ATS Resume Scanners Compared (2026) — What Matters vs What Doesn’t
Resume scanners love giving scores. Recruiters don’t hire scores. What gets callbacks is boring (in a good way): clean parsing, clear titles, and bullets that show outcomes. This guide helps you use scanners as a diagnostic tool—without turning your resume into a keyword dump.
Why Scores Became a Distraction
Scores feel productive because they turn a messy problem into a number. The downside: some tools reward keyword density and punish perfectly readable resumes. Use the score as a signal, then look at the real issues underneath: structure, sections, and proof.
What a Useful Scan Checks (and What’s Noise)
- Parsing sanity: can it extract your name, email, titles, dates, and sections correctly?
- Readability: clear headings, consistent dates, simple layout.
- Proof strength: bullets show outcomes (%, time saved, revenue, quality) and constraints.
- Formatting risks: flags tables, columns, text boxes, icons, scanned PDFs.
- Noise to ignore: “color grades”, emoji penalties, and random font scores.
Proof Beats Perfection
A resume that says “Improved onboarding” is easy to ignore. A resume that says “Cut onboarding time from 12 days to 7 by rewriting checklists and automating account setup” gets read.
FAQ
- What should an ATS scan actually check?
- Parsing, readability, and proof. If parsing is broken, keywords won’t save you.
- What score should I aim for?
- Use ~70% as a sanity line. Beyond that, the biggest gains come from clearer bullets and better proof.
- Should I tailor for every role?
- Tailor lightly: update the headline, skills group, and 2–3 bullets to mirror the role language—only if it’s true.
- Is a fancy template a red flag?
- For applications, often yes. Keep ATS resumes simple. Use a designed version for networking or portfolios.
Run ATS Resume Scan → Check ATS Compatibility