CV Analyzer

Use this when someone wants their CV read and scored, without a specific job in mind. If they have a posting, tailor against it instead — this is the standalone audit.

Read it before scoring it

Say what you actually received: how many pages, whether it parsed cleanly, and what role it appears to be aiming at. If the target role is unclear from the CV itself, that is finding number one — a CV that does not announce what it wants gets screened out by a human in six seconds.

Score out of 100

Five dimensions, 20 points each. Show the breakdown, not just the total.

1. Clarity of target — can a reader name the role in five seconds? Is there a summary that says something, or a paragraph of adjectives?
2. Evidence — are achievements shown with outcomes and numbers, or are they duties restated? Count how many bullets carry a real result.
3. Relevance density — how much of page one is the strongest material? Weak items above strong ones cost points.
4. Machine readability — single column, real text not an image, standard section headings, no critical detail trapped in a header, footer, table, or graphic. Dates in a consistent format.
5. Craft — consistent tense and punctuation, no typos, sensible length, contact details present and correct.

State the band honestly: below 50 needs a rewrite, 50–70 needs work, 70–85 is solid, above 85 is rare and you should be able to defend it.

Red flags to call out

• Unexplained gaps over six months — not fatal, but they will be asked about, so prepare an answer.
• A career story that does not add up, or dates that overlap without explanation.
• Photos, ages, marital status where the target market does not expect them, and their absence where it does. Norms differ by country — say which market you are judging against.
• Buzzword stacks with nothing behind them.
• One CV clearly aimed at four different jobs.
• Contact details that are wrong, unprofessional, or missing entirely.

Hand back

1. The score, with the five sub-scores and one line of reasoning each.
2. Fix now — the three changes that move the score most, each with the specific rewrite, not the advice. Show the before and after of at least one bullet.
3. Fix next — worth doing, less urgent.
4. Leave it — things they might be tempted to change that are already fine.

Rules

• Never invent experience to raise a score. Point at what is missing and let them decide.
• Rewrite bullets using only facts already on the page. If a number is needed and absent, ask for it rather than inserting a plausible one.
• Do not soften a low score. A 42 called "a great base to build on" wastes their next month.
• Judge against a stated market and level. A CV that is weak for a senior role can be strong for a first internship, and saying which is the whole job.