Jobscan provides a powerful job search tool for job seekers to help build your resume by checking it against certain Applicant Tracking System criteria. These systems are used by employers to automatically select qualified applicants before a human even sees the resume. With Jobscan, you upload your resume along with the job posting and job description you are applying for, and they provide information about how likely you are to get an interview. This is a different take than most resume builders out there that don’t give as much detail from an employer’s perspective. In recent years they’ve added a significant number of tools, including their own resume builder. They also have a free trial so that you can get started with no risk.
Jobscan is a resume optimization tool designed to help job seekers tailor their resumes based on a specific job posting. Jobscan looks at your resume from an Applicant Tracking System perspective, which companies often use to screen applicants. In fact, over 95% of medium and large-sized companies use an ATS.
If you don’t know what these systems are looking for, then your resume can be filtered out before even getting looked at by a recruiter.
By targeting your resume to the job posting and using keywords from the job posting, you can make it more likely you’ll get past this first line of scrutiny.
Jobscan’s pricing is similar to other resume builders as it offers different tiers of pricing. You can select from a free forever plan that gives you 2 free match rate calculations and 2 keyword comparisons per month. With the free version you have a limited scan history of 2 scans, and you will have access to the Resume Manager and Jobscan learning center. That’s a good number of tools completely free forever.
After this you will need to upgrade to one of their premium plans.
One Month Free – $89/ 3 months – This plan comes with a one month free trial and costs $89.95 for every 3 month period afterwards. It allows for cancellation anytime during the free trial period. You also have the option to pay on a monthly basis but you do not get the free month.
The 3 month package is automatically billed every 3 months, so don’t forget to cancel if you no longer need the service.
Monthly – $49.95/month – If you are relatively certain you won’t need the service for long, then you can pay $49.95 for one month of service. Again, you will need to cancel if you no longer need the service.
If you think you may need more than one month of their services, the 3-month plan is undoubtedly their best package.
Regardless of which paid version you opt for, you’ll get access to an large set of tools. Here’s a list of what you get in either paid plan:
| Free Trial | 3 Months | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes | No |
| Price | Free | $89.95 - After 1 free month | $49.95 |
| Match Rate Calculations | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Keyword Comparisons | 5 | Included | Included |
| Resume Manager | Included | Included | Included |
| LinkedIn Optimization | No | Included | Included |
| Scan History | 20 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
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A truly unique job search feature offered by Jobscan for job seekers is the match rate helping to match your resume to a specific job posting. There are some other resume builders that will match you to different jobs in their database of job listings, but this is different.
By using technology similar to an Applicant Tracking System, Jobscan is looking at your resume through the lens of the potential employer. You then get specific feedback and that can help tailor your resume for that job posting. This match rate is a great method for resume optimization in the world of AI.
This tool goes into detail about many of the different skill sets you may need for the specific job. These include what they call hard and soft skills and other keyword-specific skills.
After looking at your skills and match rate in relation to your job listing, Jobscan also compares your skills against their own job database. You will see a list of other job recommendations based on what they see in your resume.
Jobscan starts by analyzing your resume and its gaps when being reviewed by an Applicant Tracking System. It is especially valuable in showing the skills and keywords you can add to improve your resume. It will also look through the Job Title, Education, Section Headings, and Date Formatting to ensure they match the potential job opportunity and are formatted correctly.
Jobscan realizes that an ATS is only part of the process of getting an interview. You also have to account for actual recruiters and what they are looking for. To help with this, they’ve conducted interviews with recruiters to determine resume best practices.
Here you will find useful information regarding Word Count, Measurable Results, Job Level Match, and Words to Avoid. For instance, job seekers sometimes forget that recruiters don’t want a resume that takes too long to read. Keeping it to a certain length increases the chances that a recruiter will take the time to read everything. It also keeps you focused on key data points like specific results you’ve had in previous jobs.
Some of the components of Jobscan reviews seem complex and go far beyond what most people consider in their resumes. Each section has detailed explanations so you can understand precisely why the section is important to your resume.
