CVForge / ATS resume checker
Free ATS resume checker
Paste your resume and the job ad. You get a match score, the keywords you are missing, a section check and a bullet-by-bullet strength count, calculated instantly in your browser.
How this checker scores your resume
Applicant tracking systems do two jobs: they parse your file into fields (name, titles, dates, skills), and they let recruiters search those fields. Jobscan’s research on Fortune 500 employers found nearly all of them use an ATS, so both jobs matter for almost every application.
- Keyword match (40 points) — we pull the most repeated terms and two-word phrases from the job ad, drop filler words, and check whether each appears in your resume. Plurals count.
- Standard sections (20) — contact details, summary, experience, education and skills under headings a parser recognises.
- Bullet strength (25) — the share of bullets that start with an action verb and contain a number, minus points for phrases like “responsible for”.
- Length (15) — 400–800 words scores full marks; see how long a resume should be.
Without a job ad, the three structural checks are re-weighted to 100. The score is a guide to fixing the resume, not a prediction of any one employer’s filter. If a parser has trouble with your layout, the ATS-friendly resume guide shows what it actually reads.
Questions people ask
What is an ATS resume checker?
It estimates how well your resume will survive an applicant tracking system (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS, Taleo and similar) and a recruiter searching inside it. It checks that standard sections can be found, that the words from the job ad appear in your resume, and that your bullets carry evidence.
Is my score the same as the employer’s?
No tool can see a specific employer’s settings. Most ATS platforms do not auto-reject on a score; recruiters filter and search by keywords, job titles and knock-out questions. A higher match here means your resume is more likely to show up in those searches and read well once opened.
Is the ATS checker free and private?
Yes. The score, keyword match and section checks run entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Only if you press “Get AI review” is the text sent to the AI model to write the review, and CVForge does not store it.
What is a good ATS score?
Aim for 75 or more on this checker, with most of the hard-skill keywords from the job ad matched. Do not chase 100 by pasting keywords you cannot back up; recruiters read the resume after the system surfaces it.
Can ATS read PDF resumes?
Modern systems read text-based PDFs well. Problems come from scanned or image PDFs, text inside graphics, tables and multi-column layouts that scramble reading order, and contact details hidden in the page header. If the employer asks for .docx, send .docx.
How do I tailor my resume to a job description?
Paste the job ad here, look at the missing keywords, and add the ones you genuinely have, using the employer’s exact wording in your skills section and in a bullet that proves it. Mirror the job title in your headline if it honestly describes you.