How to Check if Your Resume Passes ATS (Free Method)
Learn how to check resume ATS compatibility with a step-by-step guide. Find formatting issues that break ATS systems and fix them before you apply.
You spent hours perfecting your resume. You hit “apply.” And then… nothing. No interview. No callback. Not even a rejection email.
Here’s what probably happened: an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) filtered your resume out before a human ever saw it. About 70% of resumes get rejected this way. The good news? You can check your resume’s ATS compatibility before you apply, and fix the problems that are holding you back.
What ATS Compatibility Actually Means
An ATS is software that companies use to manage job applications. It parses your resume, extracts information, and ranks candidates based on how well they match the job description.
“ATS compatible” means your resume can be:
- Parsed correctly. The system can read your contact info, work history, skills, and education without errors.
- Keyword matched. The right terms from the job description appear in your resume.
- Properly formatted. No design elements that confuse the parser.
If any of these fail, your resume might score low or get rejected entirely, even if you’re a perfect fit for the role.
Step-by-Step: How to Check Your Resume’s ATS Compatibility
Step 1: Run the Plain Text Test
Copy your entire resume and paste it into a plain text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac set to plain text). Look at the result.
What to check:
- Is all your text there? If any content disappears, it was embedded in an image or graphic that ATS can’t read.
- Is the information in the right order? If sections are scrambled, your columns or text boxes are confusing the parser.
- Are there strange characters or symbols? These formatting artifacts can break ATS parsing.
If your resume looks garbled in plain text, it will look garbled to an ATS.
Step 2: Check Your Section Headings
ATS systems look for standard section headings to categorize your information. Use these exact terms:
- Work Experience (or “Professional Experience” or “Experience”)
- Education
- Skills
- Summary (or “Professional Summary”)
- Certifications (if applicable)
Avoid creative headings like “My Journey,” “What I Bring,” or “Career Highlights.” The ATS might not recognize them, and your experience could end up miscategorized or ignored.
Step 3: Review Your File Format
Most ATS systems handle these formats best:
- .docx (Microsoft Word): Widely supported, easy to parse
- .pdf: Supported by most modern ATS, but some older systems struggle with them
Avoid .pages, .jpg, .png, or any image-based format. If the job posting specifies a format, always use that one.
Step 4: Scan for Formatting Problems
These common formatting choices break ATS parsing:
| Formatting Element | ATS Impact | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tables | Often misread or skipped entirely | Use simple text with bullet points |
| Text boxes | Content may be ignored | Remove and use normal paragraphs |
| Headers/footers | Many ATS skip these | Put contact info in the body |
| Columns | Can scramble reading order | Use single-column layout |
| Graphics/icons | Invisible to ATS | Replace with text |
| Custom fonts | May not render correctly | Stick to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman |
Step 5: Check Keyword Alignment
This is where most people lose points. Open the job description side by side with your resume and look for:
- Hard skills mentioned in the job posting (tools, technologies, certifications)
- Job title variations (the posting says “Software Engineer” but your resume says “Developer”)
- Industry-specific terms that appear in the requirements section
You don’t need to stuff every keyword in. Focus on the ones that genuinely match your experience. For a deeper walkthrough on keyword strategy, see our guide on ATS-friendly resume formatting.
Step 6: Use an ATS Scoring Tool
Manual checking catches formatting issues, but you’ll miss keyword gaps and scoring nuances. An ATS scoring tool compares your resume against a specific job description and shows you exactly where you match and where you fall short.
What a good scoring tool tells you:
- Overall match percentage
- Which keywords are present and which are missing
- Skills alignment between your resume and the job
- Specific suggestions for improvement
For a detailed breakdown of how resume scores work, check out our guide on understanding your resume score.
Free vs. Paid ATS Checking Tools
There are a lot of options out there. Here’s an honest comparison.
Our recommendation: Start with the free manual checks above to fix obvious problems. Then use a scoring tool for the keyword and skills analysis that’s nearly impossible to do well by hand.
Common Formatting Issues That Break ATS (and How to Fix Them)
Here are the problems we see most often:
1. Contact info in the header. Many resume templates put your name and contact info in the document header. Most ATS systems skip headers entirely. Move your contact info into the main body of the document.
2. Skills represented as graphics. Progress bars, star ratings, and skill-level graphics look nice to humans, but an ATS sees nothing. List your skills as plain text.
3. Two-column layouts. Two columns can scramble the reading order. An ATS might read across both columns on the same line, producing gibberish like “Project Manager Python | Led team of 12 Django.” Use a single-column layout for maximum compatibility.
4. Inconsistent date formats. Pick one format (like “Jan 2024 - Present”) and use it everywhere. Mixing “01/2024” with “January 2024” can confuse parsers.
5. Missing job titles. Some resumes lead with company names and bury the job title. ATS systems specifically look for your title. Make it prominent.
Try It Yourself
The fastest way to check your resume’s ATS compatibility is to run it through a scoring tool that compares it against a real job description. ReviseCV’s Score tool analyzes your resume in seconds and shows you exactly where you’re strong and where you’re falling short.
Upload your resume, paste a job description, and get your match score with specific improvement suggestions. No guessing required.
Quick Checklist Before You Apply
Use this as a final check before every application:
- Resume passes the plain text test (no missing content)
- Standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills)
- Single-column layout
- No images, graphics, or icons for text content
- Contact info in the document body, not the header
- File saved as .docx or .pdf
- Key terms from the job description appear naturally in your resume
- Consistent date formatting throughout
For a complete ATS formatting reference, see our ATS-friendly resume checklist.
Getting past the ATS isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about making sure your resume accurately represents your qualifications in a format that both software and humans can read. Fix the formatting, align the keywords, and let your actual experience do the talking.