Every scan shows its calculation under the score. This page explains each part: how the job description is read, how keywords are matched, how the parts are weighted, and when the score is capped. The score estimates how well your resume covers what one specific job asks for. It is not the number an employer's system shows.
1. Reading the job description
A posting is split into its requirements, its preferred qualifications and everything else, using its headings: "Requirements", "Qualifications", "What you'll need", "Essential criteria" and similar for the first; "Preferred", "Nice to have", "Desirable" and similar for the second. A requirement line that calls something optional ("PMP preferred", "public accounting a plus") counts that part as preferred.
Benefits, pay, how-to-apply and equal-opportunity sections describe the employer rather than the job, so they are left out.
2. Finding the keywords
The keyword list combines two sources: a curated dictionary of several thousand skills, tools, certifications and qualifications across industries, and the job-specific terms the posting itself leans on, such as tools written as names or phrases it repeats. That is how a brand-new tool is recognized without a dictionary update.
- Either/or requirements count once. "Python, Go or Java", "such as Workday or BambooHR" and "Construction Management, Civil Engineering or related field" are one requirement that any of the options meets. A plain list, or one joined by "and", is not: each item is its own requirement.
- Category words earn half credit from examples. If the job asks for "NoSQL" and your resume names MongoDB, you have the experience but not the word. It counts as half, and the word stays on your list to add.
3. Matching your resume
A keyword counts as found when your resume has it exactly, in another form of the same word ("managed" for "managing"), as a common abbreviation or equivalent in either direction ("k8s" for Kubernetes, "QBRs" for quarterly business reviews, "Facebook Ads" for Meta Ads), or with all of its words present. Hyphenated terms such as "go-to-market" and "voice-of-customer" are kept whole. Typos are not forgiven, because applicant tracking systems do not forgive them either.
Anything found in other words still counts toward your score, but it is listed under Found under other wording in the missing keywords box, because some systems only search the exact term. Do keywords need to match exactly?
4. The calculation
| Part | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Required keywords | 50% | Share of the job's requirements your resume covers |
| Preferred keywords | 15% | Share of the preferred qualifications your resume covers |
| Resume quality | 15% | Bullets that start with action verbs, measurable results, standard sections, contact details |
| ATS text checks | 20% | Email, phone, standard headings, parseable dates, no symbols that parsers garble |
When a posting lists no preferred qualifications, required keywords weigh 65%. When it has no recognizable requirements section at all, every keyword counts together at 65%. Keywords carry most of the weight because that is how recruiters search. Writing quality is a small part, because applicant tracking systems do not grade style.
5. Deductions and caps
- Keyword stuffing costs up to 10 points: repeating a term far more often than the job does, or a resume made mostly of comma-separated lists.
- An unmet hard requirement caps the score at 45. Application forms often ask yes/no questions about years of experience, a degree or a certification, and a "no" can reject an application before anyone looks at keywords.
- A resume for a different job, covering under 20% of the job's main keywords, is capped between 20 and 29, so tidy formatting alone cannot lift it into a passing range.
Each deduction or cap that applies is shown in the calculation under your score.
6. Hard requirements
- Years of experience are added up from the date ranges in your work history, overlapping jobs counted once. "Jun 2019 – Feb 2022", "06/2019 – 02/2022" and "2019 – Present" are all understood; study periods under Education are not counted. A posting that asks for "3-5 years" asks for 3.
- Degrees: a higher degree meets a lower requirement, and a posting that accepts equivalent experience is not treated as a hard stop.
- Certifications named in the posting: an accepted alternative ("SHRM-CP or PHR") counts, and one in progress counts when the posting says so ("CPA or CPA candidate").
- Seniority: when the job title names a level (Senior, Lead or Principal, Director or Head, VP, Chief) and none of your job titles show it, you'll see a notice. It suggests showing the scope of your work while keeping your real titles. It does not change the score, because titles vary between companies.
7. What the numbers mean
- 75 or higher: a strong match.
- 60 to 74: competitive; our recommended minimum before you apply.
- 40 to 59: at risk; add the missing required keywords that are true for you.
- Below 40: likely filtered out; tailor the resume substantially or choose a closer role.
You will rarely see 100%. Postings list alternatives you only need one of, and words you may not have. Add only the keywords that are true for you: once you are in the 70s, your time is better spent on the rest of the application. What ATS score do you need?
Scan your resume to see the calculation for your own resume and job.