How to Check If My Resume Is ATS Friendly

To check if your resume is ATS friendly, you need to see it the way a computer does: as plain text without fancy formatting. The easiest way is to copy your resume into a simple text editor and read it top to bottom. If the content flows logically and no sections are jumbled or missing, your resume will likely parse correctly.

Run the Plain Text Test

Open your resume in a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. Paste your resume's content there and remove all formatting. Look for these problems:

• Text that appears in a different order than you intended, like job titles ending up next to the wrong company.
• Missing information, especially contact details or dates that were inside tables, text boxes, or headers and footers.
• Garbled characters or symbols, which often happen when you use special bullet points or icons.

If your resume reads cleanly as plain text, you have passed the most important test. If not, simplify your layout. Use a single column, standard headings like "Work Experience" and "Education," and avoid tables, images, and graphics.

Check Your Keywords Against the Job

An ATS also decides if your resume is a match by looking for keywords from the job description. Pick a job you want to apply for and list the key skills and terms it mentions. These might be things like "project management," "stakeholder engagement," or "budget forecasting." Then check your resume for those exact phrases.

You do not need to stuff your resume with every term. Instead, work the important ones naturally into your bullet points. For example, if the job asks for "cross-functional collaboration," you could write: "Led cross-functional collaboration on a new product launch." Also, spell out acronyms the first time you use them, like "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)," because the system may only recognize the full form.

Use a Free ATS Checker

Several online tools let you upload your resume and a job description to get a compatibility score. These tools simulate how an ATS reads your document and highlight missing keywords or formatting issues. Search for a free ATS resume checker or scanner, upload your resume, and paste in the job description. The tool will give you a score and a list of improvements.

1. Save your resume as a .docx or a text-based PDF file. Avoid scanned PDFs or image files.
2. Copy the full job description from the posting.
3. Upload your resume and paste the job description into the checker.
4. Review the score and the list of missing keywords or formatting problems.
5. Make the suggested changes and run the check again to see your improvement.

These free checks are a helpful starting point. They are not a guarantee that a specific company's system will accept your resume, but they catch the common mistakes that cause automatic rejections.

Once you have a clean, keyword-rich resume, keep a master version and tailor it slightly for each application. This takes a few extra minutes per job but makes a real difference in whether your application gets through. If you want help fixing your resume and making it stronger for each application, Destava's AI career manager can build and improve your resume for you.