Help Centre

Everything you need to know as a job seeker about using HirePilot to optimise your resume, check whether your resume is ATS-friendly, and land more interviews.

Getting Started with HirePilot

New to HirePilot? Here is everything you need to know to get your first resume health check and start optimising your applications. The entire process takes less than a minute from sign-up to results.

How do I check my resume health?: Create a free account, upload your resume (PDF or DOCX), and we will give you a score, readability rating, and completeness breakdown in under 30 seconds. No credit card required. You can also visit our resume upload page to get started immediately.
How do I upload a resume?: After logging in, go to your dashboard and click the upload area. You can drag and drop a file or click to browse. We accept PDF (.pdf) and Microsoft Word (.docx) files up to 10MB. Once uploaded, we extract the text and run a health check automatically — no additional steps needed. The analysis typically completes in a few seconds.
Can I upload multiple resumes?: Yes. You can upload and store multiple resumes in your account. Each one gets its own health check, and you can set a primary resume for job match analysis. This is useful if you have different versions of your resume tailored to different industries or role types.
What file formats do you support?: We support PDF (.pdf) and Microsoft Word (.docx) files up to 10MB. We extract text from both formats and analyse the content. Note that scanned image-only PDFs (non-OCR) may not extract correctly. For best results, upload a digitally created PDF or a DOCX file. Both formats work well with our ATS analysis engine.
Is the health check really free?: Yes. The resume health check is completely free with no limits. No credit card required. You can check your resume as many times as you like, across as many resumes as you upload. There are no hidden limits or trial periods — the free tier is genuinely free, forever.

How ATS Analysis Works

Understanding how our ATS Resume Checker works will help you get the most out of each analysis. Our system evaluates your resume the same way real ATS software does, giving you an accurate picture of how recruiters and hiring systems will perceive your application.

What does the health check measure?: The health check analyses three dimensions of your resume: Resume Score — an overall rating based on structure, formatting, and content quality; Readability — how easily an ATS can parse your resume and how clearly information is presented to recruiters; and Completeness — whether your resume includes all key sections like work experience, education, skills, certifications, and contact information. Each dimension receives its own score so you know exactly which areas need attention. Visit our Resume Health Check page to see your scores.
What is ATS readability?: ATS readability measures how well your resume can be parsed by automated systems. Factors include font choice (standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman parse best), section headers (standard headings like 'Work Experience' and 'Education' are preferred over creative alternatives), and the absence of tables, columns, and text boxes that can confuse parsers. A high readability score means the ATS extracts your information correctly and completely.
What does 'Completeness' mean?: Completeness checks whether your resume includes all sections that employers and ATS systems expect: contact information, professional summary or objective, work experience, education, skills, and optional sections like certifications, languages, and volunteer work. Missing sections are a common cause of automatic rejection in ATS systems because they prevent the system from categorising your application properly.
How accurate is the ATS simulation?: Our analysis engine is built on research into how major ATS platforms (including Taleo, Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, and SmartRecruiters) parse and score resumes. While every ATS is slightly different, our simulation covers the common patterns that most systems use. This means that optimising your resume based on our scores will generally improve its performance across all major ATS platforms.

Job Match Analysis

The Job Match Analysisis our most powerful feature for tailoring your resume to specific roles. Instead of generic advice, you get a targeted comparison between your resume and any job description you provide.

How does job match analysis work?: Paste a job description alongside your uploaded resume. We analyse both and show you a match score, missing skills, missing keywords, and detailed suggestions for improvement. The analysis compares your resume against the specific requirements of the job you are targeting, not generic benchmarks. Each missing keyword is highlighted so you can decide whether to add it naturally to your resume. See pricing for access details.
What is a match score?: The match score is a percentage that represents how well your resume aligns with the job description. It considers skills, keywords, qualifications, and experience. A higher score means your resume is more likely to pass ATS filtering for that specific role. Scores above 80% generally indicate a strong match, while scores below 50% suggest significant tailoring is needed.
What are missing keywords and skills?: Missing keywords are specific terms from the job description that appear in the posting but are absent from your resume. Missing skills are broader qualifications or competencies the employer requires that your resume does not currently demonstrate. Both are flagged so you can decide whether to add them legitimately to your resume or adjust your content to highlight existing experience more effectively.
How can I improve my match score?: Start by reviewing the missing keywords and skills we identified. For each one, check whether you have relevant experience that you can describe using the same terminology as the job description. Our AI Rewrite tool can help you rephrase existing bullet points to incorporate these keywords naturally. Focus on the highest-impact missing items first — those that appear multiple times in the job description or are listed as required qualifications.
Do I need the Job Search Pass to use it?: Yes. Job match analysis is a premium feature included with the one-time Job Search Pass (from $6.99 during launch, regularly $14.99). The free plan includes unlimited health checks; the pass adds job match analysis and AI rewrites. There is no subscription — one payment gives you 60 days of full access, and it simply expires at the end without any auto-renewal.

AI Resume Rewrites

Our AI Resume Rewrite feature helps you optimise your resume language without the risk of fabricating achievements. Here is how it works and what you can expect.

