Free Keyword Match Tool
Free Resume Keyword Scanner: Match Your Resume to Any Job
Paste a job description, upload your resume, and see your match rate in seconds, with every missing keyword listed. Free, no signup, and your resume never leaves your browser.
1. Your resume
Drop your resume here or click to upload
PDF or DOCX, up to 10MB
2. The job description
100% private: your resume and the job description are compared in your browser and never uploaded to our servers.
Skill detection includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
How It Works
How the Resume Keyword Scanner Works
From job posting to a tailored, keyword-matched resume in four steps.
- 1
Paste the job description
Copy the full job posting, including the requirements and qualifications sections where the keywords live.
- 2
Upload your resume
Drop in your resume as a PDF or DOCX. It's parsed in your browser and never uploaded.
- 3
Get your match rate
Your resume is checked against 8,000+ skills and technologies from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database, plus the job post's own recurring terms.
- 4
Add keywords and re-scan
Add the missing keywords that are true of your experience, then re-scan until you hit 75% or higher.
Match Rate
What Is a Good Resume Match Score?
Our scanner weighs hard skills most heavily because that is how Applicant Tracking Systems rank candidates. Here is how to read your result.
75% and above: Apply
A strong match. The ATS will rank your resume near the top of the recruiter's queue for this role. Close any remaining gaps that are true of your experience, then submit.
50% to 74%: Tailor first
You'll pass the scan, but recruiters searching by skills will see stronger matches first. Add the missing hard skills to your skills section and recent experience bullets, then re-scan.
Below 50%: Rework it
Your resume isn't speaking this job's language. Rewrite your summary and experience around the requirements in the job description, or reconsider whether the role fits your background.
How to Add Missing Keywords Without Keyword Stuffing
Mirror the Exact Wording
Use the job description's own terms. If it says "project management", write "project management", not "managed projects". ATS keyword search is often literal.
Spell Out Acronyms Once
Include both forms at least once, like "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)". Some ATS software and some recruiters search one form but not the other.
Put Keywords Where They Count
Work missing keywords into your skills section and your most recent experience bullets, attached to real accomplishments. A keyword dump at the bottom fools no one.
Only Add What's True
Never add a skill you don't have. Recruiters verify keywords in interviews, and a claim you can't back up costs you the job at the final stage instead of the first.
Keywords Are Half the Battle. Formatting Is the Other Half.
A perfectly matched resume still fails if the ATS can't parse it. Run our free ATS resume checker to test your formatting, sections, and readability, and get your ATS score in seconds.
Resume Keyword Scanner FAQs
Everything about matching your resume keywords to a job description. Have another question? Contact us and we'll help.
How does a resume keyword scanner work?
The scanner extracts the skills, job titles, and recurring terms from the job description you paste, then checks your resume for each one. Keywords are grouped into hard skills, soft skills, and role-specific terms.
Your match rate reflects how many it found, with hard skills weighted most heavily because that is how ATS ranking works. Everything runs in your browser, so your resume is never uploaded.
What is a good resume-to-job-description match score?
Aim for 75% or higher before applying. Between 50% and 74%, add the missing hard skills that are true of your experience and re-scan. Below 50%, your resume needs significant tailoring for the role.
A 100% match is not the goal and can read as keyword stuffing. Matching the hard skills is what matters most.
How do I tailor my resume to a job description?
Scan your resume against the job description, then add the missing keywords that honestly describe your experience. Put them in your skills section and your most recent experience bullets, mirror the job description's exact wording, and quantify the achievements around them.
Re-scan until your match rate is 75% or higher, and repeat for every job you apply to, since each posting expects different keywords.
Is this resume keyword scanner free? Do I need to sign up?
Yes, it's completely free and there is no signup. Upload your resume, paste the job description, and get your match rate and missing keywords instantly.
Your full report, which adds AI fixes, a deeper 20+ check analysis, and an overall ATS score from our free ATS resume checker, is where our paid plans come in.
Can the scanner tell hard skills from soft skills?
Yes. Hard skills are the tools, technologies, certifications, and competencies named in the job description, and they carry the most weight in your match rate.
Soft skills like communication and leadership are listed separately, and role-specific terms that repeat through the posting are grouped on their own, so you can see exactly which kind of gap you have.
Do ATS systems automatically reject resumes missing keywords?
Usually not automatically. Most ATS software ranks resumes rather than rejecting them outright.
But recruiters filter and search by keywords and review the top-ranked resumes first, so a low keyword match means your resume is rarely seen by a human, which has the same effect as a rejection.
Should I use the exact wording from the job description, or do synonyms count?
Use the exact wording. Some ATS software matches synonyms and related terms, but many match literally, and recruiters search for the terms in their own job post.
For acronyms, include both forms at least once, like "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)", so you match either search.