How the RoleCarta resume check works

The check uses three inputs: the text of your resume as it was imported or pasted, the text of the vacancy, and a list of phrases selected from that vacancy while your application kit is created.

It runs on your original resume and on the tailored draft, so you can compare the two. When you save edits to the draft, the check runs again on the edited text. It reads text only; it does not look at fonts, colours, images or the layout of a downloaded file.

Each check is marked as passed or to review, with a short explanation. The section checks ignore capital letters and match whole words anywhere in the text, not only in headings.

• Readable text: the resume contains at least 100 characters of text.
• Contact email: the text contains something in the form of an email address.
• Experience section: one of the words experience, employment, work history or projects appears.
• Education or training: one of the words education, training, qualifications or certifications appears.
• Skills section: one of the words skills, competencies or technical skills appears.

While the kit is created, the AI is asked to select phrases that appear word for word in the job description and to add a note on how you could show each one honestly. RoleCarta then keeps only the phrases it can actually find in the vacancy text, ignoring differences in capital letters and spacing, shortens any phrase over 70 characters, and removes duplicates.

Each remaining phrase is shown with that note. Because an AI makes the selection, the list may not include every requirement in the vacancy. Read the vacancy yourself as well.

A phrase counts as found when the same words appear in your resume as a complete phrase, after capital letters and extra spaces are ignored. It must not be part of a longer word: for instance, ‘Java’ is not found inside ‘JavaScript’.

Coverage is the number of phrases found divided by the number of phrases checked, shown as a whole percentage along with the counts, such as 6 of 10 (illustrative). If no phrases could be checked, no percentage is shown. The kit also shows the coverage of your original resume for comparison.

Employers use different applicant tracking systems, configured in different ways, with their own criteria and human reviewers. RoleCarta has no access to those systems or settings. The check therefore cannot predict how a specific employer will rank or screen your application, and a high percentage is not a promise of an interview.

Treat the result as a way to spot vacancy terms your resume does not mention and structure signals worth reviewing.

Knowing what the check does not do helps you read it correctly.

• Synonyms and word forms are not matched. ‘Managed budgets’ does not count as ‘budget management’, and ‘front-end’ differs from ‘front end’.
• Abbreviations are separate phrases. ‘CRM’ and ‘customer relationship management’ are checked independently.
• Structure checks look for words, not formatting. A heading such as ‘Career history’ or ‘Courses’ is not recognised, while the word ‘experience’ in an ordinary sentence counts.
• Only an email address is checked among contact details.
• Scanned PDFs have no selectable text. If fewer than 100 characters can be read, the import stops and asks you to paste the text.
• Layout affects extraction. Text in a PDF with columns can come out in an unexpected order, and table contents in a DOCX are added after the main text. Review the imported text before creating a kit.

First decide which kind of gap it is.

• Wording gap: you have done this work but described it differently. Use the employer’s term where it is accurate, inside a bullet that shows where and how you did it.
• Experience gap: you have not done this. Leave it out of the resume. If it is essential, consider addressing it in your cover letter and prepare to discuss it at interview.
• Do not add a phrase only to raise the percentage. A truthful resume you can discuss matters more than full coverage.

• ATS resume checker: Use it before you apply to see five text-structure checks and which vacancy phrases appear in your resume and in the tailored draft.
• Keyword gaps: Use it to separate the vacancy terms you can support with real examples from the gaps you should leave out or discuss honestly.
• How to tailor your resume to a job description
• Profession guides