The score, with its receipt
Every part of the number in points, so you see exactly where points went.
Free ATS Resume Checker
Upload the file you plan to send. See what the software keeps, what it may drop, and which fixes matter first.
What is an ATS resume checker?
An ATS resume checker examines how software can read your resume, organize its sections and find evidence of your skills. Guul shows the text it reads, explains its score in points and helps you decide what to fix. Its hiring-system models describe possible reading risks, not an employer’s hiring decision.
- Bring your resume
Upload the file you plan to send, or paste its text.
- See what comes through
Explore the score, the filed details and the fixes that matter.
- Make a clearer version
Review your edits, then check again to see what changed.
What you get
The form the software fills in
Every field it files from your page, and the ones it may not.
Fixes pinned to your page
Each fix points at its line, with one button that opens the editor there.
See which rules cost points and how the three parts add up. A number is useful when you can understand it.
Compare the words on your page with the fields software may fill. A model note is a reason to check the application form yourself.
Find the source line before deciding on an edit. Suggestions help you review; your career facts remain yours to confirm.
Start with answers. Choose your next step.
Free check
- The score with every part in points
- The top three fixes, pinned to your page
- The Workday form, field by field
- Your resume rebuilt, to look at
Free account
- Checks saved to your account
- A comparison with your last check
- Job ad checks, from the same daily checks
Go deeper
- Every finding for this resume
- One more hiring system of your choice
- A deeper job match
- Downloads and live checks for 30 days
The basic check is free within your daily allowance. Sign in to see the complete basic findings and save your scan. Deeper tools and downloads require a plan for this resume; access is explained when you choose them.
Software files first. People search what it filed.
Most hiring software turns your file into a candidate record. Recruiters then search those records by job title, skill, school and dates. A skill filed under the wrong heading, or a date it could not read, can keep you out of those searches. Some employers also set their own screening questions; this check cannot see those.
Read, then modelled.
We show the text read from your file. Guul’s models of six hiring systems add notes on possible reading risks.
One honest number.
How cleanly the file reads, whether sections sit where software expects them, and whether the content says what you did. It is not an employer’s score and cannot predict an interview.
Private by default.
Signed-in checks save a private report you control. Sharing is a separate action.
Three measured parts totaling 100 points
Every point in a Guul check comes from a rule you can inspect. Without a job ad, the score measures File reading (35 points), Structure (30 points), and Content (35 points). When you paste a job ad, Job match carries 40 points and the other three parts adjust to 25, 15, and 20 points so the total stays 100.
File reading · 35 points
25 points when checking against a job ad
Checks whether software can pull your text out intact: selectable text instead of scanned pictures, a reading order that holds up when columns or tables are flattened, contact details in the page body rather than a document header, and clean characters.
Structure · 30 points
15 points when checking against a job ad
Checks whether sections sit where hiring software looks for them: standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills), dates written as month and year (Mar 2021 or 03/2021), complete job and school entries, and reverse-chronological order.
Content · 35 points
20 points when checking against a job ad
Checks whether your lines carry concrete evidence: action-led bullets with measurable outcomes, enough detail per role to show what you delivered, and skills demonstrated inside your work history rather than listed only in a footer.
Job match · 40 points with a job ad
Optional · scored only when you paste a posting
Compares the skills, tools, and role terms a specific job ad asks for against the words on your page, and shows which terms are present and which are missing.
What each score band means
- 90–100 · Excellent A high combined result. Review any remaining findings and the employer’s application form before sending.
- 80–89 · Strong A strong combined result. Individual reading, structure, content or job-match findings may still need attention.
- 70–79 · Good A good combined result with room to improve. Use the individual findings to choose what to change.
- 60–69 · Fair Review the individual checks to see what lowered the total. A weaker job match or content score does not by itself mean text was lost.
- 0–59 · Needs work Several checks need attention. Read the findings to distinguish file-reading problems from content or job-match gaps.
How major hiring systems file the same resume differently
Guul models how six hiring systems could turn a resume into candidate fields. Compare the possible reading risks below. The comparisons describe Guul’s models, not tested behavior in a particular employer’s account.
