What the ATS check looks at
Most applications are read by software before a person sees them. Our audit checks your resume or CV the same way that software does, across six areas.
Parsing and formatting.
Whether an applicant tracking system can read your file at all. Tables, text boxes, multi-column layouts and graphics routinely come back as scrambled text or blank fields.
Structure and headings.
Standard section names, like Experience, Education, Skills, are what parsers look for. Creative alternatives like "My Journey" often go unread.
Keyword strength for your target role.
Whether your resume uses the language recruiters and search filters expect for the kind of role you want. If you want your CV scored against one specific advert, use our Job Fit tool that compares a pasted job description with your resume and shows the exact skills and terms you are missing.
Achievements versus duties.
"Responsible for managing a team" describes a job description. "Led a team of 8, cutting response time 34%" describes you. We flag where you have listed duties instead of results.
Dates and chronology.
Missing months, inconsistent formats and unexplained gaps are common reasons an otherwise strong application stalls.
Contact block and file format.
Details buried in a header or footer are frequently lost in parsing, which means a recruiter who likes your CV cannot reach you.
How It Works
Get professional resume feedback in three simple steps
1. Secure Resume Upload
Start by securely uploading your resume to our platform. We accept standard professional formats like DOCX and DOC. Your data is handled with strict privacy protocols as we prepare it for a deep architectural scan.
2. Semantic AI Audit
Our sophisticated career AI performs a multi-layered audit. It cross-references your experience against current hiring trends, checks for ATS-readiness, and evaluates the impact of your achievement statements.
3. Comprehensive Strategy
You'll receive a full report highlighting your resume's "Health Score." We break down exactly what to change, what to keep, and provide specific examples of how to reword your experience for maximum recruiter appeal.
Applying for one particular role? Run the audit first, then use Job Fit to check it against that advert.
Why strong applications never reach a human
It is worth being precise about this, because a lot of advice online is not. An applicant tracking system does not reject you. It parses, ranks and filters, then presents a shortlist to a recruiter and the recruiter does the rejecting. What that means in practice is that most "ATS failures" are really one of two things: a file the software could not read properly, or content that gave the recruiter no reason to shortlist it.
The formatting choices that break parsing are consistent and fixable: tables, text boxes, multiple columns, headers and footers, images, non-standard section headings, image-only PDFs, and unusual fonts.
The content reasons are just as consistent. No overlap between your wording and the advert's. Missing dates. Duties where results should be. A job title phrased differently from the one being advertised. A summary so generic it would suit any applicant.
Here is the difference a single edit makes. Let's say the advert asks for "experience managing stakeholder relationships and reducing escalations."
Weak: "Responsible for dealing with customers and handling complaints."
Strong: "Managed relationships with 12 enterprise stakeholders and reduced escalations by 41% over two quarters."
Same job. The second version matches the advert's language and gives a recruiter a number to remember. If parsing issues are part of your problem too, our Resume Builder can get you onto an ATS-safe template in minutes.
Further reading: why 73% of resumes fail AI and ATS screening, how recruiters spot a good resume in seconds, and common resume mistakes that cost you the job.
Resume or CV? What changes by country
The document you need depends on where you are applying. Our checker handles both resume and CV but knowing the local convention matters particularly as norms shift and vary by country and sector.
| United States and Canada. | It is a resume: one to two pages, no photo, and no date of birth, nationality or marital status. US Letter page size rather than A4. In American usage a CV means something different, a long academic document, so send a resume unless you are applying in academia (Princeton University CV vs resume guide). |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom and Ireland. | It is a CV: a maximum of two pages of A4, no photo, and no age, date of birth, marital status or nationality. The National Careers Service advises leaving all of those out (National Careers Service). British spelling, day-first dates, and a short personal statement at the top. |
| Continental Europe. | A CV, and conventions vary by country. The Europass format used across the EU includes a photo and personal details such as date of birth, and Europass itself advises adding a professional photograph (Europass); the opposite of UK and US practice. |
| The Gulf and parts of Asia. | A professional passport-style photo is generally expected, along with nationality, date of birth and visa or residency status, since sponsorship requirements differ by nationality. |
| Australia and New Zealand. | "CV" and "resume" are used interchangeably, and slightly longer documents are more acceptable than in the US. |
| Academic CVs anywhere. | A different document entirely. There is no page limit, and publications, funding, teaching and conference presentations all belong in it (Oxford University Careers Service). |
Checklist before you apply
- Saved as a text-based PDF or DOCX, best practice to avoid an image or a scan
- Standard section headings: Experience, Education, Skills
- Single-column layout, no tables or text boxes; double column also works for some professions
- Contact details in the body, not in a header or footer per best practice
- Wording that mirrors the advert's key terms aka keywords, also use niche jargon sparingly
- Every role carrying a measurable result, not just duties
- Consistent month-and-year dates with gaps explained
- Correct length and page size for the country
- Filename that includes your name and the word CV or Resume
- Proofread once on screen and once printed
Frequently asked questions
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