When you're ready to apply · 5 min read
What does an ATS keyword checker actually check?
A keyword checker compares the words in your CV with the words in a job post. It can't see how an employer's own system is set up, or who reads next.
The short answer
An ATS keyword checker compares your CV with a job post and shows which of the post's skills, tools and phrases your CV mentions. That's useful for spotting things you've done but described differently. It can't see how a particular employer's applicant tracking system is set up, and a high score doesn't mean a person will like the CV. Use it to find missing words you can honestly add, then write for the human reader.
On this page 4 sections
Keyword checkers became popular because many employers use software to handle applications. They answer one narrow question well, and it helps to know which question that is.
What a keyword checker does
- Pulls the skills, tools and phrases out of a job post.
- Looks for the same words, and sometimes close variants, in your CV.
- Shows which ones are there and which are missing, often as a score.
What it can't see
- How this employer's system is configured, or whether it ranks by keywords at all.
- Screening questions in the application form, which often matter more than the CV.
- Whether the person reading next finds your experience convincing.
- Whether the job is still open, or was ever meant to be filled.
How to use one well
- Run the check and read the list of missing words, not the score.
- For each missing word, ask whether you've done it under another name. If you have, use the post's word.
- If you haven't, leave it out. Note it as something to learn or to talk about honestly.
- Read the finished CV out loud. If it sounds like a list of keywords, cut some.
OffLadder CV is our free Chrome extension for this step. Open a job post and it lists the post's must-haves, shows which ones your CV already mentions, and rewrites your CV for that job. It checks every change against the CV you gave it, so it never adds experience you don't have.
Questions people ask
- What is an ATS?
- An applicant tracking system is the software many employers use to collect applications, move them through stages and let recruiters search them. What it does with your CV depends on the employer and how they've set it up.
- Do ATS systems reject CVs automatically?
- Some employers set screening questions or filters that remove applications, for example on right to work or a required licence. Many simply store CVs for a recruiter to search and read. You usually can't tell which from the outside, so write for both.
- Is a higher keyword score always better?
- No. Past the point where your CV clearly names the must-haves, more keywords make it harder for a person to read. Repeating a word you can't back up also tends to come out in the interview.
- Do tables, columns and graphics break an ATS?
- Some systems read simple layouts more reliably than complex ones. A single column, standard headings and real text rather than text inside images is the safe choice when you don't know the system.
- Does OffLadder CV give a match score?
- No. OffLadder CV lists the post's must-haves and shows which ones your CV mentions, then shapes your CV for that job. You decide what the gaps mean.
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