How the free ATS CV audit is scored

Step 1: text extraction

The text is extracted from your PDF, DOC or DOCX file. If a PDF contains no extractable text (for example a scanned image), the audit reports that the file is an image and that text-based ATS parsers cannot read it.

Step 2: signals measured

• Contact details found (email, phone, links).
• Number of recognised standard sections.
• Proportion of unusual symbols and of bullet-point lines.
• Word count (flagged when very short or very long).
• Share of lines with numbers, share of lines starting with action verbs, and weak or generic phrases.
• Average bullet length, long paragraphs, repetition and first-person wording.
• Presence of a profile or summary section.

Step 3: four scores

Each score starts from a fixed base and loses fixed points for each issue. The overall score weights ATS compatibility 30%, impact 30%, content 25% and structure 15%.

• ATS compatibility — contact details, sections, symbols, length and bullets.
• Professional impact — quantified results, action verbs, weak phrases and profile.
• Content strength — bullet length, paragraphs, repetition and first-person wording.
• Structure — sections, bullets, paragraphs, symbols and length.

What the paid revision does differently

After payment, the revised CV is generated with an AI model from your uploaded CV and delivered as a PDF. Scanned CVs are read with text recognition before revision. The expert rewrite add-on is written by a person at Work Waves.

Limitations

The audit does not test your CV inside any specific ATS product and does not know an employer's screening rules. It highlights common issues; it is not a guarantee of interviews.