stevengonsalvez/ats-resume-matcher

ATS Resume Matcher

Enterprise-grade resume-to-job-description matching with detailed scoring, gap analysis, and optimization suggestions.

Quick Start

When given a resume and job description:

1. Extract and parse both documents
2. Run the 7-category ATS analysis
3. Output the structured match report
4. Provide prioritized optimization suggestions

Input Handling

Supported Formats

| Format | Resume | Job Description | |--------|--------|-----------------| | PDF | Yes (extract text) | Yes | | DOCX | Yes (extract text) | Yes | | Markdown | Yes | Yes | | Plain text | Yes | Yes | | Pasted content | Yes | Yes |

Extraction Priority

1. If file path provided → Read and extract text
2. If pasted content → Parse directly
3. If URL provided → Fetch and extract

ATS Matching Algorithm

Category Weights (Total: 100%)

| Category | Weight | Description | |----------|--------|-------------| | Hard Skills | 25% | Technical skills, tools, technologies, languages | | Experience | 20% | Years of experience, seniority level, scope | | Keywords | 15% | Exact phrase matches, industry terminology | | Job Titles | 12% | Title alignment, progression, relevance | | Soft Skills | 10% | Leadership, communication, collaboration | | Education | 10% | Degrees, certifications, training | | Industry | 8% | Domain experience, sector knowledge |

Scoring Methodology

For each category, calculate:

Category Score = (Matched Items / Required Items) × 100

Weighted Score = Category Score × Category Weight

Overall Match = Σ(All Weighted Scores)

Match Classification

| Score Range | Classification | Interpretation | |-------------|----------------|----------------| | 85-100% | Excellent Match | Strong candidate, likely to pass ATS | | 70-84% | Good Match | Competitive candidate, minor gaps | | 55-69% | Moderate Match | Some gaps, optimization recommended | | 40-54% | Weak Match | Significant gaps, major revision needed | | 0-39% | Poor Match | Role mismatch or major skill gaps |

Analysis Process

Step 1: Parse Job Description

Extract from JD:

• Required skills (must-have)
• Preferred skills (nice-to-have)
• Experience requirements (years, level)
• Education requirements (degree, field)
• Certifications (required/preferred)
• Job title keywords
• Industry/domain terms
• Soft skill indicators

Classify each requirement as:

• REQUIRED - Explicitly stated as required/must-have
• PREFERRED - Stated as preferred/nice-to-have/bonus
• IMPLIED - Inferred from context

Step 2: Parse Resume

Extract from resume:

• Technical skills (explicit and demonstrated)
• Work experience (titles, duration, scope)
• Education (degrees, institutions, dates)
• Certifications (names, dates, status)
• Achievements (quantified results)
• Industry exposure (domains worked in)
• Keywords (terminology used)

Step 3: Match Analysis

For each JD requirement, find resume evidence:

EXACT MATCH    → 100% credit (keyword appears exactly)
SYNONYM MATCH  → 85% credit (equivalent term used)
PARTIAL MATCH  → 50% credit (related but not equivalent)
TRANSFERABLE   → 30% credit (skill could apply)
NO MATCH       → 0% credit (not found)

Step 4: Generate Report

See output format below.

Output Format

Generate this exact structure:

# ATS Match Report

## Overall Score: [XX]% - [Classification]

**Resume**: [filename or "Provided content"]
**Position**: [Job title from JD]
**Company**: [Company name if available]
**Analysis Date**: [Current date]

---

## Score Breakdown

| Category | Score | Weight | Weighted | Status |
|----------|-------|--------|----------|--------|
| Hard Skills | XX% | 25% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Experience | XX% | 20% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Keywords | XX% | 15% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Job Titles | XX% | 12% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Soft Skills | XX% | 10% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Education | XX% | 10% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| Industry | XX% | 8% | X.X | [✓/⚠/✗] |
| **TOTAL** | | **100%** | **XX.X** | |

Status: ✓ = 70%+, ⚠ = 50-69%, ✗ = <50%

---

## Detailed Analysis

### Hard Skills (XX%)

**Matched (X/Y required)**:
- ✓ [Skill] - Found: "[evidence from resume]"
- ✓ [Skill] - Found: "[evidence from resume]"

**Partial Matches**:
- ⚠ [Required skill] → [Related skill found] (XX% credit)

**Missing**:
- ✗ [Skill] - REQUIRED - Not found
- ✗ [Skill] - PREFERRED - Not found

### Experience (XX%)

**Requirements**:
- Required: [X] years in [domain]
- Found: [Y] years in [domain]
- Match: [Exceeds/Meets/Below] requirement

**Seniority Alignment**:
- Required level: [Senior/Mid/Junior]
- Demonstrated level: [Senior/Mid/Junior]
- Gap: [None/Minor/Significant]

**Scope Match**:
- Required: [team size, budget, scale from JD]
- Demonstrated: [evidence from resume]

### Keywords (XX%)

**Exact Matches (X/Y)**:
- ✓ "[keyword]" - Found [X] times
- ✓ "[keyword]" - Found [X] times

**Missing High-Value Keywords**:
- ✗ "[keyword]" - Appears [X] times in JD
- ✗ "[keyword]" - Industry-standard term

### Job Titles (XX%)

**Title Progression Analysis**:
| Your Title | Target Title | Alignment |
|------------|--------------|-----------|
| [Current] | [JD Title] | XX% |

