1. The parseability checks that run on your file
These are deterministic rules, not opinions — the same file produces the same result every time. Each failed check names the line or section that caused it.
- Column layout — multi-column resumes are read in the wrong order, so dates and employers get attached to the wrong role.
- Contact placement — email and phone must sit as plain text in the document body, not in a header, text box, or image.
- Section headings — Professional Summary, Skills, Experience, Education. Invented headings such as 'My Journey' can be discarded entirely.
- Selectable text — a scanned or image-only PDF parses to nothing; the checker flags it instead of scoring an empty document.
- Date formats — consistent, complete dates with months, so tenure can be computed.
- Tables, icons and progress bars carrying meaning that plain text does not repeat.
- Hidden or white text, duplicated invisible keyword blocks, and non-ATS-safe Unicode characters.
2. The job-match score against one posting
Job match is contextual, so it is only calculated against a specific job description. A single number across every application would tell you nothing.
- Coverage of the requirements the posting emphasises, weighted toward your summary and first bullets — the part recruiters read.
- Skills listed but never evidenced: named in a Skills section yet absent from any accomplishment.
- The employer's own wording for skills you genuinely have, including both acronym and spelled-out form.
- Title alignment between your recent roles and the target role's language.
- Verifiable metrics — scope, volume, time saved, revenue — in place of vague adjectives.
- Career trajectory signals such as unexplained gaps and repeated lateral moves.
What you get back
A matched and missing requirement list, the specific fixes worth making, and an optional guided step that asks you for the facts behind each gap before rewriting anything.
3. What this checker will not claim
No applicant tracking system publishes a per-resume score, so nobody can promise a pass rate. There is no “100% ATS friendly” guarantee here, no invented experience, and no keyword stuffing — invisible text is detected as a defect, not a tactic. If a metric is missing, you are asked for the number rather than given a made-up one.
For the difference between the two scores in more depth, read the resume score guide.
4. Frequently asked questions
How does this ATS resume checker work?
Your file's text is extracted first, then a fixed checklist of structural rules runs against it — column layout, contact placement, section headings, date formats, hidden or non-selectable text. Separately, the content is compared against the job description you paste to produce a job-match score.
Is the ATS score an official score from Workday or Taleo?
No. ATS platforms do not publish per-resume scores. The parseability result is rule-based and reproducible; the job-match result is an estimate tied to the single posting you provide.
Which file formats can be checked?
PDF, DOCX and plain text. If a PDF contains no selectable text, it is treated as a scanned image and flagged, because most parsers would read nothing from it.
Will the checker add keywords I do not have?
No. Missing requirements are reported as gaps, and any rewrite asks you to confirm the underlying fact first. Nothing is invented on your behalf.
Run the check
Bring a resume file and the posting you are targeting. You will get the parseability checklist, the job-match report, and an ATS-safe export you can send as-is.