An ATS CV checker tests whether applicant tracking software can actually read your CV: the file's text, your contact info, section headings, dates, special characters and layout. The analysis then scores your CV out of 100 across five categories (content, format, skills, sections and impact) and tells you exactly what to fix first.
Free · No account needed · CV not stored after the scan
You get two separate results: an ATS verdict and a score out of 100. The verdict tells you whether screening software can read your CV. The score rates how strong it looks to a recruiter. A CV can be perfectly readable and still unconvincing, or the other way around, so the two are kept apart.
Score out of 100 : Content, Format, Skills, Sections, Impact
Your top 3 fixes
You upload your CV, the ATS check reads it the way screening software would, and then AI reviews it section by section. Your CV is never changed without your approval.
The check tests what screening software can read, not how good your CV is. That is what the score out of 100 is for. Every blocking issue is flagged with its fix.
Found some issues?
The CV builder moves your content into an ATS-friendly template and applies the suggestions from your analysis.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software that collects applications for a job advert, pulls out their text and stores it in a candidate profile that recruiters search and filter. Large employers, staffing agencies and many job boards use one to sort the CVs they receive for each opening.
So the recruiter does not always see your file the way you designed it. They often look at the profile the software built, then search candidates by job title, skill or years of experience. If a detail was misread, it simply does not exist for them.
That is how a CV can be screened out before a person ever opens it, not because your background is weak, but because the file could not be read. For more on how screening works and how to prepare for it, browse our CV and job search resources.
The most common mistakes come from the layout, not the content. A highly designed template can look great and still be unreadable for software that reads text left to right, top to bottom.
With two columns, the software mixes up the lines: the skill "inventory management" ends up split in two.
A scan, a photo or a PDF exported as an image contains no text. To an ATS it is a blank page, even if it looks perfect on screen.
The software often reads each line straight across the page. Side-by-side columns get blended together, and your dates end up next to the wrong job.
A phone icon next to your number is fine, but a number replaced by an icon disappears. The same goes for skill bars, which the software cannot turn into a level.
"My Journey" or "What I Bring" do not always land in the right fields. Work Experience, Education and Skills are recognised everywhere.
An ATS-friendly CV relies on a simple structure, standard headings and the exact wording of the job advert. Six rules cover most cases.
Your skills section is where most keyword matching happens, so give it its own clear block: our guide to a CV template with a skills section shows how to lay it out. Mirror the posting's wording where it fits your real experience, without pasting the job ad into your CV.
The easiest path is to start from a clean base: our CV templates already follow these six rules, so you only need to focus on the content.
The analysis helps anyone applying online, but it makes the biggest difference in four situations. For inspiration from someone in your field, browse our CV examples by job.
The analysis spots missing concrete results and helps you showcase projects, internships and part-time jobs.
AI identifies your transferable skills and the keywords of your new field that your CV should include.
It flags a CV that is too dense and suggests trimming older roles to focus on recent years.
It checks for the skills the industry expects, such as inventory management or team leadership.
Upload it to the checker: it confirms that the text can be read, your contact info is detected, your sections use standard headings, your dates are readable, no icon replaces text and no column scrambles the reading order.
Yes. The analysis is free, with no sign-up and no credit card required.
PDF, Word (.docx and .doc), images (JPG, PNG) or pasted text, up to 5 MB. A PDF exported from a word processor is still the safest choice.
It depends on the template and how you export it. A PDF with selectable text can be read, while a multi-column template or one where text is flattened into graphics often cannot. The checker tells you for your own file.
The verdict tells you whether screening software can read your CV. The score rates its quality for a recruiter across five categories: content (25 points), format (25), skills (20), sections (15) and impact (15).
No. Your CV is read only to produce your results, then CV Boost does not store it. It is never sold.
Yes. From your results, the CV builder moves your content into an ATS-friendly template and applies the suggestions from the analysis.
Will your CV make it through screening?
Free, no sign-up, PDF or Word.