Find the keywords your resume is missing.
Paste a job description and upload your resume. The checker extracts required skills and qualifications, then reports which ones your resume covers and which ones are absent.
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Per full optimization.
Your resume is encrypted at rest, processed only for your active request, never used as model training data, deletable on demand.
Keyword coverage moves you up the queue.
When a recruiter opens a new requisition in their ATS, the system prompts them to define screening criteria. In many cases, this includes a list of required skills the ATS uses to filter incoming applications.
Filtering is rarely simple pass/fail. Most modern ATS platforms generate a ranked list of candidates with keyword match rate as one of the ranking signals. A resume matching 9 of 12 required skills ranks above one matching 5 of 12. Recruiters review starting from the top and stop when they have enough qualified candidates to interview.
The gap between your resume and the JD directly affects your position in the queue. It's not about gaming the system. It's about making sure the relevant experience you actually have is expressed in the terms the posting uses.
What ATS systems look for.
Four buckets, each weighted differently by most ATS scoring algorithms.
Specific, measurable capabilities: programming languages, software, certifications, methodologies. "Python," "AWS," "PMP," "Agile." Easiest for ATS to match because they are unambiguous strings. If the JD says "Kubernetes" and your resume says "Kubernetes," that's a match. If your resume says "container orchestration" instead, many platforms won't connect them.
Terms like "leadership," "communication," "problem-solving." ATS can match these strings, but they carry less weight in most scoring algorithms. Reason: almost every resume claims them, so they have low discriminative value. JDs include them because they matter; ATS filtering rarely hinges on soft skills alone.
Every field has its own vocabulary. Healthcare uses "HIPAA," "EMR," "ICD-10." Finance uses "SOX compliance," "Bloomberg Terminal." These domain terms signal that you belong in the field. Missing them is a common reason career changers score poorly even when their transferable skills are strong.
Years of experience ("5+ years"), education ("MBA," "Bachelor's in CS"), credentials ("CPA," "Licensed"). Some ATS use these for hard filtering: if a CPA is required and your resume doesn't mention one, you may be filtered out regardless of other qualifications.
Three failure modes. One thing that works.
Using general terms when the JD is specific
Your resume says "data analysis" but the JD specifies "Tableau," "Power BI," and "SQL." The ATS is searching for those specific tools, not the category. List the tools you actually use.
Abbreviating when the posting spells it out (or vice versa)
The posting says "Search Engine Optimization" and your resume says "SEO." Some ATS handle this mapping, many do not. When space allows, include both the full term and the abbreviation at least once.
Listing keywords only in a Skills section
A Skills section is useful for coverage, but ATS scoring often gives more weight to keywords found in your work experience bullets. If Python appears only in Skills but never in Experience, some systems score it lower than a resume where Python appears in context ("Built data pipeline using Python and Airflow").
What works: mirror the posting's language naturally
Read the JD carefully. Note its specific terms. Describe your genuine experience using those same terms where they apply. This is not deception; it is translating your experience into the employer's vocabulary. If you managed budgets and the posting says "P&L management," use "P&L management" if that accurately describes what you did.
Most checkers compare word lists. Ajusta compares meaning.
Most keyword checkers extract nouns from the JD, extract nouns from your resume, and report the overlap percentage. This misses context. "Management" in a JD might refer to "project management," "people management," or "database management." Word matching treats them all the same.
Ajusta groups keywords by category (technical skills, qualifications, soft skills, industry terms) and checks for contextual matches. It also distinguishes required qualifications from preferred ones based on where they appear and how they are phrased.
The output is a categorized list showing which keywords are present, which are missing, and where in your resume each match was found. Missing keywords are flagged with the section of the JD where they appeared, so you know exactly what the employer is looking for.
Frequently asked questions.
Common questions about this tool. Email hi@ajusta.ai if yours isn't here.
There is no fixed number. The right count depends on the job description. A technical role with 15 required skills needs more coverage than a general management role listing 6 qualifications. Cover what the posting asks for; don't chase an arbitrary keyword count.
Use the same terminology as the posting, but integrate it naturally into your experience descriptions. If the posting says "project management," use that phrase rather than "managing projects" when possible. ATS parsers match on exact strings more reliably than paraphrases. That said, cramming keywords into a list without context looks bad to humans.
Some do, some don't. Workday and iCIMS have some synonym mapping built in; coverage varies. Smaller ATS platforms often rely on exact string matching. Safest: use the exact terms from the JD while also including common industry abbreviations (both "JavaScript" and "JS").
Most ATS platforms do not explicitly penalize stuffing the way search engines do. Some newer AI-driven systems can detect unnatural keyword density and flag it. More importantly, if your resume passes the ATS but reads poorly to a human recruiter, the stuffing has defeated its own purpose.
Where keywords appear matters. Skills in a dedicated Skills section are parsed differently than skills mentioned within job descriptions under Experience. Most systems give more weight to keywords found in Experience because they appear in context. A skill in Skills confirms you claim it; a skill in Experience shows you used it.
Check your resume's keyword coverage.
Upload, paste the job description, see which keywords are present and which are missing. Free first run for new accounts.