A new feature offered is an in-depth review of formatting and content analysis for ATS and recruiters. This tool digs into the specifics of document formatting, image formatting, fonts, and page sizes. For example, recruiters often need to print your resume. Jobscan can help flag any sizing issues of your document to avoid embarrassing issues.
These are skills learned through specific education or job experience. Communicating these skills and matching them with a specific job is critical. Jobscan makes this easy by matching your skills against the job description and showing you the gaps. You will get an easy-to-read summary of the skills you need to add in order to better match the qualifications.
According to Jobscan, these skills aren’t quite as important as the hard skills above but are still worth optimizing. They look at things like passion, innovation, competitiveness, and judgment. While these things might not land you a job with no hard skills, they certainly are complimentary.
Jobscan doesn’t stop at hard and soft skills. It analyzes job postings for other keywords and alerts you to any gaps in your resume. This helps give you a snapshot of any other skills that might help you land the job and get through the initial resume screening process.
Lastly, this tool can output a list of job recommendations powered by Indeed. By taking all the facets already discussed above and then applying that to current job postings, you get a relevant list of jobs you might be interested in.
While Jobscan’s core functionality is not to improve your cover letter, they do provide a cover letter analyzer. The analyzers looks at a few key data points including, word count, contact info, company info, measurable results, and words to avoid.
They also provide resources including a cover letter writing guide, formats, templates, and examples.
While these are all beneficial tools, you probably don’t need Jobscan just for cover letter purposes. But chances are if you’re improving a cover letter, you’d be well served to analyze your entire resume.
Jobscan’s resume manager allows you to upload multiple resumes and look at the hard and soft skills matched from previous resumes.
Don’t mistake this tool for a traditional resume builder where you are saving and downloading the final version of a resume. Jobscan’s resume manager is meant to track the history of job searches and how you might improve your resume.
The Jobscan resume builder is now a built-in feature that makes resume writing quick and easy. It creates resumes that accurately autofill into any job application and formats them for applicant tracking systems (ATS). This is a brilliant resume optimization method because it uses the criteria most businesses will want to see when filtering out resumes.
To streamline the resume writing process, Jobscan resume builder uses things like keywords, industry-specific jargon, and job descriptions to create accurate resume templates based on what employers are looking for. This way, users don’t have to manually go through the arduous process of making each individual resume template themselves because they can simply upload their information into the resume builder and let it do the work.
While Jobscan does not function as a traditional resume builder, this feature does allow for resume editing. The Power Edit feature allows you to upload your resume in Word doc format and then edit alongside keyword and formatting suggestions.
This allows you to keep an eye on your overall score as you make changes. When your work is complete, you can then export your final resume.
Jobscan does offer many different ATS-friendly resume templates and a premium cover letter template.
Jobscan has broken its resume templates out by the level of experience. Starting with classic resume templates, Jobscan has three options depending on how you would like to format your resume. Choose from chronological, hybrid, or functional. Chronologic is great for a formal resume, whereas the hybrid is the most versatile and popular for most resumes today. However, the functional template is a good starting point if you are changing careers or masking some holes in your resume.
Next, Jobscan offers Senior Level and Executive resume templates. These templates put a higher emphasis on the results you’ve delivered to an organization. They also call out critical soft skills for many executives, like leadership, innovation, and an entrepreneurial drive.
While similar to executive templates, Jobscan management resume templates offer some slight differences. These templates attempt to convey growth, deep industry experience, and interpersonal skills.
If you haven’t made it to the management level yet, but have surpassed entry-level, then Jobscan has mid-career level templates. These templates focus more on a candidate’s ability to execute along with the appropriate hard skills you’ve gained.
Last but not least, Jobscan offers new graduate resume templates. These templates move your education to the top and expand on the college experience from there. They allow you to explain the details of the clubs, honors, coursework, and other things you did in school while preparing for the workforce.
This coupled with the powerful analysis tools can give you a major leg up when applying for jobs.
Jobscan also offers LinkedIn optimization for premium accounts. Given the growing popularity of this social media platform with companies and recruiters, it’s important to have it updated.
You will need to have a premium account in order to use the LinkedIn optimization features. You get these with both types of premium accounts, but if it’s the only reason you are using Jobscan, then you might consider a monthly plan rather than three months.
