Free tool · Runs in your browser
Free ATS resume checker
Score your resume from 0 to 100 for what applicant tracking systems and recruiters read, with a fix for each check. Paste or upload your resume, and add the job description if you have one, to get your score and the fix for every check that does not pass.
Private by design. The check runs on this page. Your resume and the job description are not sent to Applystead or anyone else, and nothing is saved. Only if you ask to see open jobs is the job title you type sent.
Updated
Your score
Paste your resume and select Check my resume. Your score appears here.
0/100
Fix these first
Nothing to fix. Tailor it to a job next.
Save this and tailor your résumé to every job
It waits in your Resume studio. Try Applystead free for 7 days (card required).
How to use it
- Add your resume. Paste it as plain text, or choose a .txt, .docx or .pdf file. It is read on this page and never sent anywhere.
- Add the job description. Optional: paste the posting to check which of its key terms your resume uses.
- Check your resume. Choose Check my resume to get a score out of 100, with what to fix first and a fix for every check that does not pass.
- Fix and check again. Edit your resume and check it again to see how far the score moved.
What the checker looks for
- Contact info. An email address, a phone number and a profile or portfolio link, as plain text.
- Standard headings. Experience, Education and Skills, each on its own line, so a system can tell the sections apart.
- Bullets that start with action verbs. One achievement per bullet, opening with what you did, without “responsible for”.
- Numbers. Bullets that say how many, how much or how fast, where that is true.
- Length and layout. One or two pages of words, short bullets, no “I” in bullets and no table or column layout.
- Dates. A start and end date for each role, in one format, running forward.
Learn more: how to make an ATS-friendly resume, resume action verbs, how long a resume should be and how to use resume keywords truthfully.
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software an employer uses to post jobs, collect applications and move candidates through hiring. Many employers use one behind their own career site. When you apply, the system stores your resume, and many systems also read it into fields such as your contact details, work history and education, which recruiters then review and search.
That is why a plain, well-structured resume matters. A system that cannot find your email address, job titles or dates leaves gaps a recruiter has to fill in, and a resume that never uses the posting's terms is harder to find in a search. For more on applying and getting noticed, see the job search guides.
How to make your resume ATS-friendly
- One column of real text. Keep everything a reader needs, including your name and contact details, in the body as text, not in tables, text boxes, columns, headers or images.
- Standard headings. Use plain section names such as Experience, Education and Skills.
- A common file type. Send a Word .docx or a text-based PDF unless the posting asks for something else. A scanned PDF is a picture of text, with nothing to read.
- Consistent dates. Give every role a start and an end date in one format, such as Mar 2021 – Present.
- The posting's own terms. Name the skills and tools you really have the way the posting writes them. The resume keyword checker shows which ones your resume already uses.
The full checklist, with examples, is in how to make an ATS-friendly resume and how to format a resume.
How to raise your score
- Fix the quick checks first. Missing contact details and nonstandard section headings usually take minutes to fix.
- Rework your bullets. Start each one with an action verb, cut “responsible for”, and add a number where it is true: how many, how much or how fast.
- Check length and dates. Keep to one or two pages and give every date range the same format.
- Paste the job description and check again. The keyword match shows which of the posting's terms your resume is missing. Then tailor your resume to that job with the free resume tailor.
Next: tailor your whole resume to a job
In the Resume studio, AI tailors your resume to a job description, and you keep a master resume and tailored versions. Try Applystead free for 7 days (card required).
- Auto apply sends your new matches for you, résumé attached and questions answered from your saved answers.
- Employer replies arrive in your Applystead mailbox and show next to the application they’re about.
- Full auto answers recruiters, offers times that are free on your calendar and adds the interview when one is accepted.
More free tools
- Free resume tailor: Tailor your resume to a job description with AI, 5 times a day, no account needed.
- Resume keyword checker: See which of a job posting's key terms your resume uses and which it is missing. Runs in your browser.
- Cover letter generator: Write a cover letter of about 300 words from your resume and the job, built from your own facts.
- LinkedIn headline generator: Get five LinkedIn headline options and a rewritten About section from your own text.
Frequently asked questions
Is my resume uploaded or saved?
No. The check runs in your browser with this page's own script, and a file you choose is read there too. Your resume and the job description are not sent to Applystead or anyone else, and nothing is saved. Share my score shares only the number: this page's address with your score added, for example ?score=82. If you move to another step with the bar at the top, or choose Tailor it to a job, both texts are kept in this browser tab for 30 minutes so the next tool can fill them in. If you choose to fix it in the Resume studio, the text is kept in this browser tab so your new account can bring it in.
How is the ATS score calculated?
The checker runs 17 plain checks in six groups: contact info, section headings, bullets and action verbs, quantified results, length and readability, and dates, plus job keywords when you paste a job description. A pass earns the check's full weight, an improve earns half and a fix earns nothing; the score is the share earned, out of 100.
What is a good ATS resume score?
On this checker, 80 or more is strong: your resume is easy for an applicant tracking system and a recruiter to read. 60 to 79 is good, with a few fixes that would make it clearer. Below 60, important parts such as contact details, headings or dates are missing or hard to read. Start with the checks marked Fix: each one earns no points until you fix it.
Does a high score guarantee my resume passes an ATS?
No. Each applicant tracking system reads resumes its own way and recruiters decide who moves forward. The score shows how clear and complete your resume is on the points most systems and recruiters rely on, so you can fix what is easy to fix.
Which files can I upload?
Plain text, Word .docx and PDF files with a text layer, up to 5 MB. The file is read in your browser. A scanned PDF has no text to read, so paste your resume instead.
Is the ATS resume checker free?
Yes. It is free, needs no account and has no usage limit, because all the work happens in your browser.