What the checkers do
Three different checks look at three different things. Which one is about your history, and which one is about the resume we made.
There are three checks, and each one reads something different. Mixing them up is why people fix the wrong thing.
A quick word first: ATS stands for "applicant tracking system". It is the software many employers use to collect and sort applications before a person reads them.
1. The gap scan, on the resume you uploaded
This reads the resume you gave us and lists what the hiring software would find missing. For example: a contact detail, a bullet point with no result, or a section it cannot place.
You need to fix these yourself, because they are facts about your history. No tool can write them for you. This is where we catch a missing phone number or an achievement without a number.
2. ATS compliance, on the resume we made
This reads the file we are about to give you, in the same order the hiring software reads it.
| Check | What it is about |
|---|---|
| Name | The software takes the first strong line as your name |
| Every hiring system files your application under your email. No email, no application | |
| Reachable | A phone number or a link, so they can contact you |
| Columns | A sidebar is a second column (in Word, a table cell). The software reads one cell before the next, so your skills can end up in the middle of a job title |
| Headings | The software only knows certain section names. Under a heading it does not know, everything is lost |
| Job dates | A job without dates cannot be placed in time, so the system sees a gap |
| Employer | Every hiring system has a separate field for the employer |
| Bullets | A job with a title and no lines under it looks empty |
| Readable text | No part of the page may hold text that gets lost when the file is read |
| Hidden characters | Tabs, hidden characters and bullet symbols inside the text can break a keyword match |
Most findings here are about a choice we made when building the file, not about your history. You can usually fix them by picking a different design or country format. You do not need to change your career.
The one exception is a job with no employer. Only you know that fact.
3. Weak bullets
This reads single lines and finds the ones that say what you did but not what came of it. Here you add a number, typed by you, in your own words.
If you are stuck on the wording, that page links to example bullets for your field.
Where to find each one
| Check | Screen |
|---|---|
| Gap scan | ATS compliance, under Applications |
| The resume we made | The last read-through, before the file is made |
| Weak bullets | Fix weak bullets, under Resume |
The best order to use them
- Check what was read (under Resume), so every later step reads your real history.
- Fix weak bullets once, in your main resume, because it helps every application.
- Tailor for the job.
- Read the ATS compliance findings on the new resume.
- Do the last read-through, then download.
You find all three in the app, under the headings above. What the two scores mean is explained in Fit vs resume readiness.
Questions about this
Why does the same document pass one check and fail another?
Because each check reads something different. One reads the file you uploaded, one reads the file we made, and one reads single bullet points.
What is a blocker versus a warning?
A blocker loses content or loses your application, like a missing email or text the hiring software would drop. A warning makes your resume read less well, but it does not break anything.
A finding says the two-column layout is a problem, but I chose that design.
Then the finding is about a design we offered you. Switch the design, or keep it on purpose in a country where it is normal.
Do I need to pass everything before applying?
Fix the blockers. The warnings are up to you. A resume that reads well to a person is worth more than a perfect score on a checklist.
Fix blockers, read warnings
Blockers can make your application disappear completely. Everything else is about making the resume read better.
Open Involve Resume