Guul models possible reading risks. These are not live connections to employers’ systems, and employer settings can differ.
| Hiring system | How it files your resume | Risks Guul models | Setup to review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workday | Fills a step-by-step application form from your file before you submit. | Multi-column layouts, tables, contact lines where phone and location run together, and season dates like “Spring 2021”. | Single-column layout, standard headings, month-and-year dates, and concise bullets. |
| Greenhouse | Builds a structured candidate profile beside your original PDF for recruiters to search and read. | Multi-column skills lists that merge across columns, links embedded inside section headings, and contact details in headers. | Clean single-column flow, inline contact details in the body, and comma-separated skills. |
| Lever | Indexes roles, skills, and tenure from your file into a searchable talent record. | Long bullets, accented characters or unusual symbols. On long or image-heavy resumes, also review the filled fields yourself. | A concise text-based file, standard characters and clear section breaks. Follow the employer’s file instructions. |
| Taleo (Oracle) | Guul’s model checks how recognizable headings could map to fixed candidate fields. | Tables, non-standard section titles, shorthand dates, and repeated page headers or footers. | Standard headings (“Work Experience”, “Education”, “Skills”), one reading column, and content outside tables. |
| iCIMS | Splits your document into contact, work history, education, and skill records for recruiter filters. | Complex PDF columns, contact details placed in a Word header, and custom decorative bullet glyphs. | Word (.docx) or simple single-column PDF, body contact block, and standard round bullets. |
| SAP SuccessFactors | Guul models the reading risks of turning a document into structured candidate fields. | Sections placed out of traditional order, ambiguous date formats, and graphics or text boxes. | Traditional order (Contact, Summary, Experience, Education, Skills) and spelled-out month-and-year dates. |
Our synthetic PDF reading checks include input files, recovered text and reproduction steps. They test Guul’s file-reading process, not employer ATS tests. The Workday walkthrough is a fictional example.
Keep accurate career facts. Review suggestions, choose changes you can support and check the finished resume before applying. A keyword match is not a hiring decision.
Six formatting traps that lose details on the way in
Most lost fields come from six layout habits that look fine to a human reader but confuse software that reads line by line.
Phone and city on one unseparated line
When phone number and location sit side by side without a divider, form readers often file both into the phone box. Separate every contact item with a bullet (•), vertical bar (|), or line break.
Before: Phone + city on one line. Clearer example: Phone on its own line · city below.
Season or apostrophe dates (“Spring ’21”)
Clear start and end dates help software and people understand your experience. Write “Mar 2021 – Present” or “03/2021 – Present”, using dates that are true for you.
Before: Spring ’21 – now. Clearer example: Mar 2021 – Present.
Skills tucked under creative headings
Headings like “Toolbox”, “What I Bring”, or “Stack” can keep your skills out of the searchable skills field. Use “Skills” or “Technical Skills”.
Before: My toolbox. Clearer example: Technical Skills.
Contact details inside a document header or footer
Several enterprise systems skip Word and PDF page headers entirely to avoid repeating page numbers. Put your name, email, phone, and LinkedIn in the main body of page one.
Before: Contact details in a page header. Clearer example: Contact details in the document body.
Two-column sidebars, tables, and skill bars
Systems that read left to right across the full page width can mix a narrow sidebar into the middle of your job bullets, and graphic skill bars carry zero text meaning.
Before: Sidebars mixed with work history. Clearer example: One clear reading order.
Scanned PDFs or outlined fonts
Scanned pages and outlined letters may contain pictures rather than readable text. Export a copy with selectable text, or use Word (.docx). Review any unreadable-file warning before continuing.
Before: A picture of the words. Clearer example: Selectable text in the exported file.
Good structure. Your kind of style.
Explore three real Guul designs. Start with a layout you like, make it yours, then check the file you plan to send.
Crisp
Clean type. One clear column.
Regent
An editorial heading with fine rules.
Onyx
A bold sidebar for supporting details.
Design previews with sample content. The checker evaluates your finished file; choosing a template alone does not guarantee a score.
Explore all resume templatesQuestions
Is this what Workday will do with my file?
