ATS CV checker

What is an ATS, and why does it matter?

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that companies use to receive, store and sort applications. When you upload a CV, the ATS converts it to plain text, tries to recognise your name, contact details, jobs, dates, education and skills, then lets recruiters search and filter. If the conversion goes wrong, your information lands in the wrong field or is lost, and a strong candidate can look weak on screen.

The ATS norms this tool checks

• Extractable text. The file must contain real text, not a photo or a scan. Test: can you select and copy words in your PDF?
• A single reading column. Sidebars, two-column layouts, tables and text boxes are read in an unpredictable order by many systems.
• Standard section titles. “Work experience”, “Education”, “Skills”, “Languages”. Creative titles such as “My journey” are not recognised.
• Contact details in the body. Many ATS skip headers and footers. Put name, email and phone at the top of the page body.
• Clear, consistent dates. One format (03/2021 – 08/2023), reverse-chronological order, gaps explained.
• Plain bullets and standard fonts. Avoid icons, emoji, skill gauges and decorative fonts.
• Keywords from the posting. Recruiters search by terms. Mirror the vocabulary of the job (tools, skills, job title) where it is true.
• Measurable achievements. Verbs of action and figures prove impact and also feed keyword searches.

What the score means (and does not mean)

There is no universal ATS standard: Workday, Taleo, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters and local systems each parse a little differently. Our score therefore measures what is common to all of them: technical readability, structure and content. A high score does not guarantee an interview, and a lower score does not mean rejection: many companies, especially smaller ones and those in Africa, still read CVs by hand. Use the score to remove avoidable risks, then focus on the quality of your experience.

Frequently asked questions

Is my CV uploaded to your servers?

No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser; the file never leaves your device.

Should I always use a single-column template?

For online applications through a company portal, yes: it is the safest choice. For a CV handed over in person or sent directly to a person, a designed layout is fine.

PDF or Word?

Both are accepted by modern systems. Use the format the posting asks for; if it does not say, a text PDF keeps your layout intact, while DOCX is the most universal for older systems.

Can I put keywords in white text to cheat the ATS?

No. Modern systems detect it, recruiters see it when they open the file, and it can get you blacklisted.