How do rewrites work?: Select a bullet point from your work experience or your professional summary, and our AI generates 1-2 alternative versions. The AI optimises your language — rephrasing to be more impactful and ATS-friendly — without changing your actual achievements or inventing new facts. Visit our Rewrite page to try it.
Does the AI fabricate achievements?: No. This is our core principle. If your bullet point says 'Increased sales,' the AI will not add a percentage. Missing metrics are marked as [X%] placeholders. Your resume stays truthful — we optimise the language, not the facts. We believe this is essential because fabricated achievements can cost you a job offer or damage your professional reputation if discovered.
What sections can I rewrite?: You can rewrite individual bullet points from your work experience and your professional summary. Each rewrite preserves the original meaning while improving the language, keyword density, and impact. The AI understands which phrasing patterns ATS systems recognise and adjusts accordingly.
Can I download the rewritten resume?: Yes. You can export your rewritten resume as a DOCX file with one click. The download preserves your formatting and includes all accepted rewrites. This makes it easy to submit your optimised resume directly to employers without having to manually copy changes back into your original document.
How many rewrites can I do?: With the Job Search Pass, you can do unlimited rewrites for 60 days. There is no per-day cap or per-resume limit. Each bullet point and your professional summary can be rewritten as many times as you like until you are satisfied with the result.

PDF vs DOCX: Which Format to Use

Choosing the right file format matters for both ATS compatibility and recruiter experience. Here is our guidance based on how different systems handle each format.

Which format is better for ATS?: Both PDF and DOCX are widely accepted by modern ATS systems. PDF preserves your formatting exactly but is harder to parse if it contains complex layouts. DOCX is easier for parsers to extract text from but may render differently depending on the system. We recommend plain, well-structured DOCX for maximum ATS compatibility, or simple single-column PDF if design consistency matters. Avoid using tables, columns, text boxes, or graphics in either format.
Can I upload both formats?: Yes. We accept both PDF and DOCX files up to 10MB. Both formats go through the same analysis pipeline, and the health check and job match results are equally accurate regardless of which format you choose.
Which format should I submit to employers?: Unless the employer specifies a format, PDF is generally preferred for final submission because it preserves your formatting across different devices and operating systems. For ATS optimisation, prioritise clean, single-column layouts in whatever format you choose. If an employer accepts both, upload a PDF to ensure your resume renders consistently.

Account & Billing

Managing your account and understanding our billing is straightforward. See pricing details for full information.

How do I reset my password?: Visit our forgot password page and enter your email address. We will send you a reset link. If you do not receive the email within a few minutes, check your spam folder and make sure you are using the email address associated with your account.
How long does the Job Search Pass last?: 60 days from the date of purchase. No auto-renewal — your access simply ends after 60 days. If you are still job hunting, you can purchase another pass at any time. The pass is tied to your account and cannot be transferred to another user.
How do I request a refund?: See our Refund Policy for full details. Refunds are available within 48 hours of purchase if no analyses or rewrites have been used. Contact our support team through the Contact page to request a refund.
What payment methods do you accept?: We accept all major credit and debit cards through our secure payment processor Stripe. All payments are processed securely and we do not store your payment information on our servers. Pricing is in Australian dollars (AUD).

Data Retention & Privacy

We take the privacy and security of your resume data seriously. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

How long do you keep my data?: Resumes and analysis results are automatically deleted after 7 days from upload. You can also delete them manually from your dashboard at any time. This 7-day retention period ensures your sensitive information does not remain on our servers longer than necessary while giving you enough time to complete your analyses and rewrites.
Is my resume data secure?: Yes. Your resume is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256). Only you can access your uploaded resumes. We never share or sell your data to third parties. AI processing is performed through secure provider APIs — your content is not used to train AI models. We comply with Australian privacy law (Privacy Act 1988) and treat your personal information with the highest level of care.
How do I delete my account?: Contact us through our Contact page with the subject “Data Deletion Request.” We will process it within 30 days as required by Australian privacy law. All your data, including uploaded resumes and analysis results, will be permanently deleted from our systems.
What happens to my data after the Job Search Pass expires?: Your account and uploaded resumes remain accessible even after your pass expires — you keep the free health check functionality. Only premium features (job match analysis, AI rewrites) become unavailable until you purchase a new pass. Your data is not deleted when the pass expires.
Where is my data stored?: Your data is stored on secure servers located in Australia. We use industry-standard cloud infrastructure with physical and logical access controls, encryption at rest and in transit, and regular security audits to protect your information.

Troubleshooting

Having issues? Here are solutions to common problems users encounter.

My resume uploaded but the analysis failed: This usually happens with scanned PDFs that do not contain extractable text. Try uploading a DOCX version or a digitally created PDF (not a scanned image). If the problem persists, ensure your file is under 10MB and is not password-protected.
The match score seems low: Low match scores are common if your resume is generic and not tailored to the specific job description. Try our AI Rewrite feature to optimise your bullet points and professional summary for the target role. Focus on incorporating the missing keywords and skills identified in the analysis.
I did not receive a password reset email: Check your spam or junk folder first. If it is not there, make sure you are using the correct email address — the one you registered with. If you still cannot find it, contact us through the Contact page and we will assist you manually.

Still have questions? Contact us. Back to HirePilot home.