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ATSPrep

Compare your resume to a job description

Upload or paste your resume, paste the job post, and see your fit out of 100, the must-haves you're missing and the 3 fixes worth the most. Free, no sign-up.

Your resume

Job description

Your resume stays in your browser

Your fit
ExampleStrong fit

5 of 7 must-haves shown in your work

Uses 60% of the post's keywords · Matched word for word · How it's worked out

Top fixes

  1. 1

    Reducing churn

    Missing · must-have

    If you've done this, add a bullet that says so in the post's words.

  2. 2

    Clear written communication with customers and internal…

    Missing · must-have

    If you've done this, add a bullet that says so in the post's words.

  3. 3

    Gainsight

    Missing · nice to have

    If you've used Gainsight, name it in a bullet that shows what you did with it.

Only add what's true. If you can't talk about it in the interview, leave it out.

Hard requirements

  • Years · Shown

    3+ years in customer success or account management at a SaaS company

    6.3 years in matching roles.

  • Degree · Shown

    Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

    Degree listed.

  • Location or right to work · Check yourself

    Must be authorized to work in the US

    A resume can't prove this. If it's true for you, say it in your header or summary.

Must-haves5 of 7

  • Reducing churnMissing

    In the post: “A track record of reducing churn and growing renewals”

  • Clear written communication with customers and internal teamsMissing

  • 3+ years in customer success or account management at a SaaS companyOn your resume

    Your resume: 6.3 years in matching roles.

  • Salesforce or HubSpotOn your resume

    Your resume, Parcelwise: “Kept HubSpot records up to date for a team of 8 account managers”

  • Growing renewalsOn your resume

    Your resume, Fieldnote (SaaS): “Grew renewals from 82% to 91% in 2024 by running quarterly business reviews with every account”

  • Running onboardingOn your resume

    Your resume, Fieldnote (SaaS): “Ran onboarding and training sessions for 30 new customers, cutting time to first use from 6 weeks to 3”

  • Training sessionsOn your resume

    Your resume, Fieldnote (SaaS): “Ran onboarding and training sessions for 30 new customers, cutting time to first use from 6 weeks to 3”

One more line can't be checked word for word, so it's left out of this count.

Nice-to-haves

  • Gainsight (Missing)
  • Spanish (Missing)
  • SQL for pulling account data (Partly there)

Together they count a quarter as much as the must-haves toward the job fit.

Jordan and Brightline are made up. Your own resume and job post give your own result.

How to compare your resume to a job description in five steps.

Updated · Scored as in our methodology

  1. 1

    Add your resume

    Drop a PDF or Word file, or paste the text. It's read in your browser and isn't uploaded.

  2. 2

    Paste the job description

    Copy the whole ad, from the job title down to the requirements, or paste a link to it. It needs at least 120 characters.

  3. 3

    Press Compare

    You get a job fit out of 100, how many of the must-haves your work shows, and the three fixes that move it most.

  4. 4

    Fix what's true

    For each gap you really have, add a bullet under the job where you did it, in the post's words. Leave out what you can't back up in an interview.

  5. 5

    Compare again, or tailor it in the Studio

    Paste the new version and compare again, or open both in the free Studio, where Job match counts as you edit and saves a PDF.

How the match is worked out. The same rules as Job match in the Studio.

The number is ours: how much of this post your resume shows, and how well. It isn't the score an employer's ATS gives you, because there isn't one shared score. Each employer sets up its own system, and recruiters mostly search and filter by the skills they need.

  1. 1

    The post is split into what it asks for

    Lines under “Requirements”, “What you'll need” or “Must have” become must-haves. “Preferred”, “Bonus” and “Nice to have” become nice-to-haves. “What you'll do” becomes the duties. Pay, perks, benefits and how to apply are left out, so “dental cover” never counts as a skill you lack.

  2. 2

    Each line is looked for in your work

    A requirement shown in a bullet under one of your jobs is met. Named only in your Skills list, it counts as partly there, for a quarter of the credit: a list says you have it, a bullet shows where you used it. When only some of the words in a line are found, it gets that share.

  3. 3

    The groups are weighed

    Must-haves carry the most weight (0.8), the duties next (0.25) and nice-to-haves least (0.2), shared among the groups the post actually has. A post with no nice-to-haves doesn't hand out free points for them.

  4. 4

    Half the fit is the requirements

    The other half is how your bullets read: 30% for evidence (lines that say how much and what changed, with recent jobs counting most) and 20% for readability (contact details, dates, bullet length, spelling). Until 60% of the requirements show in your work, those two count for less, so a polished resume for the wrong job still scores low.

  5. 5

    Caps hold the number down

    Two or more must-haves not shown in your work stop the fit at 55. A licence, registration or location the job needs and your resume doesn't show stops it at 40. Fewer than two bullets with a scale or a result stop it at 55, fewer than four at 70. The result says which cap is holding yours.

Matching here is word for word, so it never credits a skill you didn't write. In the Studio, Job match can also check meaning: a requirement you said in other words then counts, and your number can go up. The post is read once by an open AI model, to sort what it asks for from its pay, perks and process; your resume is not.

