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Free ATS Resume Checker
Get an instant ATS score, see exactly what to fix, and match your résumé to any job description — free, no sign‑up, and processed privately in your browser.
or paste your résumé below
What is an ATS, and why does it matter?
Most companies run résumés through an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a human sees them. The software parses your résumé into fields, scans for relevant keywords, and ranks candidates. A résumé that uses unusual layouts, images, or missing section headings can be misread and filtered out — even for a qualified applicant. This free ATS résumé checker tells you, in seconds, whether your résumé is machine‑readable and how to improve it.
How to pass the ATS
Use a clean, single‑column, text‑based layout; keep standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills); include your contact details, dates, and quantified achievements; and mirror the keywords from the job description. CV‑Craftor's templates are built to be ATS‑friendly, so you can pick a template and export a résumé that passes — then re‑check it here.
ATS checker FAQ
Is this ATS checker really free?
Yes — it is completely free, with no sign-up and no credit card. Your résumé is analysed entirely in your browser and never uploaded to our servers.
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software employers use to scan, parse, and rank résumés before a recruiter reads them. If your résumé is not ATS-readable, it can be filtered out automatically.
How is the ATS score calculated?
We check for machine-readable text, contact details, standard sections (experience, education, skills), dates, quantified achievements, length, and — if you paste a job description — how many of its key terms appear in your résumé.
Will it work for a PDF or Word file?
Yes. Upload a PDF or Word (.docx) résumé, or paste your text. If almost no text is found, your file is likely a scanned image, which an ATS cannot read.
What an ATS resume checker does
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software employers use to receive, store and search job applications. When you apply online, the ATS extracts text from your resume into fields such as name, job titles, dates, skills and education. Recruiters then filter and search those fields. An ATS resume checker simulates that first step: it reads your file the way a parser would, then flags anything likely to be lost or misread, along with missing sections and weak keyword coverage.
The score is a guide, not a guarantee. No single checker reproduces every commercial ATS exactly. What it reliably catches are the problems that hurt you in most systems: unreadable formatting, missing contact details, inconsistent dates and a resume that doesn't use the language of the job.
How to read your results
- Parsing issues come first. If text is missing or scrambled in the preview, fix the layout before anything else, because no keyword will help if the system can’t read it.
- Section and contact checks: make sure each standard section is detected and your email and phone are recognised.
- Keyword match: paste the job description to see which of its key terms appear in your resume. Add the missing ones only where they honestly describe your experience.
- Content quality: bullets with a measurable result and a strong verb read better to the recruiter who opens your file after the ATS.
Common reasons resumes parse badly
- Text placed inside images, icons or text boxes.
- Multi-column layouts built from complex tables, which some parsers read in the wrong order.
- Contact details only in the document header or footer.
- Unusual section titles such as "My Journey" instead of "Experience".
- Dates written in several different formats.
- Scanned PDFs, which are images of text rather than text.
After the check: tailor and re-test
Run the checker once on your general resume to fix formatting, then again for each important application with that job description pasted in. Tailoring the headline, summary, skills order and top bullets to each posting is the most effective change most job seekers can make.
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