Free CV check
An honest read on your CV: what already works, the two to four things that would make the biggest difference, and whether a parser can read the file at all.
Short answer: upload or paste, and you get specific fixes rather than a score. Our server extracts uploaded files in memory. AI review requires your consent; no account is needed.
What it looks for
Two different failures, because a CV can fail either one on its own. The first is whether a machine can read it: if your contact details sit in a header, or your experience is inside a two-column layout, the parser may never see them and no amount of good writing helps.
The second is whether the writing earns a reader's attention. Most CVs describe responsibilities rather than results, which reads as a job description rather than a record of what someone did. The read here names where that happens in yours and what would fix it, rather than giving you a number out of ten.
The longer version of the mechanical checks is in the ATS-proof CV checklist, and the ATS CV checker shows you the exact text extracted from your file.
Fix it against a real job
Advice in the abstract only goes so far. Job Badger reads your CV against a specific posting, tells you honestly how well you match, and rewrites one weak bullet point for free so you can see the difference on your own material. Try it on a real posting →
Common questions
- How is this different from the ATS CV checker?
- The ATS checker asks whether a machine can read your CV: contact details, headings, dates, extraction gibberish. This one reads what the CV actually says and tells you where it is thin. One is about the file, the other is about the content, and a CV can fail either independently.
- Is my CV stored?
- No. Uploaded files are parsed in memory and the file is never written anywhere. The extracted text appears in the box so you can see and edit exactly what a parser sees. No account, no email, and the text is not kept after the check runs.
- Will it just tell me it looks great?
- No. It is written to name the two to four things that would make the biggest difference, and it will say when a CV is thin on evidence. Flattery would be easier to write and worth nothing to you.
- Does it rewrite my CV?
- Not here. It tells you what to change. Job Badger's main flow also rewrites one weak bullet point for free so you can see the difference on your own material.
- What file types work?
- PDF, DOCX and plain text. If a file will not parse, paste the text instead — and if your PDF produces gibberish when you copy from it, that is itself worth knowing, because it is what an applicant tracking system sees.
Sources
- Europass — European Commission — The EU's official CV standard and guidance.
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit — application guidance — The German federal employment agency on what a complete application contains.
Built by Nenad Franjic. The guidance here is tested against real applications and their outcomes — including the rejections — rather than written from a content brief.