CV tools
Two free tools for anyone applying for an apprenticeship. Both follow written rules you can read, and neither uses AI: the same CV always gets the same answer.
Check your CV
Upload a PDF or Word file, or paste the text. See how an ATS is likely to read it, what to fix first, and how it fits a role you pick.
Build a CV
Fill in a form with a live score as you type, then print a clean single-column CV as a PDF with real text. Two templates; saved in your browser.
Your CV stays on your device
- The PDF and Word readers and the word list download from this site the first time you use them, like the rest of the page. They send nothing back.
- Choosing a role sends only what you type in the search box; the role's details come back to your browser and the comparison happens there.
- The builder saves to your browser's storage as you type. If you sign in, you can also choose to save a copy to your account, and delete it again.
What it cannot tell you
- It is a heuristic, not an employer's applicant tracking system (ATS). Workday, SuccessFactors, Greenhouse and the rest each read CVs differently, and none publishes its rules.
- A high score means nothing we know of will trip a parser and the writing follows widely given UK careers advice. It does not mean you will be shortlisted.
- Column and table detection works from where text sits on the page; unusual layouts can fool it.
- Word documents have no fixed pages, so their page count is an estimate (about 450 words a page).
- The spelling list is offline and small, so names, places and specialist words are often flagged.
- Comparing with a role uses the advert's structured fields and our short summary, never the full advert. Read the advert for anything else it asks for.
- It reads text, not judgement: ask a teacher or careers adviser to read your CV too.
What the checker looks at
44 rules in seven areas (ruleset 2026.10.2). Each area scores 0 to 100; the overall score is their weighted average, less a point or three for each problem found.
- Parseability
- Whether a parser can read the file at all: real text, one column, no layout tables, standard headings, length.
- Contact details
- Name, email, phone and town at the top; nothing an employer should not ask for, such as your date of birth.
- Structure
- A personal statement, Education and experience with dates, in reverse order, without unexplained gaps.
- Writing
- Bullet points that start with an action, show a result, and avoid clichés and “I”.
- Spelling
- Words not in a British English dictionary, and American spellings. Names are often flagged, so these are hints.
- Length and readability
- Word count, sentence length and reading level.
- Relevance to a role
- Only when you pick a role: its skills, qualifications and the employer's published entry requirements.
How to read a score
- Strong
- 85 and above
- Good
- 70 to 84
- Needs work
- 50 to 69
- Weak
- 0 to 49
Some problems cap the score however good the rest is: no readable text caps it at 15, a CV under 150 words at 45, no email at 50, two columns at 75. The report says which cap applied and how to lift it.
- Check your CV
- Fix what is flagged
- Compare with a role
- Apply
- Check your CV
- Fix what is flagged
- Compare with a role
- Apply