Understanding Your ATS Score
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software tools used by most medium and large employers to automatically screen resumes before a human ever reads them. Krokanti CV Builder's ATS Score feature analyzes your resume and gives you actionable feedback to improve your chances of passing that first automated gate.
What Is an ATS Score?
Your ATS score is a number from 0 to 100 that reflects how well your resume is optimized for automated parsing and keyword matching. A score of 70 or above is considered a good baseline. A score above 85 means your resume is well-positioned to pass most ATS filters.
How the Score Is Calculated
The ATS score is made up of several weighted factors:
Contact information completeness (15 points) ATS systems need to be able to extract your name, email, phone number, and location. Missing or unusually formatted contact information causes parsing failures.
Section structure (20 points) Standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills) are recognized more reliably than creative alternatives. Avoid headings like "Where I've Been" or "What I Know" — use conventional labels.
Keyword density (30 points) This is the most important factor. The score measures whether your resume contains terms commonly associated with your target role. To improve this, paste the job description into the Job Description Analyzer (Pro feature) and the tool will highlight which keywords from the posting are absent from your resume.
Formatting cleanliness (20 points) Tables, text boxes, headers, footers, and multi-column layouts all cause parsing problems in older ATS systems. Krokanti CV Builder's export engine avoids these constructs, but if you have used unusual formatting, it will be flagged.
File readability (15 points) Embedded images that contain text, scanned documents, and password-protected PDFs cannot be read by ATS software. The score checks for these issues.
How to Improve Your Score
Add more relevant keywords Read job descriptions in your target field and identify recurring terms. Naturally incorporate those terms into your Work Experience bullet points, Skills section, and Professional Summary. Do not keyword-stuff — write for humans first.
Use standard section headings Rename any unconventional section headings to the standard equivalents. "Professional Experience" is better than "My Career Journey".
Fill in all contact fields Make sure your name, email, phone, and city/country are present in the Personal Details block.
Avoid graphics and icons in critical sections Decorative icons next to section headings look nice visually but can confuse ATS parsers. If your ATS score flags formatting issues, remove decorative elements.
Target one role at a time A resume optimized for "Product Manager" will score lower for a "Program Manager" role. Create separate resume versions for meaningfully different job families.
Job Description Analyzer (Pro)
Pro subscribers have access to the Job Description Analyzer. Paste any job posting into the tool and it will:
- Extract the 20 most important keywords and phrases from the posting
- Show which ones are present in your resume (green) and which are missing (red)
- Suggest sections where missing keywords can be naturally added
This feature alone significantly improves interview call rates for users who actively use it.
A Note on ATS Score Limits
No tool can perfectly predict how every ATS system will score your resume — there are hundreds of different ATS products in use, each with its own algorithm. The Krokanti ATS score is based on best practices and common patterns, not on integration with specific employer systems. Use it as a directional guide, not a guarantee.