Free CV check: find out what your CV is missing.
Upload your CV and we check it for the details an ATS has to read. An ATS is the software employers use to pre-sort applications. You see missing dates, roles without numbers and unexplained gaps straight away.
- Servers in Switzerland
- No account: deleted after 24 hours
Is your CV ATS-friendly? Resume Copilot's free CV check doubles as an ATS check: you upload your file without an account and get a score out of 100 and concrete findings in about ten seconds. It shows whether an ATS, the software employers use to pre-sort applications, can read your details.
- Score out of 100
- Findings tied to lines in your CV
- Checks what an ATS reads
What gets checked: Contact details · Profile summary · Role descriptions · Numbers in your bullets · Bullet length · Dates · Timeline gaps · Skills list · Education · Languages · Overall length
The check takes care of the form. You win the recruiter's attention by tailoring.
Check your CV
A score and findings, most of them anchored to a line in your CV.
Fix the findings
Add what's missing in your own file, in Word or wherever you wrote it.
Tailor it to the job ad
Resume Copilot rewrites your real CV for one specific advert, in about 60 seconds.
Getting your CV checked: this check, a person or ChatGPT?
There are four common ways to get your CV checked in Germany: this check, a person such as a careers adviser, ChatGPT, or the Federal Employment Agency (Arbeitsagentur). The check is the fastest and covers form and completeness. A person is better at judging how your CV comes across.
| What matters | This checkResume Copilot, automatic | A personCareers adviser or review service | ChatGPTa general AI chat | Employment agencyCV check by your local Arbeitsagentur |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | This checkFreeNo trial, no card. | A personUsually paidPrices start at around 30 euros; a few services are free. | ChatGPTFree to useThe free plan limits uploads; the paid plans allow more. | Employment agencyMostly freeSeveral agencies describe their check as free. What is offered differs from agency to agency. |
| Time to result | This checkAbout ten secondsNo appointment, no waiting for a reply. | A personOften two to five working daysFor a surcharge it is sometimes faster. | ChatGPTSecondsYou write the question yourself. | Employment agencyDepends on the agencySome invite you to an appointment, others check by email. How long you wait depends on what your local office offers. |
| Account or email needed | This checkNoYou upload the file without an account. | A personUsually yesYou send the file by email or upload it to the provider. | ChatGPTDependsWith an account, ChatGPT saves your chats in your history. | Employment agencyDepends on the offerSome appointments are booked online, others need no registration, and some checks run by email. |
| Checks structure and ATS readability | This checkYesEleven fixed tests; most findings point to the line. | A personPartlySome services test ATS readability explicitly, others do not. | ChatGPTPartlyOnly what you ask about, and answers can differ from one try to the next. | Employment agencyPartlyChecks cover things like completeness and mistakes. How closely depends on the adviser. |
| Judges style and impact | This checkNoThat takes a person reading your CV. | A personYesA person reads your CV and tells you how it comes across. | ChatGPTPartlyAnswers can contain mistakes; under its terms of use you check them yourself. | Employment agencyPartlyYou get pointers for possible improvements, in conversation or as comments on your file. |
| Knows German CV conventions | This checkYesExpects language levels and flags gaps from six months. | A personUsuallyIf the person knows the German market. | ChatGPTPartlyThere is no fixed test for it; you have to ask for it. | Employment agencyYesThe Federal Employment Agency publishes its own CV guidance. |
| Where your file goes | This checkOn servers in SwitzerlandWithout an account, it is deleted after 24 hours. | A personTo the reviewerAsk how long they keep it. | ChatGPTAlso on US serversChats may be used for training by default; you can switch that off in the settings. | Employment agencyTo your local agencyYou bring the documents or email them to the career information centre (BiZ). |
A sensible order: let the check sort out the form first, then ask a person how your CV comes across.
What is an ATS, and how does it read your CV?
ATS stands for applicant tracking system. Employers use it to collect incoming applications, pre-sort them and pass them on to the hiring team. If you apply through a careers portal or an online form, there is usually one of these systems behind it.
The system reads your file and splits its content into fields: name and contact details, roles with dates, education, skills and languages. Recruiters later search and filter within those fields, for example by years of experience, by a particular piece of software or by language level. Anything the system cannot assign to a field won't show up in those searches, even if it is in your file.
So for an ATS, what counts first is whether a detail is there and where it sits. Without dates, your years of experience can't be worked out. Without a separate skills section, nobody finds the software they are filtering for. And without a phone number or email address, the very field used to invite you to interview stays empty. Those are the details the CV check looks at.
How the ATS check calculates your score
The check works in two steps. First, an AI reads your CV and sorts its content into fields like the ones an ATS creates. Then eleven checks run over those fields, and they follow fixed rules. The same details therefore always produce the same score, and when the number moves, the findings tell you why.
Each check carries a fixed weight, and together they add up to 100 points. A passed check earns its full points, one marked “Check” earns half and one marked “Critical” earns none. The total is your score. Under each check you can see what earns it full points.
