CV check

What an applicant tracking system reads from your CV

Most applications pass through software first, and that software breaks your PDF down into plain text. This check shows you what survives and what gets lost.

The result is a good approximation, not a guarantee. Every system reads a little differently.

What the check looks at

Three questions that decide whether your details reach the candidate profile.

Is there any text at all?
A scan or a screenshot looks like a CV but holds no letter that software can read.
Does the order survive?
Columns and sidebars look good. Some systems fold them into each other while reading, and your phone number ends up inside your work experience.
Does it find your details?
Name, email, phone, sections and date ranges: whatever is missing here is missing from your candidate profile later.

What helps, what hurts

These rules hold almost everywhere. They cost you nothing, and they usually make your CV easier for people to read too.

Do this

One column, top to bottom.
The usual headings: work experience, education, skills, languages.
Month and year for every entry, for example 03/2021 to today.
Email and phone as text, right under your name.
A standard font such as Arial, Calibri or Helvetica.
Export as PDF straight from Word, Pages or Google Docs.

Avoid this

A sidebar, or two columns side by side.
Invented headings like “My journey” or “What I bring”.
Contact details only in the header or footer.
Anything that matters inside a graphic, a skills bar for example.
Icons instead of words for phone and email.
Scanning or photographing your CV.

Your CV stays with you

The whole check runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded, not stored and never sent to us. We only count that a check happened, with no file name and no contents.

Why does this matter?

When we apply, we want to make a good impression. That can backfire. Highly designed CVs in particular are not read properly by many applicant tracking systems. Your CV then fails the technical check, or your details end up in the wrong place.

The check shows you how most of these systems see your CV. The result is a good approximation, not a guarantee: every system tunes its parser a little differently, and some now handle columns cleanly. Treat it as a pointer to what is worth looking at.

If you apply through a website, or you see one of these logos, your CV is almost certainly read automatically. If you apply by email, a person usually looks at it first.

These systems read automatically