TL;DR
We uploaded a clean resume to three popular resume checkers. One claimed 0% parsed. One fabricated metrics. One turned side projects into fake jobs. Here’s what we found, and what to watch for.
We kept hearing the same thing from job seekers: “I uploaded my resume and it said I need to completely rewrite it.” So we ran a test.
We took a real resume from a junior full-stack developer and uploaded it to three popular resume checking tools to see what they’d actually find.
The resume was clean. PDF format. No tables, no weird formatting. Standard sections: contact info, summary, experience, projects, skills, education. The kind of resume that any applicant tracking system should parse without issues.
What we found wasn’t just inaccurate. It was concerning. We discovered three distinct patterns, all troubling. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- The Scare Tactic
- The Fabrication
- The Hallucination
- Why This Matters
- What Actually Helps
- How to Spot a Dishonest Resume Tool
The Resume
Alex taught himself to code during the pandemic. No CS degree, no bootcamp. Just documentation and stubbornness. He’s been freelancing for about a year, building real things for real clients. His resume includes:
- Contact info: Email, phone, LinkedIn URL
- Summary: Clear description of his tech stack
- Experience: One role with 7 bullet points
- Projects: 3 side projects with live URLs
- Skills: 5 organized categories (Frontend, Backend, Databases, DevOps, Tools)
- Education: Self-taught background with online resources
Nothing fancy. Nothing broken. Let’s see what the tools said.
The Scare Tactic: “0% Parsed”
One tool delivered an alarming verdict:
“Oh, no! We parsed only 0% of your resume successfully using an industry-leading ATS.”
Zero percent. From a clean, text-based PDF with standard formatting.
We ran the same resume through our parser. We extracted:
- All contact fields ✓
- Complete work history with dates ✓
- All 7 bullet points ✓
- All 3 projects ✓
- All 5 skill categories with 20+ individual skills ✓
The resume parsed fine. “0%” was theater designed to create panic.
The Fabrication: Metrics That Don’t Exist
This is where things got troubling.
One tool offered to “optimize” the resume with AI. Here’s what the original resume said:
“Applied basic automated testing and test-driven development principles to reduce regressions.”
Here’s what appeared in their “optimized” version:
“Reduced regressions by 20% through implementing automated testing in development process.”
That 20% metric doesn’t exist. The tool invented it.
It got worse. The tool added an entire “Key Achievements” section that wasn’t on the original resume:
- “Increased application efficiency by 30%”
- “Deployed 15+ web applications”
- “Designed a tech store platform handling over 1000 products”
None of these claims were on the original resume. The AI fabricated specific metrics and presented them as the candidate’s real accomplishments.
We sat with this for a minute. A tool that job seekers trust, that they pay for, is putting words in their mouths. Words they’ll have to defend in interviews they haven’t even gotten yet.
See how Soared handles your resume
We parse honestly and show real issues. We never fabricate content you'll have to defend in interviews.
Score your resume freeThe Hallucination: Fake Work History
The third tool did something we didn’t expect.
Alex had listed three side projects on his resume: a tech store app, a medical booking system, and a food delivery prototype. Personal projects. Learning exercises. Clearly labeled as “Projects.”
The tool turned them into job entries.
His side projects became employment history, complete with company names and date ranges that didn’t exist. His resume now showed work experience he never had.
This isn’t a parsing bug. It’s fabricating someone’s career.
This is the stuff that ends interviews before they start. “I see you worked at TechMart.” Except he didn’t, and now he has to explain why his resume says he did.
Why This Matters
If Alex used any of these “optimized” resumes and got an interview, imagine what happens:
Interviewer: “I see you improved application efficiency by 30%. Tell me about that.”
Alex: “I… what?”
Or worse:
Interviewer: “Tell me about your time at TechMart. What was your role there?”
Alex: “I’ve never worked at TechMart. That was a side project.”
He’d be caught in lies he never told. His credibility destroyed in the first five minutes. And he paid $20/month for the privilege.
What We Found: Summary
| What They Claimed | What Was True |
|---|---|
| "0% parsed successfully" | Resume parsed fine everywhere else |
| "Increased efficiency by 30%" | Made up. Not on the original resume. |
| Employment at "TechMart" | Was a side project, not a job |
What Actually Helps
Here’s what we believe resume tools should do:
Parse honestly. If the resume parses fine, don’t claim 0%.
Show real issues. Alex’s resume did have real problems. His bullets lacked quantified impact, and he repeated “designed” five times. Those are fixable. Those are real.
Help articulate, don’t fabricate. If a candidate built something meaningful, help them express it better. Don’t invent metrics they’ll have to defend in an interview.
Be transparent about what’s happening. When we suggest improvements, users should know exactly what’s being changed and why.
How to Spot a Dishonest Resume Tool
Before trusting any resume checker, run these checks:
-
Did it find your basic info? Your email, phone, LinkedIn should all be there. If it missed obvious stuff, don’t trust the rest.
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Compare the “optimized” version to your original. Did they add claims you never made? Metrics you never measured?
-
Watch for invented numbers. “Increased X by 30%” that wasn’t on your resume is a fabrication, not an optimization.
-
Check your work history. Did your side projects become jobs? Did companies appear that you’ve never worked for?
Job searching is hard enough. You’re already doubting yourself, wondering if your experience is good enough, if your resume says the right things. The last thing you need is a tool that lies to you, or worse, makes you lie to someone else.
Your resume is your story. It should be yours to tell.
FAQs
Do resume checkers fabricate content?
Some do. We found tools adding metrics like "30% improvement" that weren't on the original resume, even turning side projects into fake employment history. This puts candidates at risk in interviews.
How do I know if a resume tool is honest?
Check the basics first. Is your contact info detected? Does your work history match what you submitted? If a tool misses obvious information or adds content you didn't write, don't trust the rest.
Are ATS scores meaningful?
Often not. We saw "0% parsed" on a resume that worked perfectly everywhere else. Focus on whether your content is extracted correctly, not the score itself.
What should a good resume tool do?
Parse accurately. Show real issues. Help you articulate your experience better, not fabricate achievements you'll have to explain later.