Free tool
Match your resume to a job description
Paste a posting and your resume. See which required keywords you show, which are only claimed in a skills list, and which are missing — scored the way the app scores a tailored resume.
- Free, no sign-up
- Runs in your browser
- Synonym-aware: k8s = Kubernetes
Why placement matters
Where a keyword appears is worth as much as whether it does.
Most keyword scanners stop at "is the word on the page". This one also asks where, and how recently: full weight within 2 years, fading to 50% at 8 years.
| Where it appears | Weight |
|---|---|
| A job title you heldThe strongest signal there is. | 1.00× |
| An experience bulletShows you doing the work. | 1.00× |
| A named certificationThird-party proof. | 0.95× |
| A projectReal, if smaller in scope. | 0.80× |
| Your summaryA claim, not evidence. | 0.70× |
| A skills listEveryone has one. Anyone can type into it. | 0.55× |
| EducationCounts, but rarely what the posting means. | 0.45× |
Beyond keywords
9 checks against the job.
The match score is more than keyword coverage. A resume that stuffs every term but misses the title, the level and the years still lands in the fifties — which is the honest answer.
- Required keywords34 ptsThe terms the posting requires appear on your resume — matched through synonyms, so "k8s" counts as Kubernetes.
- Preferred keywords10 ptsThe posting’s nice-to-haves appear too.
- Keyword placement10 ptsRequired terms appear where they count. A bullet that shows you using a skill is worth 1×; the summary 0.7×; a skills list only 0.55×.
- Recency8 ptsRequired terms were true recently: full weight within 2 years, fading to 50% at 8 years and after.
- Title alignment12 ptsYour current title reads like the role you are applying for.
- Seniority8 ptsYour level matches the posting’s — a lead role asks for lead-sized scope.
- Years of experience10 ptsYour total experience, computed from your dates, meets the posting’s minimum.
- Certifications5 ptsCertifications the posting requires are listed by name.
- Location3 ptsYour location and the posting’s on-site, hybrid or remote terms are compatible.
Every check, with its weight, is on the ATS score page.
Questions
About keyword matching.
How does the keyword match work?
The posting is read line by line and every phrase is looked up in the scorer’s vocabulary of skills, tools and domains, with synonyms — "k8s" and "Kubernetes" are one term. Lines under a "Requirements" heading count as required; "Nice to have" lines count for less. Then each term is found on your resume and scored by where it appears and how recently it was true.
Why does a keyword in my skills list count for less?
Because anyone can type a word into a skills list, and recruiters know it. A bullet that shows you using the skill is evidence; a list is a claim. The scorer weighs a skills-list mention at about half of an experience bullet, which matches how a person reads the page.
Should I add every missing keyword?
Only the ones that are true. A keyword you cannot back up gets you past the filter and into an interview where you will be asked about it. If a required term is genuinely missing from your history, that is worth knowing too — it may not be the right job, or it may be a skill to mention in a cover note instead.
Does hiding keywords in white text work?
No. Most applicant tracking systems show recruiters the extracted text, where hidden words appear in plain sight next to your name. It is the fastest way to have a resume set aside.
Why didn’t it find a skill that is in the posting?
The free checker recognises about 289 skills, tools and domains from the scorer’s vocabulary, with their synonyms, plus about 156 common terms for healthcare, education, service, finance and operations roles. A requirement outside those lists will not be found. In the app, postings are read by an AI model that finds every requirement, including ones no list knows.
Read next
- Free toolResume checkerPaste your resume and get an instant score with specific fixes: weak verbs, missing numbers, bullet length, tense, filler and headings. Runs in your browser.Read
- GuideResume keywords: how to find them and where to put themHow to pull the right keywords from a job description, which ones matter, and why where a keyword appears on your resume matters as much as whether it does.Read
- ProductTailoringPaste a posting and get the smallest set of changes that fits it, each drawn from your own profile and shown as a change you accept or reject. Nothing invented.Read
Close the gaps with things you have actually done.
In the app, tailoring pulls the missing terms in from your own profile — and tells you plainly which ones nothing in your history supports.
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