates, is the safest thing to send. Text inside images, a name hidden in a page header or two columns read in the wrong order can all leave gaps in the record.
Why there is no single ATS score
Each employer runs its own system with its own settings, and none of them publish how they rank people. A percentage from any outside checker, ours included, would be a guess dressed up as a measurement. So the score here counts checks you pass or fail and tells you what to change, and the job match lists the ad's words and phrases you have not used. Add one only when it is true of you; recruiters read the resume after the software does.
The fixes that usually matter most
Use the job title from the ad when it matches what you did, keep each job's dates beside its title, and write skills as words rather than bars or stars. Spell out an abbreviation once if the ad uses the long form. Save a PDF with real text, which every template here makes, or the Word file when a job site asks for .docx. If a site has failed to read your file before, upload the plain one-column PDF instead.
Writing the letter as well? Open the cover letter generator
Questions
Is this checker the same as the one employers use?
No. No outside tool can run a particular employer's system. This checker tests what those systems commonly depend on, such as readable text, standard headings and dates, and compares your words with the job ad, so you can fix the likely problems before you apply.
Do two-column resumes fail ATS checks?
Not always, but they carry more risk. Some parsers read across both columns line by line and mix the text together. If you like a two-column design, keep it for email and printed copies, and upload the plain one-column PDF to job sites.
Should I copy keywords from the job description?
Use the ad's words where they truthfully describe your work, for example its exact name for a tool or a qualification. A pasted list of keywords you cannot back up tends to fall apart at the interview, and some recruiters reject resumes that look stuffed.
PDF or Word for an applicant tracking system?
Follow the job site first. When it accepts both, a PDF with real text keeps your layout and modern systems read it well; choose Word when the site asks for it. A scanned or photographed resume has no text to read, so never upload one.
Does it work as a free CV check for UK and European jobs?
Yes. Screening software reads a CV exactly as it reads a resume, so the same checks apply. Choose your country under Country & language to see local conventions, such as A4 paper and no photo in the UK.
Does the checker use AI to review my resume?
No. The checks and the job-ad match run in your browser without AI, so they are free and instant. For an AI review against one job ad, Job match can suggest a tailored summary and rewritten lines, which uses one AI action.