The latest articles on DEV Community by imran (@imranstack53). https://dev.to/imranstack53 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4177223%2F489f9b71-b87b-4f61-82b9-01d39423b1d2.jpg https://dev.to/imranstack53 en imran Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:49:10 +0000 https://dev.to/imranstack53/i-built-a-free-ats-resume-checker-with-zero-budget-and-got-it-indexed-by-google-in-a-day-3bbe https://dev.to/imranstack53/i-built-a-free-ats-resume-checker-with-zero-budget-and-got-it-indexed-by-google-in-a-day-3bbe <p>I'm Imran, a beginner developer from Pakistan. Last week I had an idea: job seekers keep getting rejected by Applicant Tracking Systems before a human ever reads their resume. The tools that check this are either paid or covered in ads. So I built my own — 100% free, no signup, no backend.</p> <p><strong>Try it:</strong> <a href="https://swiftcv.neocities.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://swiftcv.neocities.org/</a></p> <h2> What it does </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Resume builder with live preview</strong> — fill a form, watch 4 ATS-safe single-column templates build in real time</li> <li> <strong>ATS score checker</strong> — overall score plus section-wise A–D grades (Contact Details, Content, ATS Format)</li> <li> <strong>Bullet Coach</strong> — scores every bullet on action verbs, numbers, length, and weak phrases ("responsible for", "helped", "etc.") with specific fix tips</li> <li> <strong>Job-description keyword matcher</strong> — paste any job ad, see matched vs missing keywords</li> <li> <strong>PDF CV import</strong> — uploads your old CV and rebuilds it in ATS format (parsed 100% client-side with pdf.js)</li> <li> <strong>Cover letter builder</strong> — matching cover letter with one click</li> </ul> <h2> The tech (boring on purpose) </h2> <p>One HTML file, one CSS file, one JS file. No framework, no build step, no database, no server. Everything runs in the browser:</p> <ul> <li>Resume data lives in <code>localStorage</code> — it never leaves the user's device</li> <li>PDF parsing via pdf.js CDN with a heuristic section parser</li> <li>ATS scoring is ~40 hand-written checks (regex + heuristics), not an LLM — deterministic and instant</li> <li>Hosted free on Neocities, deployed by uploading 3 files</li> </ul> <p>Total cost so far: $0.</p> <h2> What I learned about SEO as a beginner </h2> <ol> <li> <strong>On-page SEO is free and fast</strong> — semantic HTML, a keyword-rich <code>&lt;title&gt;</code>, meta description, Open Graph tags, JSON-LD schema, <code>robots.txt</code>, <code>sitemap.xml</code>. Took one evening.</li> <li> <strong>Google Search Console is non-negotiable</strong> — submitted the sitemap, and the site was indexed within hours. Watching the "Performance" tab fill up with real queries is addictive.</li> <li> <strong>Backlinks &gt; everything else</strong> — the site ranks for its own name already; ranking for real keywords ("free ats resume builder") is a months-long game won with genuine links, not spam.</li> </ol> <h2> What's next </h2> <p>I'm adding more checks (readability, skill-gap analysis) and writing about each step. If you're job hunting, run your resume through it — and if a bullet gets flagged, the coach tells you exactly how to fix it.</p> <p>Repo/profile: <a href="https://github.com/IMRAN-stack53" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/IMRAN-stack53</a></p> <p><em>Built with vanilla JS and stubbornness. Feedback welcome in the comments.</em></p> javascript webdev career showdev