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What is a good ATS resume score?

Aim for 75 or higher on a resume checker, and a 60–80% match with the keywords in the posting. Then stop. There is no official ATS score, employers never see the number from a checker, and chasing 100 makes resumes worse.

First: employers don’t see this number

Applicant tracking systems don’t share a scoring standard. Some rank applicants against the posting with their own formula, and many show recruiters no score at all. A score from a resume checker, ours included, is an estimate of two things that do matter everywhere: can a machine read your resume, and does it contain the words this posting asks for? Use it to find problems, not as a grade.

How to read your score here

• 90–100: ATS-ready. Readable, well structured, and matched to the posting. Stop editing and apply.
• 75–89: strong. One or two fixes left, usually missing keywords or bullets without numbers.
• 60–74: fair. The most common first score. A focused half hour usually moves it 15 points.
• 40–59: needs work. Several basics are missing: standard headings, contact details, measurable results.
• Below 40: at risk. Often a file problem. If the score is 0, the resume is probably an image the machine can’t read at all. Test your file.

Get my score

What goes into it

Eight checks, each shown with the lines that triggered it: match with the job posting, measurable results, action verbs, standard section headings, contact details, length, clichés, and red flags such as an unreadable file. If you haven’t added a job posting, the match check is left out and the score covers the resume alone.

The fastest ways to raise it, in order

• Make it readable. One column, real text, no text boxes. Nothing else counts until this is right.
• Use ordinary headings. Experience, Education, Skills. Not “My Journey”.
• Add the posting’s missing keywords, where they’re true of you, in its exact spelling. How to do this without stuffing.
• Put a number in at least 40% of your bullets. A formula and examples.

Why you shouldn’t chase 100

A posting is a wish list, and people who meet most of it get interviews. Reaching a 100% keyword match usually means claiming skills you don’t have or packing in terms until the resume reads badly. The person who interviews you reads the same document. Past about 80% match, another hour is better spent on another application.

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