Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most, each one pointing at the article that covers it properly.
Short answers to the questions we get asked most. Each one links to the article that covers it in full.
What is SkillSyncer?
SkillSyncer compares the resume you already have against the job you are actually applying to, tells you which of the posting's keywords you are missing, and helps you work them in. Every job you scan is kept in one tracker, so you can see where each application stands.
How many scans do I get?
Free accounts get 2 scan credits a week. Unused credits roll over and your balance caps at 10. Premium accounts have unlimited scans and spend no credits.
One scan costs 1 credit, whether it is a Smart Scan or a Classic Scan.
Do unused credits roll over?
Scan credits do. On a free account they accumulate week to week up to a balance of 10.
AI credits do not. The weekly refresh sets your balance to the full amount, 10 on Free and 250 on Premium, rather than adding to what was left, so there is nothing to gain by saving them.
See How AI credits work.
What is a keyword?
Any word or phrase that describes experience the posting is asking for. It can be a single word like "Technology" or a phrase like "Agile Project Management".
Every keyword in your report came out of the job description you pasted in, not from a generic industry list.
What is a good match score?
Aim for 80 or above before you apply. Below that, the fastest gains are almost always missing hard skills, because they carry 60 of the 100 points.
See What match score should I aim for?
Why does it say I'm missing a skill that's already on my resume?
Because the wording differs. We look for the exact term the posting used, so "NodeJS" on your resume does not match "Node.js" in the posting.
Letter case is never the cause, since matching is not case sensitive. Copy the keyword straight out of the report and use that spelling on your resume at least once.
See Why does it say I'm missing a skill that's already on my resume?
Do I have to rebuild my resume from scratch?
No. Upload the one you have been sending and we read it into editable sections, keeping your wording. It is a verification pass, not data entry.
See Upload your resume and we read it into sections.
Which file formats can I use?
Uploading: .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .txt, up to 10MB. The upload step inside the scan flow asks for PDF, DOC, or DOCX.
Exporting: PDF on every plan, DOCX on Premium.
Can I export to Word?
Yes, on Premium. Download DOCX sits alongside Download PDF in the builder's options.
PDF export is free on every plan and is what most employers and application forms expect. DOCX is for when a posting asks for Word, or you want an editable copy offline.
See Downloading as PDF or DOCX.
Does Premium make my match score better?
No. A free account and a Premium account scanning the same resume against the same job get the same number.
Every scan runs 11 checks, and only 3 of them touch the match score: skills, job title match, and degree match. The skills check is the largest of those, because it covers hard skills, soft skills, and other keywords as three separately weighted groups. The 4 checks Premium unlocks (Buzz Words, Verb Choice, First-person Language Check, Date Formatting) are all advisory. What Premium buys is the writing feedback, not a different score.
See ATS resume checks and Free vs Premium.
What is the difference between a Smart Scan and a Classic Scan?
Both run the same analysis, so the match score and the keyword report are the same either way. The difference is whether you use our resume builder. A Smart Scan uses a resume built here in an ATS ready template, so every issue is marked in place and you download a copy tailored to the job. A Classic Scan uses the text of the resume you already have. You can edit it here and watch your score move, but it is plain text with no template, so you carry the changes back to your own document or export the plain version.
Both cost 1 scan credit and both find the same keywords.
See Should I use a Smart Scan or a Classic Scan?
What is an AI credit?
The currency that pays for the AI writing tools. Bullet Point Generator costs 1, Keyword Boost 3, Full Rewrite 5, and Improve Resume Quality 5.
Scan credits are a separate balance, so running out of AI credits still leaves you able to scan, and the other way around.
See How AI credits work.
Does the AI rewrite my resume without asking?
No. Every suggestion is shown next to your original with the changes marked, and nothing is applied until you accept it. You can edit a suggestion before accepting it, or reject it.
The exception is Auto Optimize Resume in the classic scan editor, which applies its rewrite in one pass and bolds what it added so you can see the changes.
Why couldn't it read the job posting from that link?
Some job boards are private, some require a login, and some block automated readers outright. The answer in every case is the same: copy the description from the posting and paste it in.
The parse dialog also has a report button, and reporting a site is what puts it in front of us to fix, so it is worth the extra click.
See Why couldn't SkillSyncer read the job posting from that link?
Can I use this in another language?
English only today. The interface, the resume checks, and the keyword matching all work in English.
A resume written in another language will upload and scan, but the checks are reading for English wording, so the results will not tell you much. Keep an English version for scanning.
See Language support.
What types of payment do you accept?
Our payment provider Stripe processes all payments through its secure checkout, which accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
See Plans and pricing.
Can I cancel my Premium account?
Yes, at any time from your account settings. Your premium access stays active for the rest of the billing period you have already paid for, so canceling early costs you nothing you have bought.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, and you can do it yourself. Settings has a Delete your account section that removes your account and everything associated with it, and it cannot be undone.
You do not need to email anyone or wait on a reply to have it done.
Something is broken. Who do I ask?
Email support@skillsyncer.com, or use the chat widget in the corner of the page when it is open. Both reach the same people.
Before you write, the Troubleshooting collection covers the failures people hit most: uploads that come back blank, scans that will not run, exports that will not download, and payments that keep failing.