Did your resume actually get read?
Your resume may be checked by an ATS before a recruiter sees it. ImproveCV checks whether your information can be read correctly, so you can fix problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
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See why they
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Find out what to fix, in under a minute.
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Resume.pdf, 2 pages, 148 KB
Reading your resume…
no score yet
Aim for 90 and higher.
A stronger resume gets more replies.
Reading every line. Checking impact, clarity, structure and consistency. Writing up what holds it back. About half a minute in all.
You're on the right track Nine things are holding you back.
- Impact and evidence –
- Clarity and concision –
- Structure and ATS parsing –
- Consistency –
Why it matters
Find out what's holding
your resume back
When you don't hear back from an application, there's no way to know what went wrong. Was the resume read correctly? Did your experience come across clearly? Was something important easy to miss? ImproveCV checks the things you can't easily see for yourself and shows you what needs attention.
Would a recruiter understand your experience?
You know your own experience, so it's easy to assume other people will understand it too. A score helps you spot where your resume is unclear, too vague, or missing information a recruiter needs.
Know what's worth fixing
Not every problem needs the same amount of attention. ImproveCV highlights the issues that matter most, so you can spend your time fixing the things that could make the biggest difference.
Applicant tracking systems
What an ATS does
with your resume
An applicant tracking system scans your resume and pulls out things like your name, job titles, experience, dates, and skills. Recruiters can then search and filter those details when reviewing applications.
The problem is that some layouts make this difficult. Your resume can look perfectly fine to you but still be read incorrectly by an ATS. Columns, text boxes, graphics, unusual headings, or information in headers can cause important details to be missed.
That means the first thing to check isn't always your wording. It's whether the information on your resume can actually be read correctly.
What gets flagged
Beyond spellcheck
A typo is rarely what holds an application back. The bigger problems are easy to miss: missing dates, unclear experience, weak evidence, or a layout an ATS can't read.
- Critical Fix these before you apply. Missing dates, unexplained gaps, or a layout that software can't read.
- Major These could be holding your application back. Vague achievements, a thin summary, or your best work hardly noticeable.
- Minor Fix these last. Typos, inconsistent dates and punctuation.
Know what actually needs fixing. You don't need another list of generic resume advice. You need to know what's wrong with your resume and what to fix first.
Reading your score
See what your
score means
Your score gives you a quick picture of what's working and where there's room to improve. It's not a judgement, and there's no perfect resume. The goal is simply to help you know what to work on next.
- Below 50 Start with the basics. Your resume may need a clearer structure, stronger descriptions of your experience, or some changes to make it easier for applicant tracking systems to read.
- 50 to 74 You're on the right track. The foundations are there, but a few changes could make a noticeable difference. This is a good place to strengthen your experience, make your achievements clearer, and improve any sections that feel too general.
- 75 to 89 A few improvements could make it stronger. Your resume is already in good shape. Focus on the specific areas highlighted in your score rather than changing everything. A few targeted changes can make your resume much stronger.
- 90 and above Now make it right for the job. You've got the fundamentals covered. Now focus on tailoring it to each job and bringing the most relevant parts of your experience forward.
New to this
A short course in what a resume is for
If you haven't written one in years, or you've simply reused the same format, these are the things that matter most.
Show why you're right for the job
Your resume is not a complete record of your career. It should make a clear case for why your experience fits the role. Keep what supports that case and cut what doesn't.
Make the right information easy to find
Recruiters move fast. Your current role, experience, and career progression should stand out straight away, without complicated formatting or unnecessary detail getting in the way.
Use numbers to prove your impact
"Significantly improved onboarding" is a claim. "Cut onboarding from 12 days to 3" gives the reader evidence. When you have a number, use it. If you don't, show the scale through team size, budget, volume, or scope.
Tailor your resume to the job
You don't need to rewrite your career for every application. Highlight the experience that matters most for that role and use the language the employer uses.
Keep the design simple and ATS-friendly
A good layout should help people understand your experience without making it harder for an ATS to read. Use real text, clear headings, consistent dates, and a simple structure.
Get these four details right
- Write a useful summary. Say who you are, what you bring, and what you want next.
- Explain significant gaps. Give the reader context instead of leaving them to guess.
- Put your most relevant skills first. Highlight the skills you actually want to be hired for.
- Lead with your strongest experience. Put your most relevant points first, where they are most likely to be read.
Things people ask
Before you upload
Your first score is free, with no account. After that a score costs 10 credits, and a free account comes with 50. You also need an account to open your resume in the editor.
Not when you score without an account. Only the text is sent (page images for a scan), we don't store it, and the result is cleared within an hour. Details are in the privacy notice.
If the file has no readable text, we read it visually, just like a person would. Your score then shows you if an ATS can read it too, which can be one of the biggest problems with a resume.
No, and nothing can. A score measures what is on the page: whether your claims carry evidence, whether the writing is tight, whether the file can be read as text, whether it holds together. It cannot measure the market, the shortlist you are up against, or how well you fit one particular role.
PDF, Word (.docx), plain text, or an image of your resume in PNG, JPG or WebP. Screenshots and phone photos of a printed resume are fine.
What to do next
Find out where you actually stand
Your first score is free, under a minute, no account needed.