**Title Keywords**:
- ✓ [Matched title keyword]
- ✗ [Missing title keyword]

### Soft Skills (XX%)

**Demonstrated**:
- ✓ [Soft skill] - Evidence: "[quote from resume]"

**Required but Missing**:
- ✗ [Soft skill] - Add evidence of this skill

### Education (XX%)

**Degree Match**:
- Required: [Degree] in [Field]
- Found: [Degree] in [Field]
- Status: [Meets/Exceeds/Below/Alternative]

**Certifications**:
- ✓ [Cert name] - Matches requirement
- ✗ [Required cert] - Not found

### Industry (XX%)

**Domain Experience**:
- Required: [Industry/Domain]
- Found: [Industries in resume]
- Relevance: [Direct/Adjacent/Transferable]

---

## Gap Summary

### Critical Gaps (Address First)
1. **[Gap]** - Impact: High - [Brief explanation]
2. **[Gap]** - Impact: High - [Brief explanation]

### Important Gaps
1. **[Gap]** - Impact: Medium - [Brief explanation]

### Minor Gaps
1. **[Gap]** - Impact: Low - [Brief explanation]

---

## Optimization Suggestions

### High Impact (Estimated +X-Y% improvement)

1. **[Suggestion title]**
   - Current: [What's in resume now]
   - Recommended: [What to add/change]
   - Where: [Which section to modify]
   - Example: "[Specific wording to consider]"

2. **[Suggestion title]**
   - Current: [What's in resume now]
   - Recommended: [What to add/change]
   - Where: [Which section to modify]
   - Example: "[Specific wording to consider]"

### Medium Impact (Estimated +X-Y% improvement)

1. **[Suggestion]**
   - [Details]

### Quick Wins (Estimated +X-Y% improvement)

1. **[Suggestion]** - [One-line actionable item]
2. **[Suggestion]** - [One-line actionable item]

---

## ATS Compatibility Notes

**Formatting Issues**:
- [Any detected formatting issues that might cause ATS parsing problems]

**Keyword Density**:
- Top JD keywords not in resume: [list]
- Recommendation: [specific advice]

**Section Headers**:
- [Any non-standard headers that ATS might not recognize]

---

## Confidence Level

Analysis confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
- [Reason for confidence level]

Keyword Matching Rules

Skill Synonyms

Apply these common equivalences:

| JD Term | Also Accept | |---------|-------------| | JavaScript | JS, ECMAScript, ES6+ | | Python | Python3, Py | | Machine Learning | ML, Deep Learning, AI/ML | | Amazon Web Services | AWS, Amazon Cloud | | Google Cloud Platform | GCP, Google Cloud | | Microsoft Azure | Azure, MS Azure | | Continuous Integration | CI, CI/CD | | Continuous Deployment | CD, CI/CD | | Kubernetes | K8s, K8 | | PostgreSQL | Postgres, PSQL | | MongoDB | Mongo | | React.js | React, ReactJS | | Node.js | Node, NodeJS | | TypeScript | TS | | GraphQL | GQL | | REST API | RESTful, REST | | Agile | Scrum, Kanban, Agile/Scrum | | Project Management | PM, Program Management | | People Management | Team Leadership, Engineering Management |

Experience Level Mapping

| JD Requirement | Acceptable Range | |----------------|------------------| | Entry level | 0-2 years | | Junior | 1-3 years | | Mid-level | 3-5 years | | Senior | 5-8 years | | Staff/Principal | 8-12 years | | Director | 10+ years | | VP/Head | 12+ years |

Education Equivalences

| Requirement | Also Accept | |-------------|-------------| | Bachelor's required | Master's, PhD | | Master's preferred | PhD, Bachelor's + 2 years | | CS degree | Related technical degree + experience | | MBA | Business degree + experience |

Suggestion Generation Rules

Prioritization

Generate suggestions in this priority order:

1. Missing REQUIRED skills - Highest impact
2. Experience gaps - High impact
3. Missing exact keywords - Medium-high impact
4. Missing certifications - Medium impact
5. Soft skill evidence - Medium impact
6. Keyword optimization - Low-medium impact
7. Formatting improvements - Low impact

Suggestion Quality

Each suggestion must be:

• Specific - Not generic advice
• Actionable - Clear what to do
• Evidenced - Based on actual gap found
• Realistic - Achievable without lying

Example Suggestion Patterns

For missing skill:

Add [SKILL] to your skills section. Based on your experience with
[RELATED SKILL], you may have exposure to this. If you have any
experience, add a bullet point like: "Utilized [SKILL] for [USE CASE]"

For keyword gap:

The JD mentions "[KEYWORD]" [X] times. Consider incorporating this
terminology in your [SECTION]. For example, change "[CURRENT PHRASING]"
to "[SUGGESTED PHRASING WITH KEYWORD]"

For experience gap:

The role requires [X] years of [DOMAIN] experience. Your resume shows
[Y] years. Emphasize your [RELEVANT EXPERIENCE] and quantify impact
to demonstrate equivalent depth.

Edge Cases

When Resume > JD Requirements

• Still note as "Exceeds" not 100%+
• Flag potential overqualification concerns
• Suggest tailoring to avoid rejection

When JD is Vague

• Note confidence as "Medium" or "Low"
• Make reasonable inferences
• List assumptions made

When Resume Has Non-Standard Format

• Extract what's possible
• Note any parsing limitations
• Provide best-effort analysis

References

For detailed information, see:

• references/scoring-methodology.md - Detailed scoring algorithms and edge cases
• references/keyword-extraction.md - Extended synonym lists and extraction patterns