For job applications in Canada
Free Canadian ATS Resume Check
Before you apply, find out whether hiring software can read your resume, whether it follows the format Canadian employers expect, and which few changes would make the biggest difference. Upload a PDF or Word file and see your score in under a minute.
Updated
- No account for your first check
- PDF or Word, up to 5 MB
- Works on your phone
Is there a free ATS resume check made for Canada?
Yes. CVMaple's resume check is free and built for Canadian applications. Upload a PDF or Word resume and it scores the file out of 100, with separate scores for ATS compatibility, format and structure, content quality, and Canadian standards. Your first check needs no account and shows your overall score, all four category scores and your first three issues with fixes. A free account shows the rest of the issues and saves the report.
- Price
- Free, no card
- First check
- No account needed
- Files
- PDF or Word (.docx), up to 5 MB
- Time
- Usually under a minute
- You get
- One overall score, four by category
- Languages
- English and French
Know what to fix before you send another application.
The report puts the biggest problems first, so you know where to start even if all you have is ten minutes and your phone.
| Score | What it means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| 80 to 100 | Excellent. The file reads cleanly and follows Canadian conventions. | Tailor it to each posting and start applying. |
| 60 to 79 | Good. It works, but a few issues could cost you with some employers. | Fix anything marked critical, then the items worth fixing. |
| Below 60 | Needs improvement. Software, a recruiter or both may struggle with it. | Start with the critical issues, or move the content into a Canadian template. |
Every issue in the report comes with
- A severity: critical, worth fixing, or a suggestion.
- A plain explanation of what is wrong.
- Why an applicant tracking system or a Canadian recruiter would care.
- A suggested fix you can make in your own file or in the builder.
Check my resume free Your first check needs no account.
Four things that decide whether your resume gets read
Each area gets its own score out of 100. Here is what goes into each one, and the problem it catches most often.
ATS compatibility
Whether software can pull your name, contact details, job titles, dates and skills out of the file in the right order. Tables, text boxes, columns and page headers that hold key details are the usual culprits.
Format and structure
Length (1 to 2 pages is normal in Canada), a sensible section order, consistent dates and spacing, a professional email address, and no photo.
Content quality
A short professional profile instead of an objective, bullets that open with an action verb, results with numbers in them, and none of the filler phrases recruiters skim past.
Canadian standards
City and province instead of a full address, a phone number written like 416-555-0142, Canadian spelling, and none of the details a Canadian employer should not see: no date of birth, marital status, SIN or photo.
Three steps, and the first one takes seconds.
Upload your resume
Pick a PDF or Word file up to 5 MB. On an iPhone or Android phone you can choose it from Files, iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Downloads.
Read your score
The check reads your resume the way an applicant tracking system would and scores it out of 100, with a score for each of the four areas. Most reports are ready in under a minute.
Fix what matters most
Start with anything marked critical. Make the changes in your own file, or import the resume into CVMaple and fix it in a Canadian template, then run the check again.
Four fixes that come up again and again
We see the same handful of problems on resumes written for another country or copied from an old template. Most take a few minutes to put right.
- Before
- Jane Doe | 123 Maple Street, Apt 4, Toronto, ON M5V 2T6 | Born 14/03/1994
- After
- Jane Doe | Toronto, ON | 416-555-0142 | jane.doe@email.com
- Why it works
- Canadian employers only need your city and province to see that you are local. A street address, postal code or birth date adds nothing and can invite bias.
- Before
- Responsible for managing social media accounts.
- After
- Grew Instagram followers from 2,100 to 9,800 in 10 months by planning a weekly content calendar.
- Why it works
- A duty tells the reader what the job was. A result tells them what you did with it, and the numbers make it easy to believe.
- Before
- Objective: Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation.
- After
- Payroll administrator with 5 years of multi-province payroll in Dayforce and ADP, working toward the PCP designation.
- Why it works
- Recruiters here expect a short profile that says who you are and what you bring. An objective only says what you want. Note the spelling too: organization, not organisation.