Jobscan also offers a learning center similar to other resume builder companies. This resource center can help you with writing your resume and resume templates. It also offers handy guides on writing cover letters and your LinkedIn profile.
Most importantly, it has a tutorial on searching for your job. Here you will find Applicant Tracking Systems explained and other helpful information to land the perfect job.
Jobscan offers two free options. One of them is not on a trial basis but is a free forever plan. While you will have significantly reduced functionality, it does give you the ability to conduct a couple of scans of your resume with no risk of being charged.
The Jobscan free trial comes with their 3-month package discussed above in the pricing sections. With the exception of the LinkedIn Optimization functionality, the free trial comes fully equipped. That makes signing up for a full-service account fairly risk-free. Jobscan clearly thinks you find adequate value in their tools given you can cancel the trial at any period during the free period.
Keep in mind that you will have the option to opt out of the free trial if you want the LinkedIn Optimization tool immediately. So if that’s one of the main tools you’re looking for, then be prepared to select a paid plan from the outset.
Another reason we like Jobscan is their very positive online reviews across different platforms.
They have a 4.5-star rating on TrustPilot with 40 reviews and 92% of those reviews being a 5-star rating.
The main issue with a couple of negative reviews at TrustPilot focused more on the free trial moving into the paid subscription than the tool itself. As with any subscription service, you do need to be mindful of free trial periods, and canceling the service before being charged.
BBB Reviews – They also have a 5-star rating at the BBB (although they only have one customer review at the BBB) and that’s historically very hard to do.
The most telling part of their BBB A+ rating is the lack of customer complaints. We find the BBB is often used more when customers are dissatisfied with a product or service. This is why it can be so difficult to have a high review rating on the site.
Jobscan only has one complaint in the last three years which was promptly closed. That points to a business with good practices and one that’s attentive to customer support issues.
Reddit Reviews – The reviews of JobScan on Reddit were again mostly positive, and give some good feedback. Most reviewers thought the keyword tool was very useful but rightly cautioned that JobScan is just a tool in the overall process. You need to make sure your resume is well crafted outside of the metric that JobScan provides you.
If you’re not comfortable writing your resume in general, you can also employ resume writing services to assist you.
Jobscan is a tool that can help anyone with a job search, but it’s especially useful for certain situations.
Because Jobscan is a premium tool, you’ll want to make sure you’re serious about your job search. If that’s not the case then you’re simply throwing your money away.
Here’s a list of the people that can benefit the most from a tool like Jobscan.
When it comes to ATS resume scanners you don’t have a ton of options, but Jobscan and Skillsyncer are going to be two of your go-to options.
They both offer a free ATS resume scanner option with the ability to upgrade to premium plans. But which offers more bang for the buck and is likely the best choice for your needs?
Overall – When it comes to the overall product offering, Jobscan offers more than Skillsyncer. While both products have robust scanning abilities for your resume, Jobscan has additional capabilities that make it the overall winner. That includes LinkedIn optimization, cover letter optimization, templates, and more.
Pricing – In terms of price, Skillsyncer is a much cheaper option than Jobscan, and that’s consistent with the features offered. You can get access to Skillsyncer for just $12.95/month, whereas Jobscan is going to cost you around $30/month (that’s the quarterly pricing for both services).
If you’re looking for a budget option, and only need your resume scanned for keywords, then Skillsyncer is worth a try. But if you’re looking for the most robust solution to help you perfect your resume, then Jobscan has more to offer, just with a steeper price tag.
Online reviews – Both of these ATS resume scanning services were reviewed on TrustPilot, and currently, Jobscan is the clear winner in this category. Skillsyncer only has three reviews and is only getting a 2.8-star rating. As discussed above, Jobscan has 40 reviews and is sporting a 4.7-star rating.
Based on these reviews, it appears Jobscan is a more well-established service and is delivering happy customers.
We could not find any reviews on Skillsyncer at the BBB, but we will continue to look, monitor, and update this review if we find any.
Jobscan has some overlapping features with traditional resume builders, but it’s core value proposition is different.
