Field Notes · Résumé feedback

What does a résumé score actually measure?

A résumé score is a diagnostic for the document you supplied. It can show where the writing or structure deserves another look. It is not a grade on your career, an employer's ATS score, or a forecast of interviews.

Aptly gives an instant 0–100 score in your browser. Five checks contribute to it. Looking at those checks is more useful than trying to make the total number rise at any cost.

The five checks behind the instant score

Experience evidence · up to 25 points

The local scorer looks for dated roles, enough descriptive bullets, and words that suggest scope. A contract career, an unconventional format, or experience described without familiar date patterns may score lower even when the work itself is strong. Read that as a prompt to inspect how clearly the résumé communicates your history.

Impact · up to 25 points

Aptly counts real numbers and certain action verbs, while penalizing some vague openers. The metric threshold differs for management and executive résumés. This does not mean every bullet needs a percentage. Invented numbers are worse than an honest description of responsibility or scope.

Completeness · up to 20 points

The scorer checks for recognizable contact information and common sections such as experience, education, skills, and a summary. It can miss equivalent information under unusual headings. Add a section when it helps a reader understand you, rather than to satisfy a checklist mechanically.

Clarity · up to 15 points

Word count, number of bullets, and average bullet length contribute here. A dense wall of text or extremely short descriptions may be hard to scan. These are simple signals, not a full editorial review of your writing.

ATS readiness · up to 15 points

This component checks text patterns including contact fields, dates, section headings, and very long lines. It does not parse your exported PDF or test an employer's software. If you're concerned about the file itself, run the one-minute PDF text check separately.

How to use the number without chasing it

Start with the lowest component and ask whether its finding reflects a real weakness. If impact is low because no outcomes are visible, add a genuine result, scope, or concrete example. If completeness is low because your education is folded into another section, decide whether a clearer heading would help a human reader too.

Re-score after one focused change. A higher score tells you that the document better matches Aptly's current rules; it does not prove a recruiter will prefer it. Keep the version that tells your story accurately and is easy for a person to read.

Instant score and AI audit are different

The instant score is calculated locally from résumé text, without an AI request. The optional Deep Audit sends the text needed for analysis to a model provider and returns more specific feedback. AI feedback can be wrong or overconfident: review every proposed edit, especially dates, credentials, names, and numbers, before using it.

Aptly stores your saved résumé and versions in your browser. The privacy page describes what happens when you use optional AI features and personal API keys.