How we score a resume
Two scores, both out of 100, both built from the same published parts. The same resume against the same posting always produces the same numbers — nothing here is a mood reading.
ATS compatibility
How well automated screening software can read your resume and match it to the posting.
| Part | Points | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement coverage | 55 | Each requirement from the posting counts as matched (full), partial (60%) or missing. Must-haves carry 5× weight, preferred requirements 2×. |
| Keyword strength | 15 | Of the requirements you do cover, the share stated in the posting's own wording rather than a near-synonym a parser may not connect. |
| Standard sections | 10 | Summary, experience, skills and education present and labelled with headings a parser recognises. |
| Parse safety | 20 | Standard section headings, a single column, no tables, graphics or text boxes, real selectable text, contact details on their own lines, and one date format throughout. |
Human recruiter read
How clear and convincing the same resume feels to a person skimming it for well under a minute.
| Part | Points | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence for the must-haves | 30 | How much of what the posting calls essential is backed by a line a reader can point at. |
| Impact and numbers | 20 | Bullets that state an outcome, and how many carry a figure a reader can weigh. |
| Relevance ordering | 15 | Whether the most relevant experience sits in the top third, where a recruiter actually reads. |
| Role and seniority fit | 15 | Whether the scope and level you show match the level being hired for, and the shape of the role (individual, lead, manager). |
| Consistency | 10 | Titles, dates and employers agree across the header, the summary and the experience section. |
| Clarity and readability | 10 | Bullet length, plain wording and how quickly each line lands. |
Two parts worked out in full
Keyword strength (15 points). We take every requirement you cover at all — matched or partial — and count how many are covered in the posting’s own wording rather than a near-synonym. That share, multiplied by 15, is your points. Cover eight requirements, state six of them in the posting’s words, and you score 6 ÷ 8 × 15 = 11.3. Requirements you do not cover at all are not counted here; they are already handled by requirement coverage, so a missing skill is never charged twice.
Role and seniority fit (15 points). Two readings, each rated 0 to 4 against fixed anchors — 0 absent, 1 weak, 2 mixed, 3 strong, 4 excellent. The first is seniority: does the scope, ownership and team size you show match the level being hired for. The second is role shape: does the kind of work you show match the kind the posting describes (hands-on, lead, manager, specialist). The two ratings are averaged, divided by 4, and multiplied by 15. Both readings must point at lines already in your resume.
What comes off both scores
- Keyword repetition — 3 points off at medium risk and 8 at high risk, where risk is the share of your most-repeated meaningful word: above 2.8% of all words is medium, above 4.5% is high. It comes off both scores.
- Over-length — 3 points per page over the guide below, capped at 6, off both scores.
Page-length guide
There is no fixed page rule by years of experience. Length is judged on density: how many pages your real evidence needs at a comfortable reading size. The page count we score is the one your export actually produces, so the number in the editor, on the tailoring card and in the export check is always the same. Three pages apply only to an academic, research or clinical CV, which we detect from sections such as Publications, Grants, Teaching or Clinical Experience.
| Experience | Guide |
|---|---|
| Everyone | The shortest readable length that still carries your strongest evidence |
| A second page | Fine when real evidence fills it, not when it is repetition or padding |
| Academic, research or clinical CV | 3 pages |
What we never do
No score is improved by inventing anything. Every requirement marked as matched points to wording already in your resume or to something you confirmed yourself. A missing requirement stays missing until you tell us it is genuinely true for you.
Score your resume against a posting — the first one is free.