- Before
- Skills in a two-column table beside the work history
- After
- A plain Skills section under its own heading, one line per group
- Why it works
- Some applicant tracking systems read a table straight across both columns and scramble the order. A single column is the safe choice.
None of these needs a brand new resume. If your score is low because of the layout itself, though, it is usually faster to move your content into a single-column Canadian template than to fight with the old file. The Canadian resume format guide covers the rest of the conventions in more detail.
Pick the tool that fits the problem.
Your report tells you what is wrong. These tools help you fix it. Each one needs a free account so your work is saved.
One-click resume builder
No file to check yet? Answer a few quick questions, paste a job posting if you have one, and get a complete draft to edit. Build from scratch
Build with AI
Describe your experience and the role you want, and the AI writes a tailored first draft in Canadian format. Build with AI
Import and improve
Bring in the resume you just checked, PDF or Word, then rewrite the weak bullets and fix the issues your report found. Import my resume
French CV converter
Turn your English resume into Quebec French for bilingual roles and jobs in Quebec. Included with Pro and the 7-day trial. Convert to French
Canadian templates
28 ATS-friendly templates, all free to use. Your first PDF download is free too. See the templates
Made for people applying for jobs in Canada
Newcomers and permanent residents
Your experience is real, but a resume written for another country can hide it. The check flags the habits that give that away, like a photo, a birth date or a full home address. Newcomer resume guide
International students and PGWP holders
Part-time jobs, co-op terms and campus roles all count. The check makes sure they read well and that the file itself is not what holds you back. Student resume guide
Career changers
When your past titles do not match the job, your bullets have to do the work. The content score shows where results are missing. Canadian resume format
Bilingual and Quebec applicants
The check reads English and French resumes, and CVMaple can convert an English resume to Quebec French when a job asks for both. French resume guide
What happens to your resume
Your resume is read to produce your report, and that is all. It is not shared with employers or recruiters, and running the free check does not sign you up for anything.
The text of your resume is not saved with the report. If you check without an account, the report is kept for 24 hours so you can create an account and keep it. After that it can no longer be opened. The privacy policy has the full details.
Questions before you upload?
Is the resume check really free?
Yes. Your first check is free with no account and no card. You see your overall score, the four category scores and your first three issues with fixes. A free account shows every issue and includes 2 more checks.
Do I need to sign up?
Not for your first check. You only need a free account if you want to see every issue, save the report, or fix your resume in the builder.
What file types can I upload?
PDF or Word (.docx), up to 5 MB. A PDF you exported from Word or Google Docs works best. If your PDF is a scan or a photo of a page, the check may not be able to read it, and many applicant tracking systems cannot either.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. On iPhone and Android you can upload from Files, iCloud Drive, Google Drive or your Downloads folder, and the report is laid out for a small screen.
Does it compare my resume with a job posting?
No. The free check looks at your resume on its own. To see which skills a specific posting asks for, use the job posting analyzer in your account. The free plan includes 5 analyses a month.
How is a Canadian check different from any other ATS check?
On top of ATS readability, it looks at the things Canadian employers notice: city and province instead of a full address, Canadian spelling, 1 to 2 pages, and no photo, birth date or marital status.
What is a good score?
80 or above is excellent. 60 to 79 is good, with some fixes worth making. Below 60 needs work, and the report shows exactly what is pulling it down.
What if I do not have a resume yet?
Choose Build a resume instead. You can start from scratch, let the AI write a first draft, or pick one of 28 Canadian templates. A free account is all you need.
Check your resume before the next application.
See your score first. Then fix the exact issues standing between you and a stronger Canadian resume.
Related Canadian resume guides
- ATS Resume Checker Canada: Score your resume against Canadian ATS screening and see exactly what to fix. Free.
- Resume Builder Canada: Build an ATS-ready Canadian resume with the right format and keywords.
- Free CV Builder Canada: Turn an international CV into the Canadian format employers expect.
- Canadian Resume Format Guide: What to include, what to leave out, and how to structure every section.
- Canadian Resume Template: A free, ATS-safe template with the right sections in the right order.
- AI Resume Builder Canada: Draft and tailor resumes to each Canadian job posting you paste in.