Free ATS resume checker
Upload your resume and see it the way an applicant tracking system does. Get an instant parseability score — and the specific formatting fixes that keep your information from getting dropped.
Drop your resume to check it
PDF, Word, or text · up to 5 MB
Free · no signup · we don't store your file
How an ATS reads your resume
Roughly three out of four resumes pass through an applicant tracking system before a person sees them. Here's what happens to yours, and why formatting decides whether you make it through.
1. Parse
The ATS converts your file to plain text and tries to slot it into fields — name, contact, work history, skills. Multi-column layouts, tables, headers, and graphics are where information gets dropped or scrambled.
2. Match
It scans that text for the skills and keywords in the job description, and scores how closely you fit. Information it failed to parse in step one simply isn't there to match.
3. Rank
Recruiters sort and filter by that match. A resume that parses cleanly and covers the role's real requirements rises; a garbled one sinks before a human ever sees it.
What this ATS checker looks at
Five deterministic checks on the plain text an ATS extracts from your file — no black box, no invented numbers.
Contact details
Your email and phone must survive extraction. Put them in the body text — contact info hidden in a header or footer often vanishes when an ATS reads the file.
Standard sections
Clearly labeled Experience, Education, and Skills headings let an ATS file your content correctly. Clever or unlabeled section names confuse the parser.
Bullet points
Real bullet characters break achievements into scannable lines for both the ATS and the recruiter. Dense paragraphs bury what you did.
Single-column layout
Two-column designs and tables look great to you but frequently extract as run-on, out-of-order text. A single column is the safest structure for parsing.
Length
We flag a resume that's too sparse to make a case or so long it dilutes your strongest, most relevant content.
Passing the ATS shouldn't mean faking your resume
Plenty of tools "beat the ATS" by stuffing in keywords you can't back up and inventing metrics you never hit. That gets you flagged in the interview instead of the filter. This checker only judges formatting. And when you go further with a full scan, every rewrite passes an automated fabrication audit and your final resume is assembled by code — so nothing you didn't approve can enter it.
How we guarantee itThe two halves of getting read
- 1. Can a machine read it?
- That's this free checker — clean parsing, no dropped information.
- 2. Do you match the job?
- That's a full scan — keyword match and honest bullet rewrites against a specific posting.
ATS resume checker FAQ
What is an ATS (applicant tracking system)?
An applicant tracking system is software employers use to collect, parse, and rank job applications. Before a human reads your resume, the ATS converts your file to text and pulls out your contact details, work history, and skills. If your formatting confuses that step, key information can be dropped or misread — which is exactly what this checker tests for.
How does the free ATS resume checker work?
Upload your resume as a PDF, Word, or text file. We extract the exact plain text an ATS would see and run five deterministic checks — contact details, standard sections, bullet points, single-column layout, and length — then give you a parseability score with specific fixes. No account, and no AI guesswork in the score.
Is it really free? Do you store my resume?
Yes, it's completely free and needs no signup. We don't store your resume — it's analyzed during the request and discarded. Nothing is saved to an account or shared.
Does a high score guarantee an interview?
No, and we won't pretend it does. A clean parse means an ATS can read your resume — it doesn't mean you match the job. For that, run a free scan that compares your resume to a specific job description with honest keyword and bullet feedback.
What file types can I check?
PDF, Word (.docx), and plain text (.txt), up to 5 MB. For the most accurate result, upload the exact file you plan to submit to the employer.
How is this different from a keyword scanner?
Most 'ATS optimizers' just tell you to stuff in more keywords. This checker focuses on whether an ATS can parse your resume at all — the formatting failures that quietly drop your information. Keyword matching against a real job is part of our full scan, where every suggestion is verified so it never invents experience you don't have.
Clean parse? Now win the match.
Score your resume against a real job posting — with keyword gaps and honest rewrites — in under a minute.