Free ATS resume checker
Check your resume against a job description the way recruiters search for candidates in an applicant tracking system (ATS): get a keyword match score, the skills you already show and the ones that are missing. No sign-up, and your resume never leaves your browser.
How the ATS resume checker works
Recruiters find candidates in applicant tracking systems (ATS) by searching for the skills, tools and job titles a role needs, and they skim resumes for the same words. This checker reads the job description the way a recruiter would: it pulls out the specific skills and qualifications it mentions (tools like SQL or Salesforce, methods like A/B testing, certifications, licenses and the like), gives extra weight to the ones in the job title and the ones repeated most, and then looks for each of them in your resume.
Your match score is the weighted share of those keywords that your resume already contains. Everyday words and the company's own name are ignored, one-off mentions in the benefits and "about us" boilerplate count for less, and plurals and common spellings (for example "JS" and "JavaScript") count as the same skill.
How to use your results
- Close the honest gaps first. Missing keywords are often skills you have but never wrote down. Add them where they're true, inside a bullet that shows the result: "Built weekly KPI dashboards in Tableau for a 12-person sales team" beats a bare "Tableau" in a skills list.
- Use the employer's wording. If the posting says "customer onboarding" and you wrote "client setup", switch to their phrase. Spell out acronyms once: "search engine optimization (SEO)".
- Lead with what they asked for. Move the most relevant experience to the top of each role, and cut bullets that don't support this application.
- Don't stuff. Listing skills you don't have, or hiding keywords in white text, can get past software but not past a recruiter or an interview.
Want it done for you? Tailor my resume rewrites your resume and cover letter for the posting in about two minutes, for $19. For the full method, read how to tailor your resume to a job description.
Questions
What is an ATS resume checker?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software employers use to collect applications, and recruiters search it for candidates by the skills and job titles a role needs. An ATS resume checker compares your resume with a job description to show which of those keywords you already include and which are missing, so you can fix the gaps before you apply.
Does this show exactly what an employer's ATS will do?
No checker can: every employer uses different software and settings, and most systems don't score or reject resumes on their own. This one does what a recruiter does inside the ATS, which is look for the posting's keywords in your resume, and it shows you the result. How ATS software reads resumes.
Is the ATS resume checker really free?
Yes. There's no sign-up, no email and no limit. If you want your resume rewritten for the job, that's a separate paid service ($19).
Do you store or upload my resume?
No. The check runs entirely in your web browser: your resume and the job description are compared on your own device and are never sent to our servers.
How is the match score calculated?
We find the skills, tools, certifications and other keywords in the job description, weigh the ones that appear in the job title and repeat most often more heavily, and count how many of them also appear in your resume.
What is a good resume match score?
There's no official number, because every employer's system is different. As a rule of thumb, under 50% means the posting will read your resume as a weak fit; 75% or more means the skills it cares about are clearly on the page.
Should I add every missing keyword to my resume?
Only the ones that are true. Add a missing skill if you have it and simply didn't mention it, ideally inside a bullet that shows how you used it. Never add skills you don't have: recruiters check, and interviews expose it quickly.
Does a high score mean I'll pass the ATS?
Not on its own. Most applicant tracking systems don't reject resumes by score; recruiters search and filter them, and then a person reads yours. Keywords help you get found, and clear evidence of results gets you the interview. How ATS software reads resumes.