Keyword Gap Analysis
Updated February 2026

Stop Guessing Which Keywords Matter. See the Gaps in 30 Seconds

Tracking jobs does not get interviews. Actions do. Paste the job description, see exactly which keywords are missing from your CV, and fix them before the ATS ever sees it.

Free to start · No credit card required

Quick Answer· Updated 2026-02-28

ApplyArc is a free resume keyword analyser that extracts critical keywords from any job description and checks whether your CV includes them. It shows keyword frequency, placement, and missing terms that could cost you interviews.

You're applying to 'project manager' roles but your CV says 'team lead' everywhere. Same job, different words. ATS doesn't understand synonyms.

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You Could Read the Job Description 10 Times and Still Miss Critical Keywords

ATS systems are literal. They look for exact matches. If the posting says "stakeholder management" and your CV says "working with stakeholders," some systems won't count it. You need a tool that shows the gaps instantly, not another round of manual guesswork.

Invisible gaps

You can't spot what's missing by re-reading your own CV. Confirmation bias means you see what you expect, not what the ATS expects.

Wrong priorities

Not all keywords matter equally. Without ranking them by importance, you waste time adding terms that barely move the needle.

Unnatural stuffing

Adding keywords randomly makes your CV read like a word salad. Recruiters notice. And reject. Keyword-stuffed CVs immediately.

Three Steps to Close Every Keyword Gap

01

Upload your CV

Drop your CV into ApplyArc. The AI parses every word, phrase, and skill. No special formatting required.

02

Paste the job description

Copy the target role's posting. ApplyArc maps every requirement, qualification, and keyword to your CV content in seconds.

03

See exactly what to add and where

Get a prioritised gap list with natural placement suggestions. Summary, bullet points, or skills section. No guesswork left.

What You Actually Get

Not a vague keyword cloud. Precise, prioritised actions you can take right now.

Exact Keyword Gaps

See every keyword and phrase the job description demands that your CV is missing. No guesswork. Just a clear list of what to add.

Priority Ranking

Keywords ranked by frequency and importance. Fix the high-impact ones first so you get the biggest ATS score boost in the least time.

Natural Placement Suggestions

Every missing keyword comes with a suggestion for where to place it. Summary, a specific bullet, or your skills section. So it reads naturally.

ATS Compatibility Check

Beyond keywords, the analyser flags formatting issues that prevent ATS systems from parsing your CV correctly. Fix both content and structure.

Your AI Career Coach

Not sure which keywords to prioritise? Ask the Coach. It knows which ones hiring managers actually look for in your industry. not just what's in the job description, but what separates shortlisted candidates from the rest.

🤖 AI Career Coach

"Your CV matches 14 of 23 keywords from this job description. The 3 highest-impact gaps: ‘cross-functional collaboration’, ‘data-driven decision-making’, and ‘agile methodology’. Add ‘cross-functional collaboration’ to bullet 2 in your current role. it's the #1 phrase in product manager postings this quarter."

The Coach goes beyond keyword matching. It understands industry context, role expectations, and hiring trends. So your CV doesn't just pass the ATS, it impresses the human who reads it next. That's an action system, not a word counter.

See Your CV the Way an ATS Sees It

❌ Before keyword analysis

  • "Worked with various teams on projects"
  • "Responsible for improving processes"
  • "Helped with data analysis tasks"
  • "Good communication skills"
  • ATS match: 38%. Auto-rejected

After keyword analysis

  • "Led cross-functional collaboration across 4 departments on product launches"
  • "Drove process optimisation reducing cycle time by 32%"
  • "Conducted data-driven decision-making using SQL and Tableau dashboards"
  • "Presented stakeholder management updates to C-suite quarterly"
  • ATS match: 87%. Shortlisted

Stop Guessing. Start Matching.

Paste a job description and see every keyword gap in your CV. In under 30 seconds. Know exactly what to fix before you hit apply.

5 AI generations per month · No credit card required

Resume Keyword Questions

ApplyArc compares your CV against the target job description word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase. It identifies exact-match keywords the ATS is scanning for, ranks them by frequency and importance, and flags every gap. You see a prioritised list. Not a vague suggestion to 'add more keywords'.

Yes. And that's exactly why this tool exists. ATS systems are literal: if the job description says 'stakeholder management' and your CV says 'working with stakeholders', some systems won't match it. The keyword analyser shows you which exact phrases to mirror so you can tailor in minutes, not hours.

Keyword stuffing hurts more than it helps. Recruiters spot it instantly and ATS systems can penalise it. ApplyArc suggests natural placements: weaving keywords into your summary, bullet points, and skills section so they read authentically while still matching what the ATS expects.

Hard matches are exact phrases from the job description (e.g., 'Python', 'project management'). Soft matches are synonyms or related terms the ATS may also accept. ApplyArc flags both and tells you which ones are critical versus nice-to-have, so you prioritise the right changes first.

Yes. You can start with 5 AI generations per month at no cost, no credit card required. That's enough to analyse your CV against a job description, see all keyword gaps, and make your first round of fixes. Premium unlocks unlimited analyses for every application.