ATS Score Checker
for Government Jobs
MyTechZ's free ATS Score Checker is built for federal and government job applicants. It validates your USAJOBS format compliance, checks KSA phrase coverage in your experience descriptions, and identifies the exact federal terminology gaps that prevent your resume from reaching the best-qualified list at government agencies.
100% Free · Instant Results · PDF & DOCX Supported
How It Works
Upload Your Resume
Upload your government resume in PDF or DOCX format. MyTechZ's ATS Score Checker accepts all standard resume formats and parses them in under 10 seconds.
AI Scans for ATS Issues
The AI engine scans your resume against government-specific ATS rules, checking for KSA phrase coverage, federal format compliance, security clearance keyword placement, and GS-grade qualifying experience language.
Get Your Score & Fix List
Receive a 0–100 ATS score with a prioritised fix list showing exactly which KSA narrative elements to strengthen, which federal format requirements to correct, and which agency-specific terms to add for your target position.
What You Get
Federal Resume Format Compliance Check
Validates that your federal resume meets USAJOBS format requirements — including required sections (work experience with hours per week, supervisor contact, GS equivalent, and federal status), page length guidelines, and critical fields that automated federal screening systems require.
KSA Phrase Detection
Scans your resume for Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities language embedded in your work experience descriptions — identifying where KSA narrative evidence is present, where it is missing, and where it is too thin to score well against occupational questionnaire evaluation criteria.
Clearance Level Keyword Validation
Checks that security clearance information — Public Trust, Secret, Top Secret, TS/SCI, and special access program references — is formatted and placed correctly for federal ATS systems and USAJOBS keyword matching, including current status and investigation date.
GS-Grade Requirement Matching
Analyzes whether your experience descriptions demonstrate the specialized experience required at the target GS grade level — including one-year equivalent experience at the next lower grade — using the specific qualifying factor language federal HR reviewers evaluate.
USAJOBS Formatting Tips
Provides specific formatting fixes for USAJOBS resume builder and uploaded document submissions — correct date formats, required character lengths, supervisor information fields, and salary history sections that federal ATS automated screens check.
Agency-Specific Terminology
Maps your resume against agency-specific keyword profiles for DOD, DHS, VA, HHS, DOJ, and other major agencies — since each agency configures their automated screening with mission-specific vocabulary beyond standard OPM occupational language.
Use Cases
Private Sector Professionals Entering Government
Private sector candidates applying to federal roles for the first time often submit corporate-style resumes that completely lack the GS-grade qualifying language, KSA narrative evidence, and USAJOBS format requirements that automated federal screening expects.
Federal Employees Applying for Promotion
Current federal employees seeking advancement to higher GS grades need resumes that explicitly demonstrate one-year specialized experience at the next lower grade using the precise qualifying factor language that OPM and agency HR reviewers evaluate.
Military Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Government Roles
Veterans translating military experience into federal civilian resume language need to reframe MOS codes and military terminology into OPM-recognized civilian occupational equivalents — a translation that both automated screening and human HR reviewers require.
State and Local Government Job Seekers
State and county government applications often use ATS with similar keyword and format logic to USAJOBS — candidates applying across multiple state systems need resumes that consistently include the civil service terminology each jurisdiction's screening requires.
Intelligence Community Applicants
IC applicants at agencies like CIA, NSA, DIA, and NRO need resumes that correctly reference clearance levels, IC-specific program experience, and agency mission-aligned vocabulary while following strict information handling guidelines in resume content.
Policy and Regulatory Professionals
Policy analysts, regulatory affairs professionals, and program specialists applying to legislative, regulatory, and executive agency roles need the specific legislative authority, rulemaking, and program evaluation language that policy-focused federal ATS configurations prioritize.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a federal resume different from a corporate resume for ATS purposes?
Federal resumes are evaluated by two mechanisms that corporate resumes do not face: automated occupational questionnaire scoring and human HR specialist review against OPM qualification standards. Federal resumes are typically 3–5 pages and must include specific data fields — hours per week, supervisor name and contact, GS equivalent or salary, and explicit one-year specialized experience narratives. Corporate-style one-page resumes will almost always fail federal ATS screening because they lack these required elements entirely.
Is this ATS checker free for government job applicants?
Yes — completely free on MyTechZ. No account is required for your first check, and there is no subscription or usage cap. Federal job seekers can run checks on multiple resume versions — one for administrative roles, one for technical or program roles — at no cost.
What are KSAs and how should they appear in a federal resume?
KSAs — Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities — are the specific competency dimensions that federal job announcements define as evaluation criteria. For competitive service positions under modern federal hiring reforms, KSAs should be embedded directly in work experience bullet points rather than as separate narrative statements. Each bullet should demonstrate a specific KSA with a concrete example: situation, action taken, and quantified result. MyTechZ checks whether your experience descriptions contain sufficient KSA narrative depth.
How should security clearance be listed on a federal resume?
Security clearance should be listed in a dedicated Clearances section near the top of the resume with the exact designation (e.g., 'Active Top Secret/SCI with CI Polygraph'), the granting agency, and the date of most recent investigation or adjudication. For USAJOBS, clearance information also needs to be entered in the profile fields. Listing clearance only in the narrative body of the resume — without the structured section — may cause automated screening to miss it, which can disqualify an otherwise qualified applicant.
What is USAJOBS and how does its ATS work?
USAJOBS is the official federal government job portal used by most executive branch agencies. Applicants submit resumes through the USAJOBS resume builder or upload documents that are parsed by the platform's automated screening system. The system evaluates responses to occupational questionnaires (rated and ranked) and screens uploaded resume text against minimum qualification requirements. MyTechZ helps you ensure your resume text contains the occupational series vocabulary, grade-level qualifying language, and format elements that USAJOBS automated screening requires.
What ATS score should a federal job resume target?
Federal resume scoring differs from commercial ATS in that qualification thresholds are defined by specific OPM standards for each occupational series and grade level. However, MyTechZ's 0–100 scoring framework provides a relative assessment of your resume's federal keyword coverage, KSA narrative density, format compliance, and clearance presentation. A score of 76 or above on MyTechZ's federal dimension generally correlates with meeting best-qualified criteria, though actual federal rating outcomes depend on agency-specific questionnaire scores.
Reach the Best-Qualified List on Your Next Federal Application
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