Role descriptions
14 pointsEvery role has at least one bullet under it.
Numbers in your bullets
14 pointsAt least 40 percent of your bullets contain a number, which turns a duty into evidence.
Dates
12 pointsEvery role has a start date, and every finished one has an end date.
Contact details
10 pointsName, email, phone and location are all there — an applicant system can fill every field.
Skills list
10 pointsFive to thirty skills: enough to match against, few enough to mean something.
Bullet length
8 pointsAll bullets sit in a readable range — no fragments, no paragraphs.
Timeline gaps
8 pointsThe longest break between roles is five months or less — that reads as continuous.
Profile summary
6 pointsYour profile summary is the right length: enough for substance, short enough to read.
Education
6 pointsAt least one entry, and every one of them carries an end date.
Languages
6 pointsEvery language you list comes with a level.
Overall length
6 pointsThe overall length sits in the normal range.
The descriptions under your roles and the numbers in them count most, followed by dates. They decide whether your CV shows what you actually did and whether your years of experience can be worked out.
What your score means
Your score falls into one of three ranges. In the result, the line next to your score tells you which one.
- 85 to 100 points
Structurally clean.
The details an ATS has to read are largely complete. Fix the open findings if they are quick to sort out. After that, content decides: how well your CV fits the specific job.
- 65 to 84 points
The foundation is there.
The framework is in place, but some details are missing or incomplete, such as numbers in your bullets, an end date or the level of a language. The findings at the top win back the most points.
- 0 to 64 points
There is a lot to gain here.
More than a third of the points are missing. That happens, for example, when whole building blocks are absent: dates on several roles, descriptions under your roles or a skills section. If the result doesn't look like your CV, first check whether the file was read in full.
An example result
Take a made-up CV of someone working in purchasing, with four roles, complete contact details, a finished vocational training and twelve skills. The profile summary is a single sentence, and only one bullet in ten contains a number. The first role has no end date, eight months pass between two later roles, and English is listed without a level.
The check gives this CV 70 out of 100, and the line next to the score reads “The foundation is there.” Below it come these findings, sorted by weight:
- Critical
Numbers in your bullets
Fewer than 15 percent of your bullets contain a number, so it stays open whether a project had three people or thirty. Add figures you can back up.
- Check
Dates
One date is missing on one of your roles. Add month and year — your current role can stay open.
- Check
Timeline gaps
There is a break of six to eleven months between two roles. That is normal and not a flaw — just give the time its own line: parental leave, care work, further education, illness or job hunting.
- Check
Profile summary
A summary is there, but it sits outside the usual range. Aim for three to six lines, roughly 180 to 700 characters.
- Check
Languages
Languages are listed, but without a level. Add one per language — B2, C1 or native speaker.
The first finding alone costs 14 points. If four bullets in ten contained a number, the score would already rise to 84.
Typical findings in the ATS check and how to fix them
These six checks carry the most weight. For each one you'll find what the check looks for and how to fix the finding.
Roles without a description
A role that shows only the employer and dates says nothing about your work. The check expects at least one bullet under every role. Write three to five bullets with duties and results, as the Federal Employment Agency recommends. Older roles can have fewer.
Bullets without numbers
The check counts how many of your bullets contain a number. From 40 percent the check is passed; below 15 percent it is critical. Numbers turn a duty into evidence: team size, budget, volume, timeframe or share. Only add figures you can explain in an interview.
Missing dates
Every role needs a start date, and every finished one an end date too. If one role is missing a date, you get a note; from two roles on, the finding is critical. Month and year work best, for example 03/2021. Your current job can stay open-ended.
Incomplete contact details
Next to your name, the check expects an email address, a phone number and where you live. If one of the three is missing, you get a note. If two are missing, or your name is, the finding is critical. Put all four at the top of your CV.
Too few or too many skills
The check expects between five and thirty entries. With fewer there is little to filter for, and with more the list reads as arbitrary. List the software, methods, machines or licences that keep coming up in adverts for your job.
Unexplained gaps
If six months or more pass between two roles, the check reports a gap, and from twelve months on it is a critical finding. A gap is no flaw, but German employers ask about it. Give the time its own entry with dates and a reason, such as parental leave, caring for a relative, further training or job hunting.
Is my CV ATS-friendly? An 8-point self-test
Open your CV and answer these eight questions; it takes about two minutes. The first three follow the Federal Employment Agency's guidance, the rest follow this check's own tests and notes.
Any no? The check mostly shows you where, and runs all eleven tests in about ten seconds.
BA: guidance from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), CV page, in German
What to do with a low score
Start with the finding at the top. The check sorts findings by weight, so the first one wins back the most points. With a low score these are usually whole building blocks, such as bullets, numbers or dates, and you add them in your own file.