It is Guul’s model of possible Workday reading risks, applied to the text we read. It cannot see a particular employer’s settings, so treat its notes as reasons to review the real application form, not certain outcomes.
What does the score measure?
How cleanly software can read the file, whether sections sit where it expects them, and whether the content says what you did. Each part is shown in points.
How is the Guul ATS score calculated?
Without a job ad, the 100-point score adds up three parts: File reading (35 points), Structure (30 points), and Content (35 points). When you paste a job ad, Job match carries 40 points while File reading (25 points), Content (20 points), and Structure (15 points) make up the remaining 60 points.
Does hiring software throw resumes away on its own?
Employers can configure automatic rejection rules, for example for eligibility answers on an application form. A Guul score does not trigger those rules. Reading errors can also leave a title, skill, school or date out of a searchable field. Check the employer’s form as well as your resume.
Is a PDF or a Word (.docx) file better for hiring software?
Follow the file instructions in the job application first. PDF and Word (.docx) can both carry readable text. A text-based PDF preserves your visual layout; a simple Word file can be an alternative if the application reads your PDF poorly. Check the filled fields before submitting. Guul accepts PDF, Word (.docx), TXT and RTF files up to 10 MB.
Can hiring software read two-column resumes, tables, or skill bars?
Single-column resumes file most reliably. Several hiring systems read straight across the page from left to right, which can splice a narrow sidebar into the middle of a job description. Graphic skill bars, star ratings, and icons carry no text value and are either ignored or turned into stray characters.
Why did my phone number, location, or dates not fill in on an application form?
Contact details on one line can be merged into a single field. Seasons such as “Spring 2021” and shortened years such as “’21” can also be ambiguous. Separate contact items clearly and use full month-and-year dates. Then check the actual application form; these changes reduce ambiguity but cannot guarantee how every system files them.
What is a good ATS resume score on Guul?
On Guul’s 100-point scale, 90 to 100 is Excellent, 80 to 89 is Strong, 70 to 79 is Good, 60 to 69 is Fair, and below 60 needs work. These bands summarize the combined checks. A low job match can lower the total even when the file reads cleanly. Review the individual findings; no total guarantees that every field will reach an employer’s system.
Can I raise my score by pasting a list of keywords?
No. The Content check looks for skills backed by evidence inside your work history bullets, not a bare wall of terms. Repeating keywords or hiding text does not raise the Content score and hurts you as soon as a recruiter reads the page.
Will the check change my resume?
No. The check only reads. Changes happen in the editor, and we show you a rebuilt copy beside your file first.
What happens to my file?
We send its text to our AI provider to rebuild it and may keep a processed copy for seven days. Nothing is public unless you share it.
Do I need an account or payment to check my resume?
No account or payment card is needed for a free check. You see your 100-point score with every part in points, the top three fixes pinned to your page, the field-by-field Workday form preview, and a preview of your rebuilt resume. Signing in for free saves your report and lets you compare against a job ad.
Should I upload a file or paste my resume text?
Upload the original file to check both its text and file-reading risks. Pasted text checks the words and structure without the original page layout. Choose one input at a time; switching back to a file keeps your pasted draft in this tab.
What if my PDF is scanned or password-protected?
If Guul cannot read the file, it shows an error rather than making up a result. Export an unlocked copy with selectable text from your original document, or paste the words for a text-only check. Pasting cannot verify the original file’s layout.
Why does the score change when I add a job ad?
Adding a job ad changes what the score measures. Job match accounts for 40 points, while File reading, Structure and Content account for 25, 15 and 20. Compare checks made with the same job ad and checker version to understand an edit’s effect.
Can I compare scores from different checker versions?
Scoring rules can change between checker versions. Guul shows the version on the report and does not present a score difference as an improvement when the versions differ. Check both versions of your resume again with the same checker rules for a fair comparison.
How do I know whether my edits helped?
Check the edited resume again. Review the new findings, the text that was read and each part of the score. A predicted gain is an estimate until you check again. Use the same job ad and checker version when comparing results.
Does Guul submit my resume or connect to an employer’s ATS?
Running this checker does not submit a job application or connect to an employer’s hiring system. Guul reads your file and models possible reading risks. You still need to review the employer’s application form and submit it yourself.