Frequently asked questions about CVs, ATS and the job search

An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is software that automatically filters CVs before a human reads them. It extracts the CV's text, looks for keywords from the posting, and assigns a score. Below a certain threshold (often 60/100), the CV is never shown to the recruiter. Most large companies use an ATS.

Simple test: open your PDF CV, Ctrl+A to select everything, copy, paste into a blank document. If the text appears readable and in order, your CV is ATS-compatible. If it's a mess or nothing, it's an image, and no ATS will read it. CVpass automates this test and gives you a detailed score for free.

The most widespread: Workday (large groups), Taleo (legacy), iCIMS, Greenhouse (tech), Lever (scale-ups), SmartRecruiters, Bullhorn (staffing firms), BambooHR (SMEs), SmartSearch. Job boards also have their own filters: Indeed, LinkedIn Easy Apply, Welcome to the Jungle.

Poorly. Multi-column tables are often badly reconstructed during extraction (columns get mixed up). Single-column CVs are much safer. A simple 2-column table can pass but is not optimal.

Not always. If the posting says 'Agile project management' and your CV says 'Scrum sprint leadership', the ATS may not make the connection. Rule: reuse the exact words from the posting, even if they seem redundant.

Yes. ATS are often configured to look for local diplomas, local cities, and sometimes a specific language. Applying abroad requires adapting not only the language but also the expected format (no photo in the US/UK, etc.).

One page if you have less than 5 years of experience. Two pages maximum beyond that. Three pages only in academic research or certain senior profiles. Recruiters spend only a few seconds on a CV; conciseness pays.

Both work if the file contains text (not an image). Word (.docx) is the safest for ATS. PDF is perfect if generated from Word or Google Docs. Avoid: .pages (Apple), scanned PDF, Canva PDF in Print mode.

Rarely. Canva exports by default a PDF with columns and graphic elements that ATS interpret poorly. A large share of analysed Canva CVs lose a significant part of their content during extraction. If you insist on Canva, export as 'PDF Standard' (not 'Print'), stay single-column, avoid icons.

In some markets (e.g. France, Germany) it's accepted; without a photo you avoid bias, with a photo you reassure some traditional recruiters. The 2026 trend leans toward no photo. In the US/UK/Canada: never a photo (anti-discrimination laws).

Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Geist. 10-12 pt for body text, 14-18 pt for headings. Avoid Comic Sans, fancy Times New Roman, fonts with ornate serifs.

Don't hide it (dates don't lie). One line of explanation: '2023-2024, Parental leave', '2022, Career change', '2021, Break for personal reasons, back to work'. What bothers recruiters is the silence, not the gap.

No, it's not required and is even discouraged to avoid age bias. Include only city, email, phone, LinkedIn.

3 to 5 per role. Fewer than 3, your experience looks thin. More than 5, you dilute the important information. Each bullet point should contain at least one figure.

Put education at the top (before experience), detail internships and student projects, showcase side-projects (associations, freelance, open-source), list technical skills precisely. Length: 1 page.

No magic number. Reuse the 8 to 12 terms that come up most in the job posting, as-is. If the posting says 'Agile project management', write exactly 'Agile project management', not a paraphrase.

In the title, the summary, the experience and the skills section. ATS give more weight to keywords present in several places. Ideally: each keyword appears twice in different contexts.

Yes, most modern ATS penalise keyword stuffing (excessive repetition of the same words). Place each keyword where it makes sense (title, summary, experience) and vary the contexts.

Copy the posting into a document, highlight the terms that appear 2+ times (tools, methodologies, skills), remove generic words (and, for, with). The 8-12 terms that stand out are your priority keywords.

Yes if the posting explicitly asks for one. No otherwise. On many modern platforms, the letter isn't even in the automatic filter. It's read in 30 seconds when it is read, so 10 relevant lines beat an empty page.

10 to 15 lines maximum. 3 paragraphs: why them (detail about the company), why you (2-3 quantified achievements), a concrete proposal (call or meeting).

Yes, absolutely. A generic letter is worse than no letter. At minimum: change the company name, the position, and mention something specific to the company (product, values, news).

Quality > volume. A few targeted applications per week, adapted to each posting, beat thirty identical generic ones.

3 to 6 months for a manager on average, 1 to 3 months for a junior, 6 to 12 months for a career change or a highly specialised profile. Durations vary by sector: tech 1-3 months, HR 4-8 months.