If a finding doesn't match your CV, for example because a role is missing that is in your file, it got lost when the file was read. Upload the CV again, saved straight from your word processor as a PDF, so the text in the file can be selected. An ATS, too, reads real text more reliably than a scanned image.
Once the form is right, content decides. A recruiter reads your CV with the job ad in mind and looks for what the ad asks for. When you tailor, you paste in the ad, and Resume Copilot brings the matching roles, skills and results from your CV to the front, in an ATS-friendly layout.
Common questions about the CV check.
Is it really free, and do I need an account?
Yes, the check is free, and you don't need an account. You don't enter an email address or a card, and there is no trial that turns into a bill. You only sign up when you want to export or save a tailored CV.
What exactly does the ATS checker look at?
Structure and completeness: the details an ATS gets stuck on. An ATS is the software employers use to sort applications. Are your name, email, phone and location on the CV? Does every role carry a start and end date? Do the bullets back up duties with numbers? Are there unexplained gaps in the timeline? There are eleven checks in all, and most findings show the line from your CV they refer to.
Does the check use up one of my free applications?
No. The check runs separately from tailoring. Your three free tailored applications stay available however many times you run it.
What happens to the file I upload?
It sits on servers in Zurich, Switzerland, which has an EU adequacy decision. It is processed for your check and nothing else. You can delete it, and a file uploaded without an account is removed automatically after 24 hours.
If I score well, does that mean my CV is good?
No. It means the details an ATS has to read are complete. Whether your wording lands and whether someone invites you in is not what this check measures. The score clears an obstacle — a person reads the CV afterwards.
Is a CV check the same as an ATS check?
At Resume Copilot, yes: it is one check. It looks at the details an ATS has to read, and those are also what a recruiter looks for on a first pass: contact details, dates, roles with content, education, skills and languages. You upload your CV once and get one result for both.
Which file formats can I upload?
The check reads PDF, Word, ODT, Pages and text files as well as photos, up to 10 MB.
Do I need a job ad for the check?
No. The check scores your CV on its own, independent of any particular job. You only need the job ad for tailoring, when Resume Copilot rewrites your CV for that specific advert.
How accurate is the score?
The eleven checks follow fixed rules, and the same details always produce the same score. How well the result matches your CV depends on how completely your file was read. That is why most findings show the line from your CV they refer to, so you can verify each one yourself. How a particular employer has set up its ATS is something no check can see from the outside.
Does the check look at my file's layout?
No. It scores the content it reads from your file: details, dates and bullets. Multi-column layouts, tables, text boxes and graphics can confuse some ATS when they read a file. When you tailor your CV with Resume Copilot, you get it in an ATS-friendly layout.
Does the check work with English CVs?
Yes. The check reads CVs in English and German. Its standards follow the German CV, though: it expects languages with a level, for example, and flags gaps of six months or more in your timeline. Which language you write in depends on the advert: Indeed Hiring Lab found that, averaged over September 2023 to August 2024, only 2.7 percent of job adverts in Germany carried the label “no German required”. If the advert is in German, send a German CV.
Can I get my CV checked or reviewed for free?
Yes. This CV checker is free and needs no account: you upload your file, and after about ten seconds the score and findings are there. Software runs the check, and it scores structure and completeness. For a view on your style and impact, ask a person, such as someone in your network or a careers adviser.
How do I check whether my CV is ATS-friendly?
Upload it. The check then looks at the details an ATS has to read: contact details, dates with month and year, a description under every role, and skills and languages with a level. You fix any finding that shows a line from your CV directly in your own file. The check follows a structure an ATS can read; it does not reproduce any particular ATS product.
How long should my CV be, and how many bullets per role?
The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) recommends a tabular CV of one to two A4 pages at most, with three to five short bullets per role. You check the page count in your own file. The check flags roles with no bullets at all, bullets under about 30 or over 220 characters, and bullets without a number. It asks for at least one bullet per role and, like the agency, recommends three to five.
Do I have to explain gaps in my CV?
The Federal Employment Agency advises stating any break of more than two months and writing what you did in that time. The check is more lenient: up to five months between two roles counts as continuous, from six months you get a note, and from twelve months a clear finding. One line with the period and the reason answers the question before anyone asks it.
The check finds the gaps. The advert sets the direction.
Paste the advert you're applying to and edit the tailored version straight in your browser.
Tailor my CV to a job ad →SourcesFederal Employment Agency: CV guide (German)Indeed Hiring Lab: adverts without German (German)Federal Employment Agency: writing an application with support (German)Employment agency Heide: application folder check at the BiZ (German)Employment agency Hildesheim: application folder check (German)Employment agency Limburg-Wetzlar: experts check your application (German)Profiling Institut: application coaching, process and costs (German)Karrierebibel: CV check (German)Karrierecoach München: prices for application documents (German)OpenAI: how your data is used to improve model performanceOpenAI: Europe privacy policyOpenAI: terms of useChatGPT: plans and pricing