Jobscan is an ATS resume scanning tool that scans your existing resume and evaluates how likely you are to get past an ATS system. While Jobscan does now have a resume builder and templates for you to use, it’s main benefit remains the ATS scanning feature.
The best traditional resume builders are solely focused on helping you create a resume. They do a great job of giving you different formatting options and helping you develop talking points for certain career opportunities.
So if you’re looking to upgrade a current resume and tailor it to a specific job opportunity, you should be using Jobscan.
If, on the other hand, you’re starting from scratch and just need a well-manicured resume to get started, you can most likely get away with a generic resume builder.
Jobscan currently offers most of their support via online FAQ’s and tutorials. The tool is relatively straight forward, and for most questions, these online tools will do the trick.
If you have additional questions, they offer support over email, but no phone or chat support. If you’re concerned about needing individual assistance to use this tool, it may not be the right product for you.
Jobscan provides an enormous amount of data compared to traditional resume builders. This tool doesn’t just deliver something that will look good, but something with much more value. If your resume can’t make it through the front door, who cares how pretty it is. Not only does Jobscan provide adequate templates, but it delivers real-world data making it more likely you will get an interview.
They not only take into account ATS systems but recruiter variables as well. This deals with the reality that some aspects of getting a job may rest in the program, while others rely on an actual person seeing and reviewing your resume.
How long does the free trial last?
Jobscan’s current free trial period is for 30 days and includes all functionality other than the LinkedIn Optimization tool. If you want this tool you will need to opt-out of the free trial period.
Is Jobscan a Resume Builder?
While the core function of Jobscan is to help optimize your resume for an applicant tracking system, they do now have their own resume builder. If all you need is the resume builder functionality, you will find other less expensive options on the market. But if you are looking for a tool help improve your resume for a specific job posting, then Jobscan is great for you.
Can you cancel the free trial?
You can cancel at any time during the free trial period. If you do cancel on or before the trial expiration date, you will not be charged.
Is Jobscan free?
There is a free version of Jobscan that you can use without signing up for a paid plan. See the details above in our pricing section for the functionality you will get with that free plan. Additionally, you can take advantage of the 30-day free trial offered with their 3-Month membership plan.
Is Jobscan accurate?
Jobscan is accurate and has been shown to help thousands of users tailor their resumes to specific job offerings. Their system looks at the criteria an ATS system is looking for, and then backs into what elements your resume should contain for a job posting.
Is Jobscan worth it?
Considering the value of landing a job, a tool like Jobscan is worth it for many job seekers. Considering many applications never get to the point of being reviewed by human eyes because they don’t pass the ATS system, Jobscan can greatly improve your chances of getting a specific job.
How much does Jobscan cost?
Jobscan has a variety of payment options including a free plan with trimmed-down functionality. From there you will have the option to select a 3-month plan for $89.95 every 3 months or pay monthly for $49.95
When we talk about alternatives to Jobscan, realize that not all of them are comparing apples to apples. Jobscan really is unique when it comes to resume builders because it uses the ATS process and works backward to help identify improvement points.
That said, if you are looking for a traditional resume builder, there are a number of alternatives we’ve listed below. Keep in mind, these resume builders are intended more for generating a larger amount of content to help fill out your resume with relevant experience.
Jobscan also has a traditional builder but excels at analyzing existing resume content against an actual job posting. While these alternatives may help to identify job opportunities based on your experience, they won’t recommend changes to your resume based on the content of that posting.
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Jobscan fits into a different mold than most resume builders and fills a needed niche. For job seekers looking to understand how your content matches up to an existing job posting, consider Jobscan. If you need more assistance with design, you may want to check out a traditional resume builder, but Jobscan resume templates and improved resume builder make a viable option across the board.
You won’t find many other resume builders that will scan your resume against a specific job posting and give you quality feedback.
The ability to have your LinkedIn profile optimized at the same time is a huge value-added benefit.
Jobscan continues to improve product features making it even more competitive with other resume builders on the market. But the sheer amount of actionable data provided is unmatched.
At the end of the day, we believe Jobscan is worth the price. But if nothing else, give the free trial a run and make a decision for yourself.
