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ATS Resume Checker for Recent Graduates
Entry-level jobs and internships get the most applications per opening, so they are the most heavily filtered by applicant tracking systems. With little experience, every word on your resume has to count. Our free checker scores your resume against the actual posting, shows which of its keywords you're missing, and flags weak bullets. It runs on your own device, with no sign-up. Your resume is never uploaded.
How ATS screening works for recent graduates
An ATS doesn't care where a skill came from. A keyword from a class project, a club or a part-time job counts the same as one from a full-time role. The mistake most graduates make is describing those things in campus language. “Group project for MKT 410” matches nothing; “market research and competitive analysis for a regional coffee brand” matches a marketing posting.
With a short work history, format matters more. Resume templates with sidebars, skill bars, photos and icons are popular with students and are the ones that parse worst. One column, standard headings (Education, Experience, Projects, Skills), and education at the top for your first couple of years out.
Keywords that matter on a new graduate resume
Use the exact wording below where it’s true of you. An ATS matches words literally, not by meaning.
| Keyword | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The posting's exact job title | Put it in your summary: “Marketing graduate seeking a Marketing Coordinator role” |
| Your degree and major, written in full | “Bachelor of Science in Biology,” not only “B.S.”; recruiters search both forms |
| Internship | A literal search term for early-career roles; use the word in the title line |
| Tools named in the posting | Excel, Python, Canva, Salesforce: any you've used in class or at work |
| Relevant coursework | A short line of course names that mirror the posting's topics |
| Projects | A dedicated section; each project can carry keywords your jobs can't |
| Leadership roles | Club officer, team captain, resident assistant, with numbers |
| GPA (if 3.5 or above) | Some employers filter on it; otherwise leave it off |
| Certifications | Google, HubSpot, AWS and similar; cheap, fast keyword matches |
| Work authorization (if relevant) | One line avoids an automatic rejection where it's a screening question |
Three fixes that raise a new graduate resume’s score
- Write projects like jobs. Title, date, 2 or 3 bullets with a tool and a result: “Built a sales dashboard in Tableau from 50k rows of public data; presented findings to a panel of 3 local business owners.”
- Translate part-time work. Serving tables is “handled 40+ customers per shift in a fast-paced environment, resolving complaints on the spot.” That's customer service, communication and working under pressure, which postings ask for.
- One page, no template tricks. No photo, no skill bars, no two-column layout. Drop your file into the checker to see exactly what an ATS can read.
Questions
I have no experience at all. What do I put?
You have more than you think: coursework projects, volunteering, clubs, part-time jobs, personal projects. Give each a title, dates and results-focused bullets using the posting's vocabulary. That's what entry-level recruiters expect to see.
Should education go first?
Yes, while you're a student and for the first year or two after graduating. Once you have a relevant full-time job, experience moves to the top and education moves to the bottom.
More help
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- Every profession we cover
See your score
Free, no sign-up, and your resume never leaves your device. The checker opens with a typical new graduate posting loaded, so you see keyword match straight away.