Resumes and applicant tracking systems
Everything on this site about resumes: a free ATS checker that scores yours against a job posting, plus short guides on format, keywords, bullet points and length for the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Almost every employer of any size runs applications through an applicant tracking system. The software rarely rejects anyone on its own. It converts your file to text, files it under headings it recognises, and lets a recruiter search. Your resume fails when the conversion goes wrong or when it uses none of the words the recruiter searches for.
Start with the checker: paste the posting and your resume and you get a score, the keywords you are missing, and the formatting problems a parser will hit. Then use the guides below to fix what it finds, one section at a time.
Tools
ATS Resume Checker
Paste your resume and the job posting. Get a 0 to 100 score, the keywords you are missing, formatting risks and the bullets to rewrite, all in your browser.
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Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces, see how many you have left for X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google titles or an SMS, and fix the case in one click.
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Word Counter
Count words and characters as you type, plus sentences, paragraphs and reading time. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.
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Paraphrasing Tool
Reword an essay, email or paragraph in your own words. Formal, simple, concise or academic, with the meaning kept intact.
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QR Code Generator
Make a free QR code for a link, Wi-Fi, LinkedIn or your resume. No account needed, and the code never expires.
Open toolGuides
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How to Write Resume Bullet Points (Formula + 10 Examples)
Action verb, what you did, measurable result, in one or two lines. That is the formula. Here it is applied to ten real-world bullets across retail, nursing, software, admin, sales and teaching, plus how to find a number when you're sure you have none.
7 min read
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How Many Words Should a Resume Be? (2026 Guide)
There is no single right number. Target ranges by experience level, what the widely quoted vendor figures actually rest on, and a worked edit that cuts a 640-word resume to 480 without losing anything a hiring manager reads.
7 min read
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AI or SI on Your Resume? What the New US Term Means
A September 2026 executive order tells federal agencies to write "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "artificial intelligence" and "AI". Here is what that changes for your resume, what it does not change, and which word to use in each situation.
6 min read
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AI and SI Skills on a Resume: What to List, What to Cut
A skills section listing six tool names proves nothing. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems look for the task you did with them and what changed. Which claims belong on the page, which to cut, and where each one goes.
5 min read
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Common questions
What is an ATS?
An applicant tracking system is the software an employer uses to receive, store and search applications. It parses your file into text, sorts it into sections, and lets recruiters filter and search. Most systems do not score or reject candidates automatically; a person still decides who gets a call.
What format should a resume be for an ATS?
One column, standard section names such as Experience and Education, no tables or text boxes, nothing important in a page header or footer, a common font, and either .docx or a text-based PDF. Anything that looks clever in a design tool is what breaks the text conversion.
How do I find the right keywords?
Take them from the posting itself: the exact job title, the tools and certifications named, and any phrase repeated more than once. Put them where they belong, in your title line, your summary and inside real bullet points, never in a hidden block or a list of terms you cannot back up.
How long should a resume be?
One page up to about ten years of experience, two pages beyond that, which usually works out between 400 and 700 words. Length matters less than whether each line earns its place.