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Free ATS Resume Checker
Run your free ATS scan
Add your resume and the job you want. The scan scores one against the other.
Paste the text, or upload a PDF or Word file (uploading needs a free account).
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Paste the full posting for the role you are targeting.
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Most resumes pass through applicant tracking software before a person reads them. The software parses and ranks them, so a resume it misreads can sink to the bottom of the pile. Paste a job posting and check your resume against it: you get an ATS match score, the keywords you are missing, and the formatting an applicant tracking system cannot parse — free, in about a minute.
- An ATS match score against the job you paste
- The keywords you are missing, and the ones you already have
- First scan free, no account needed
How the ATS check works
- Step 1
Add your resume
Paste the text, or upload a PDF or Word file with a free account. Nothing to install.
- Step 2
Paste the job posting
The scan is scored against that specific job, not a generic checklist.
- Step 3
Get your ATS score
A match score, the missing keywords, and the formatting to fix — in about a minute.
What the checker looks at
An ATS does two things with your resume: it parses it into fields, then it ranks it against the posting. The scan checks both.
Keyword match
Which of the posting’s skills, tools and titles appear in your resume — and which are missing.
Parseability
Tables, columns, text boxes, headers and footers that an ATS skips or scrambles.
Section headings
Whether Experience, Education and Skills are labelled the way parsers expect.
Contact details
That your name, email and phone are extracted correctly, not lost in a graphic.
Dates and titles
Consistent date formats and job titles a system can read as a timeline.
File type
Whether the export you send (PDF or Word) keeps its text layer intact.
Why good resumes still sink in the ranking
Some two-column layouts read out of order. Skills listed in a text box may never get extracted. A job title phrased differently from the posting (“Dev” vs “Software Engineer”) misses the match. Dates in three formats break the timeline. None of these are things a hiring manager would hold against you — but a resume the parser misreads ranks lower in the recruiter’s search, so it may never be opened. The checker finds them before the ATS does, and the optimizer rewrites the resume for that posting if you want it to.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an ATS resume checker?
- An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software most employers use to receive, parse and rank applications before a recruiter reads them. An ATS resume checker runs your resume through the same kind of parsing and keyword matching, so you can see how it scores against a specific job before you apply instead of guessing why you never heard back.
- Is the ATS checker really free?
- Yes. You can run a free scan without creating an account. Free accounts include the ATS scan as part of the free plan; the paid plan adds unlimited AI rewrites, all templates and unlimited documents.
- How is the ATS match score calculated?
- The checker extracts the skills, tools, qualifications and job titles from the posting, then measures how many of them appear in your resume and how they are phrased. It also checks the parts an ATS parses first: section headings, dates, contact details and layout elements it cannot read.
- What score should I aim for?
- There is no single pass mark — every employer configures its system differently — but resumes that cover most of the posting’s required skills in the same wording consistently rank higher. Use the missing-keyword list to close the gap where it is honest to do so.
- Does the checker keep or share my resume?
- Your resume is used to run the scan and to build your documents if you sign up. It is not sold or shared. See the privacy policy for the details.
- Does an ATS reject resumes automatically?
- Mostly not. An ATS parses and ranks applications, and a recruiter decides who moves forward. The exception is knockout questions on the application form, such as work authorization or a required license, which can screen an applicant out automatically. A resume the parser misreads, or one missing the keywords the recruiter searches for, ranks low and may never be opened.
- What makes a resume ATS-friendly?
- Standard section headings, real text (not text inside images or tables), consistent dates, common fonts, keywords that mirror the job posting, and a layout that reads in order. A single column is the safest choice. Every Resumade template keeps real, selectable text and standard headings; the two-column and sidebar designs keep each column as one continuous block of text rather than interleaving lines. If you want the safest option, pick a single-column template. All export to PDF and Word with the text layer intact.
Check your resume before the ATS does
Free scan, no account. Then tailor it to the job, or keep reading the guide to beating the ATS.
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