Indeed (volume), Welcome to the Jungle (quality tech/startup), LinkedIn Jobs (managers), and, in France specifically, APEC (managers), France Travail (all sectors), Jobteaser (recent graduates), Hellowork (generalist), FrenchFounders (startups).

5 to 7 business days after sending. Short email (4 lines), polite tone, just a reminder.

List 20-30 relevant people, send a personalised message (not a copy-paste), offer a coffee or a 20-minute call. Ask for advice, not a job.

Yes, provided you compensate. Highlight: relevant student projects, internships, side-projects, verifiable technical skills, quantified motivation (e.g. a recent certification). Prioritise 'junior' or 'entry-level welcome' positions.

No. It's complementary. Some recruiters contact you via LinkedIn without a CV, but the formal application phase always requires a CV document.

The job title + key skills (e.g. 'Full-Stack JavaScript Developer | React, Node.js | 5 years of experience'). Not 'Looking for a new challenge', not 'Master's student'.

Complete profile (photo, banner, summary, experience), precise keywords in the headline and summary, regular activity (posts, comments), recommendations from 3-5 people, endorsed skills. Turn on 'Open to opportunities' in private mode.

Very often. Many recruiters look at a candidate's LinkedIn before or after an interview. Your profile must be consistent with your CV (dates, titles, responsibilities).

Usually 3: an HR interview (screening), a manager interview (role), and a director or final-panel interview. For tech roles: often +1 technical interview (live coding, case study).

A technique for answering behavioural interview questions: Situation (context) + Task (goal) + Action (what you did) + Result (quantified impact). Preparing 5-7 STAR stories covers most of the questions.

Yes, it's expected and valued. Prepare 3-5 specific questions about: the role (concrete tasks for the first 90 days), the team (composition, management), the strategy (priorities for 6-12 months). Avoid questions whose answer is on the company's website.

Yes. Many candidates accept the first offer without discussing it. Ask for a little more, justify it with quantified achievements, and stay professional.

Best avoided. If you're forced to, give a wide range based on benchmarks (Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salaries, the CVpass salary simulator). Ideally: have the company state the first number.

The full package: health insurance, extra time off, remote work (days per week), training (budget), profit-sharing, equity/stock options (scale-ups), signing bonus (for managers).

Translation is necessary but not sufficient. A CV translated word for word betrays a candidate who doesn't know the local codes. You also have to adapt the format: photo or not, personal information, length, vocabulary and action verbs depending on the target country.

No. In the US, UK, Canada and Australia, a photo should be avoided: recruiters often set aside CVs with photos to avoid any risk of discrimination. In Germany and Austria, on the contrary, a professional photo is expected.

In the US and Canada, people talk about a CV: a short document (ideally one page), results-oriented. There, the term CV refers to a long academic document reserved for research. In the UK, Ireland and Australia, the term CV is common and two pages are accepted.

For Anglo-Saxon countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia), yes: date of birth, age, nationality and family status should be removed, for the same anti-discrimination reasons as the photo. In Germany, the date of birth remains common.

One page is the norm in the US, even for experienced profiles. The UK and Australia tolerate two pages. Germany accepts a detailed two-page document. A two-page French CV often has to be condensed for the US market.

No. An American ATS and a French ATS don't have the same expectations. On CVpass, the ATS score is recalculated according to the target country's norms: a French CV with a photo and date of birth will score well for France but be penalised for the US, with adapted suggestions.

Yes, with Pro or Premium. After the import, you choose the country where you're applying. CVpass translates the CV into the expected language and applies the local norms: removing the photo and personal info if needed, the country's ATS vocabulary, date format and target length. You get a CV ready to send, compliant with a local recruiter's expectations.

CVpass is a free AI-powered ATS CV scanner. It analyses a CV, gives an ATS score out of 100, detects weak points and proposes targeted AI rewrites for each problem. Created in 2026 by Giovanni Russo (VertexLab SASU, France).

Free for your 1st analysis (no credit card). 2-credit Pack: €2.90 one-time payment. Unlimited Pro: €8.90/month, cancel anytime (unlimited analyses, LinkedIn optimiser, cover letters, interview coach, application tracking). 3-month Job Search Pass: €19.90 once, no subscription. Premium: €15.99/month, plus job offers matched to your CV.

No, your CV file is never kept: it is read and then deleted. If you export a PDF, the formatted version stays in your history for up to 30 days, then it is deleted automatically.

Yes for English (same quality as French). Possible for Spanish/Italian/Portuguese but with reduced quality. Optimised as a priority for the French market.

Over 6,000 CV analyses have been run with CVpass since its launch in 2026.