Free ATS checker
Check your CV the way an ATS reads it.
Add your CV as a PDF and paste the job ad. The checker looks at what applicant tracking systems need: text they can read, standard headings, contact details and the keywords in the ad.
Free, no sign-up Your file stays on your device Results in seconds
Drop your CV here
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ATS readiness
0/ 100
Every employer uses a different ATS, so no checker can promise how one will rank you. These are the checks most systems depend on.
Found in your CV
Missing
Rebuild it in an ATS-friendly template.
Smart CV has five single-column ATS templates with standard headings and a clean PDF export. Free to download.
What it checks
Eight checks. No guesswork.
Each check is a fixed rule, listed below. Nothing is sent to an AI, and the same file always gets the same score.
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Can it be read
Real text on every page, contact details at the top, a file size and page count that systems accept.
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Is it structured
Standard section headings, one column and dates in one format.
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Does it match
The skills and terms from the job ad that appear in your CV, and the ones that are missing.
The rules
- Readable text
Counts the words on each page. A page with fewer than 20 words is treated as an image or a scan; the last page only when it has no text at all. Under 50 words in total, the CV counts as unreadable.
- Contact details
Looks for an email address and a phone number in the top third of the first page. Only one of them, or both further down, is marked to review.
- Section headings
Looks for Experience, Education, Skills and Summary (or Profile) in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian or Turkish. Three of them, including Experience, pass; two are marked to review.
- Length
One or two pages pass. Three or four pages are marked to review, five or more to fix.
- File
PDF up to 5 MB. Files over 2 MB are marked to review.
- Columns
Measures where the text sits across each page and marks pages laid out in two or more columns.
- Dates
Marks a CV that mixes month formats, such as 03/2019 and Mar 2019, or has no month-and-year dates at all. Dates with a day, such as a birth date, and years on their own are not counted.
- Job-ad keywords
Takes up to 20 skills and two-word terms from the ad, leaves out common words, and looks for each one in your CV, ignoring case and accents. 70% or more passes; 50% to 69% is marked to review.
A passed check counts in full and a check to review counts half. Weights: readable text 20, keywords 20, contact details 15, headings 15, columns 10, length 10, dates 5, file 5. Without a job ad, the score comes from the other seven checks.
FAQ
Questions and answers.
Is my CV uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read by your browser on this page. It is not sent to our servers or to any AI service, and it is gone when you close the tab.
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system is the software many employers use to collect applications and search them by keyword before a person reads them.
Does a high score guarantee an interview?
No. It means common systems can read your CV and find the terms in the ad. The content of your experience still decides the rest.
Can I check a Word file?
Save it as PDF first. In Word, choose File, Save As, PDF. In Google Docs, choose File, Download, PDF Document.
How is the score calculated?
With the eight rules above. Each check has a weight; a passed check counts in full and a check to review counts half. There is no AI and no randomness, so the same file always gets the same score.
Is it a CV checker or a resume checker?
Both. In South Africa, India, the UK and much of Europe the document is usually called a CV; in the US and Canada, a resume. The checker reads it the same way, whatever you call it.
Which languages does it understand?
Section headings are recognised in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian and Turkish. The keyword match ignores case and accents, so it works for CVs and job ads in any of these languages.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit on checks. Smart CV, the iPhone app, is free to download and has an optional Pro subscription.
Get Smart CV for iPhone.
Fill in your details once, pick one of 12 templates (five ATS-friendly, seven design), and export a PDF.