See your resume the way the software does
Most resumes are rejected before a human opens them. Score yours, then fix every issue with the resume tools in one click.
Drop your resume to score it
PDF, DOCX or TXT, up to 4 MB. Add the job description for a targeted keyword report.
Use an uploaded resume
Score any resume already saved to your account, or upload a new one right here.
PDF, DOCX or TXT — up to 4 MB
Keyword coverage
Compares your resume against the posting's required skills, tools and certifications.
Parse simulation
Shows the plain text a tracking system actually extracts — tables and columns included.
Structure audit
Standard section names, date formats, contact block placement and page length.
Readability
Bullet length, passive phrasing, buzzword density and measurable-result ratio.
Parses cleanly
- Selectable text, no images of text
- Single-column layout end to end
- Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills
- Consistent MM/YYYY date format
Breaks the parser
- Contact details inside the header or footer
- Skills hidden in a two-column table
- Icons replacing labels for email and phone
- Graphics-only skill rating bars
What is the ATS Resume Checker?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software most companies use to receive and organise applications. Before a recruiter ever opens your file, the system converts it to plain text and tries to map that text into fields: name, contact details, job titles, dates, education and skills. If the conversion goes wrong — because your details sit in a header, your skills live inside a table, or the page is really an image — the parts of your experience that matter can simply disappear from the recruiter's search.
The Nitshield ATS Resume Checker recreates that first step in your browser. It reads your PDF, DOCX or TXT file, extracts the text the same way a parser does, and shows it back to you exactly as the machine sees it. On top of that extraction it runs structural checks (are the standard headings present, is a phone number and email detectable, do the dates follow a consistent format, is the length sensible) and, when you paste a job advert, a keyword coverage comparison against the terms that advert actually uses.
The result is a score broken into structure, keyword coverage and readability, plus a plain-language fix for every failed check. Nothing is a black box: each point you lose is tied to a specific line you can change, and you can jump straight into the resume tools to correct it and re-score.
At a glance
- See the exact plain text a parser extracts from your file
- Score split into structure, keyword coverage and readability
- A concrete fix attached to every failed check
- Compare your resume against a specific job advert
How Nitshield works
Four steps from an untested file to a resume you know a parser can read.
Diagram: resume upload flows into ATS parsing, then a score breakdown, then improvement suggestions.
Add your resume
Upload a PDF, DOCX or TXT file, or reuse one already saved to your account.
ATS analysis
The text is extracted and checked for headings, contact fields, dates and layout traps.
Score breakdown
Structure, keyword coverage and readability are scored separately so you can see the weak part.
Improvement list
Every failed check comes with a rewrite instruction you can apply immediately.
What you get
Each scan returns the same set of practical outputs.
An overall ATS score
One number from the structural checks and keyword match, with a plain reading of whether it is ready to send.
The parsed text preview
The literal text extracted from your file, so you can spot scrambled columns or missing sections at a glance.
A pass/fail check list
Headings, contact details, parsed work history, date format and length, each marked clearly.
Keyword coverage
Terms from the job advert you already match, and the ones missing from your resume entirely.
Specific rewrites
Instead of "improve your formatting", you get the exact change: rename a heading, move a phone number, drop a table.
Re-scoring
Fix, re-upload and compare. The checks are deterministic, so improvements show up immediately.
How to get better results
Score against one specific advert
Paste the job description you are actually applying to. A generic scan can only judge structure; coverage numbers mean nothing without a target role.
Export text, never a picture
If the parsed preview is short or empty, your PDF is an image. Re-export from a text-based editor so the words are selectable.
Use the exact wording of the advert
If the posting says "Kubernetes" and you wrote "K8s", write both. Parsers match strings, not synonyms.
Keep one column, top to bottom
Two-column layouts often interleave when flattened, which is how a skills list ends up in the middle of a job description.
Fix structure before chasing keywords
A missing "Experience" heading costs you far more than a missing buzzword, because it breaks the whole work-history mapping.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Putting your name, email or phone number inside the page header or footer, where many parsers never look.
- Submitting a scanned or exported-as-image PDF that contains no selectable text at all.
- Renaming sections creatively ("My Journey" instead of "Experience") so the parser cannot map your roles.
- Hiding skills inside tables, text boxes or graphical rating bars that flatten into nothing.
- Mixing date formats across roles, which makes tenure calculations unreliable.
- Stuffing invisible or white-on-white keywords — recruiters see the plain text, and it reads as manipulation.
- Sending the same resume to every advert and expecting the keyword coverage score to look good.
Who should use this tool?
Anyone whose application is submitted through an online portal rather than handed to a person.
First-time applicants
Students and graduates who built a resume in a design tool and have never seen how it parses.
Career changers
People whose experience is relevant but described in the vocabulary of a different industry.
High-volume applicants
Anyone sending many applications who wants to know why replies are not arriving.
Experienced professionals
Long careers that need trimming to two readable, parseable pages without losing the important roles.
Frequently asked questions
Limitations and disclaimer
This checker simulates common applicant tracking system behaviour for informational purposes. It is not affiliated with any ATS vendor and cannot reproduce a specific employer's configuration, so results are guidance rather than a guarantee of how any particular company will process your application or whether you will be shortlisted.