What a good match score is. Read the caps, not just the number.

There's no pass mark. A higher fit means more of what this employer asked for shows in your work. It doesn't promise an interview, and 100 isn't the goal: a resume that copies the post reads like one.

Over 70

No cap is holding it. Most of what the post asks shows in your work and your bullets show results. Tailor the last gaps and apply.

55 to 70

Close. Either one thing caps it (the line under the count says which) or several asks are only partly there. The top fixes are where the points are.

Under 55

Usually two or more must-haves aren't shown, a licence or location is missing, or few lines show a result. Fix what's true, or ask whether this job is the right one.

The word beside the number

It comes from the count of must-haves your work shows, so it reads the same however long the post is. Job match in the Studio uses the same three words.

Strong fit
Half or more of the must-haves show in your work.
Good fit
Two in five or more do.
Stretch
Fewer than two in five do.

Must-have or nice-to-have? The post's own headings decide.

Most job posts mix three lists, plus a few hard lines. They don't count the same, and the result keeps them apart.

Must-haves

What the post says you need: the lines under Requirements, Qualifications, What you'll bring or Who you are. They carry most of the fit, and the count at the top of the result is how many of them your work shows. Two or more not shown hold the fit at 55, however good the rest is.

Nice-to-haves

Preferred, Bonus, Nice to have, “is a plus”. Together they count about a quarter as much as the must-haves. Add the ones you really have, after the must-haves.

Duties

What you'd do in the job. A resume that already shows that kind of work is a fit, so the duties count a little more than the nice-to-haves. Write your bullets about the same work, in the post's words where they're accurate.

Hard requirements

Years of experience, a degree, a licence or certificate, a location or the right to work. Years are counted from the dates of your matching jobs, a degree from your Education, a licence from your Certifications, and a country from your header. A line about visas or the right to work is shown for you to answer, because a resume can't prove it.

Where to add missing keywords. Only the ones that are true.

A keyword counts most where it shows what you did. Here's where each kind goes, from the strongest place to the weakest.

  1. 1

    In a bullet, under the job where you did it

    This is where a requirement counts in full. “Ran quarterly business reviews for 40 accounts” shows the skill, the scale and the place you used it. Recruiters read bullets; a search by skill finds them too.

  2. 2

    In your summary, if it's central to the job

    Two or three of the post's main asks, in its words, at the top. A summary line counts as partly there until a bullet backs it up.

  3. 3

    In your Skills list, for tools and certificates

    Name the software and certificates the post names, spelled the same way (“Salesforce”, not “SFDC”). On its own a skills list earns a quarter of the credit, so pair the important ones with a bullet.

  4. 4

    Use their words for the same thing

    If you wrote “client support” and the post says “customer success”, and both describe what you did, use theirs. Matching here is word for word.

What not to do

  • Don't add a skill you don't have. The interview is where it's found out, and a recruiter who spots one stretch reads every other line with doubt.
  • Don't paste the job post into your resume in white or tiny text. Recruiters see it the moment the file is opened as text, and many ATSs show them exactly that.
  • Don't repeat a keyword in every bullet. One line that shows it beats five that name it.

A worked example. Jordan and a customer success job.

Jordan is an account manager applying to be a customer success manager at Brightline. Both are made up; the numbers below are the tool's real result for them, the same one the example above the fold shows.

56job fit

5 of 7 must-haves shown in your work · Strong fit

Each must-have in the example post and where it shows on the example resume
The post asks forOn the resume
Reducing churnMissing
Clear written communication with customers and internal teamsMissing
3+ years in customer success or account management at a SaaS companyOn your resume 6.3 years in matching roles.
Salesforce or HubSpotOn your resume “Kept HubSpot records up to date for a team of 8 account managers”
Growing renewalsOn your resume “Grew renewals from 82% to 91% in 2024 by running quarterly business reviews with every account”
Running onboardingOn your resume “Ran onboarding and training sessions for 30 new customers, cutting time to first use from 6 weeks to 3”
Training sessionsOn your resume “Ran onboarding and training sessions for 30 new customers, cutting time to first use from 6 weeks to 3”

Jordan's top fixes

  1. Reducing churn. If you've done this, add a bullet that says so in the post's words.
  2. Clear written communication with customers and internal teams. If you've done this, add a bullet that says so in the post's words.
  3. Gainsight. If you've used Gainsight, name it in a bullet that shows what you did with it.

Before adding anything, Jordan asks one question of each fix: did I do this? Reducing churn, yes: renewals went from 82% to 91%, so that bullet gets the post's word, “churn”. Clear written communication, yes: the help-centre guides, so that bullet says who they were written for. Gainsight, never used it, so it stays off. The fit goes up for what's true, and only that.

Match, ATS checker or keyword scanner? Three free tools, three questions.

They share one engine and answer different questions. Use the one that fits where you are.

