CareerKit

Free ATS Resume Checker

Paste your resume text and get an instant ATS compatibility score.

Paste plain text — no PDFs needed. Include your name, contact info, experience, skills, and education.

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What is an ATS resume checker?

An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) resume checker analyses your resume the same way the software companies use to filter applications. Over 75% of large employers use an ATS to screen resumes before a human ever sees them — if your resume is poorly formatted, missing key sections, or stuffed with images and tables, the ATS may reject it automatically.

Our free ATS checker scores your resume across six categories: structure, keyword relevance, action verbs, measurable results, formatting safety, and contact info. You get an overall compatibility score from 0 to 100, plus a category-by-category breakdown showing exactly where to improve.

How to use the ATS checker

  1. 1

    Copy your resume as plain text

    Open your resume in Word, Google Docs, or PDF, select all, and copy. Paste it into the box above — no file upload needed.

  2. 2

    Click "Check ATS Score"

    Our AI analyses six categories and returns a score in about 10 seconds.

  3. 3

    Review the breakdown

    Look at the per-category scores to see which areas drag down the total — usually keywords or measurable results.

  4. 4

    Apply the improvement tips

    Each result includes 3-5 specific, actionable tips. Edit your resume, paste it back in, and re-check until you score 80+.

Tips for a higher ATS score

  • Use a single-column layout — multi-column resumes confuse most ATS parsers.
  • Avoid headers, footers, images, and text boxes — content inside them is often skipped.
  • Match keywords from the job description, especially hard skills (e.g. "React", "SQL").
  • Start every bullet with a strong action verb: "Led", "Built", "Reduced", "Launched".
  • Quantify outcomes with numbers and percentages — "increased revenue 32%" beats "increased revenue significantly".
  • Save as a .docx or text-based .pdf — never as an image or scanned PDF.

ATS resume checker FAQs

Is this ATS checker really free?▾

Yes — 5 free checks per day, no signup required. Sign up free if you want unlimited checks plus saved history.

What ATS score is considered good?▾

Aim for 80 or higher. A score between 60–80 will get past most systems but still has improvement opportunities. Below 60, your resume is at high risk of being filtered out.

Do I need to upload a file?▾

No — paste plain text. This is intentional: most ATSs parse text, not visual formatting, so checking the text content is what actually matters.

Will the checker store my resume?▾

No. We do not store the resume text. The only thing we record is your IP address for rate limiting — never the content.

Why did my resume score low even though it looks great?▾

Visual design and ATS compatibility are different. Two-column layouts, custom fonts, and images all look polished to humans but break ATS parsing. The tool shows you which structural issues to fix.

Does this work for any country or industry?▾

Yes — the underlying ATS principles (structure, keywords, action verbs, measurable results) are universal. The checker is language-agnostic too, though it works best with English resumes.