How we test resume PDFs for ATS readability

We assess the technical readability of an exported resume: is every section extractable, in the right order, with the standard headings screening software looks for? Tables, columns, headers and text boxes are the usual failure points.

We generate resumes from the same templates you can use, fill them with realistic US sample content (job titles, dates, degrees, certifications) and export them exactly as you would, as a PDF.

Contact block, summary, work experience with dates, education and skills. If a field is missing, reordered or merged with another line, the layout loses a point.

US recruiters search by keyword and many systems rank by match. We check that terms from a sample posting – job title, tools, certifications – survive the export unchanged.

We verify that $, %, – and accented characters in names survive extraction, so nothing is mangled before a recruiter reads it.

It cannot predict an interview and it does not judge your content. It only says whether the document you send can be read reliably by the software in front of it.