The match, the ATS checker, the keyword scanner and Job match compared
ToolYou give itYou getUse it
Resume vs job description match (this page)Your resume and one job postA job fit out of 100, each must-have found or missing, hard requirements and the top three fixesBefore you apply to a specific job
ATS resume checkerYour resume (a job post is optional)What a parser reads from your file, notes on every bullet and a resume scoreOnce, to make sure the file itself reads cleanly
Resume keyword scannerA job post (your resume is optional)The keywords the post asks for mostWhen you're reading a post and deciding what it really wants
Job match in the StudioYour resume and the job, as you editThe same match, live as you change each line, with help writing the missing bulletsWhen you're tailoring the resume you'll send

How an ATS reads a resume, system by system: the ATS guides. How every score here is made: the methodology.

Questions about comparing a resume to a job description

ATS resume checkerFind the keywords in a job descriptionCheck your bullet pointsHow ATSPrep scores a resumeHow ATS software reads resumes

How do I compare my resume to a job description?

Upload your resume or paste its text, paste the whole job post, and press Compare. You get a job fit out of 100, the post's must-haves split into the ones your work shows and the ones it misses, the nice-to-haves, any hard requirements such as years or a degree, and the 3 fixes worth the most. It takes a few seconds.

Is it free?

Yes. Comparing is free, with no sign-up and no cap on how many posts you try. Tailoring your resume in the Studio is free too. PDF and Word downloads need a free account; the plain-text download doesn't.

Is my resume uploaded anywhere?

No. Your file is read and scored in your browser, and its text isn't sent to ATSPrep. The job post is different: its text goes once to an open AI model that sorts what the job asks for from its pay, perks and legal lines, and only which line is which gets cached, so the same post isn't read twice. If you open the result in the Studio, it sorts your resume into roles the same way, with your name and contact details taken out first.

What is a good resume match score?

Over 70 means nothing is capping it: most of what the post asks shows in your work, with results. 55 to 70 is close, usually held by one gap the line under the number names. Under 55 usually means two or more must-haves aren't shown, a required licence or location is missing, or few bullets show a result. It's a guide to what to fix, not a pass mark.

Is this the same as an ATS score?

No. There is no single ATS score: each employer sets up its own system, and recruiters search and filter applicants by the skills and requirements they need. This shows how well your resume answers one post. To see how an ATS reads your file itself, use the free ATS resume checker.

Is it the same score the Studio's Job match gives?

Yes. This page runs Job match's own count, so the same resume and post give the same number when you press Tailor. Two things can move it after that: the Studio also looks for skills you show in other words, which can only add points, and it re-reads your file's roles with AI, which can move it either way if a role was read differently here.

What's the difference between must-haves and nice-to-haves?

Must-haves are the post's requirements, the lines under “Requirements”, “What you'll need” or “Qualifications”. They carry most of the score. Nice-to-haves come from “Preferred”, “Bonus” or “Nice to have” and count about a quarter as much. The duties, what you'd do in the job, sit in between. A missing nice-to-have never caps your score; two missing must-haves do.

Why does it say a skill is missing when I have it?

It looks for the skill in your work, not only in a skills list. A skill named only in your skills section counts as listed, worth a quarter of one shown in a bullet. If you wrote “client retention” and the post says “reducing churn”, use the post's words where they're true. And if your skills are icons or a chart, write them as text.

Should I add every missing keyword?

No. Add the ones that are true, in a bullet under the job where you did them. Never claim a tool, licence or result you don't have: a recruiter or an interview will find it, and it can cost you the job after an offer. If the top fixes are things you've never done, this post may be a stretch.

How does it handle years, degrees and visa lines?

When a post states them, they show as hard requirements. Years are counted from the dates of your matching roles, and a degree from your education section. A line about work rights, sponsorship or relocation can't be proved by a resume, so it shows as check yourself: if it's true, say it in your header or summary.

Which file types can I upload?

PDF, Word (.docx and .doc), RTF, OpenDocument, plain text and Markdown, up to 12 MB. A scanned PDF that's only an image has no text to read: paste the text instead. You can also paste your resume straight into the box.

Can I paste a link to the job instead of the text?

Yes, for many job boards and company career pages: paste the link and the post's text is filled in for you. If a site blocks it, copy the post's text and paste that. Paste the whole ad, including the part that lists what they're looking for.

Does it work for jobs outside tech?

Yes. It reads each post rather than checking a fixed skills list, so it works for nursing, sales, teaching, trades and office jobs as well as software. It does best when the post spells out its requirements in a list.

How many jobs should I compare my resume to?

Every job you apply to. Each post asks for something a bit different, and the 3 fixes for one aren't the 3 for the next. Compare, tailor the gaps that are true for you, then save a version of your resume per job in the Studio so you don't start over each time.

Close the gaps in the Studio.

Job match keeps this post beside your resume as you edit, re-counts with every change, then saves a clean PDF or Word file.

Open job match

Optional: ATSPrep Pro, $9 for 7 days, $29 for 3 months or $12 a month, adds more AI, tailoring and Word downloads. See the plans