Free tool, no sign up
Free ATS resume checker
See exactly what an applicant tracking system reads from your resume, with a score and a plain fix for every problem it finds.
Free, no sign up. Your file is read to show the results and never stored.
How it works
The same first step every ATS takes
01
Upload your resume
A PDF or Word file. It's read in memory to show your results and isn't stored.
02
See what the system sees
The checker pulls the text out the way a tracking system's parser does, in the order it reads it.
03
Fix what it finds
Each problem comes with a plain fix. Or import the resume into Sembis and fix it there.
What it checks
The problems that stop a resume being found
Tracking systems don't reject resumes for looking plain. They lose them when the text can't be read, is read in the wrong order, or doesn't use the words and headings they search for.
- Readable text
- Scanned resumes and some design tools export words as pictures. A parser sees a blank page.
- One column layout
- Parsers read straight across the page, so two columns get mixed line by line.
- Tables (Word files)
- Many systems skip table cells or read them out of order.
- Contact details
- An email and phone number as plain text, where a recruiter's search can find them.
- Standard headings
- Experience, Education and Skills, so the system files each section correctly.
- Dates
- Start and end dates for each role, which systems use to count your years of experience.
- Length
- One page, or two for a long career. Too little text gives a search nothing to match.
- Results with numbers
- Not an ATS rule, but what a recruiter looks for once your resume is found.
Want the full picture? Read how to make an ATS friendly resume, or start from a resume example for your job.
Questions
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system is the software most companies use to receive applications. It pulls the text out of your resume, sorts it into fields such as experience and skills, and lets recruiters search and filter candidates. If it can't read your resume properly, a recruiter searching for your skills may never see you.
Is this ATS resume checker really free?
Yes. There's no sign up and no limit beyond a fair use cap to stop abuse. It uses fixed rules rather than AI, so it costs nothing to run.
Do you keep my resume?
No. The file is read in memory to produce your results and then discarded. It isn't saved, and its contents aren't logged.
My resume looks fine. Why is the score low?
What you see and what a parser reads can be very different. Two column layouts, text inside images, icons instead of words and tables all look fine on screen but come out scrambled or missing. The text panel in your results shows exactly what came out.
Does a high score guarantee an interview?
No. The score measures whether a tracking system can read your resume, not whether you're a match for the job. A readable resume is the first step: after that, your experience and how well it fits the posting matter most.
Which ATS does this simulate?
No single one. Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Taleo and others all start the same way, by extracting the text from your file. The checker does that same step and tests for the problems that trip them all up.
Build a resume that passes from the start.
Every Sembis template is one column and exports a real text PDF, so there’s nothing for a tracking system to trip on. Free to start, no card needed.