Grade my CV

How the CV Grader works

The CVmake CV Grader reviews your resume the way a senior recruiter would in 30 seconds — the time most CVs actually get. It reads your PDF, scores the parts that matter, and gives you a letter grade from A+ to F, plus the three or four highest-leverage fixes ranked by impact.

Unlike an ATS score checker, the grader doesn't need a job description. It assesses your CV's intrinsic quality against universal best-practice standards — the principles that hold regardless of which role you're applying for.

What we grade

Every CV is scored across five dimensions, each weighted equally:

• Impact — do your bullets show measurable results? “Increased revenue 32%” scores higher than “Responsible for revenue growth.”
• Clarity — formatting, structure, and readability. Can a recruiter scan your CV in 6 seconds and know what role to slot you into?
• Keyword strength — strong action verbs (“led”, “shipped”, “closed”) and industry-relevant terminology. Weak verbs (“helped with”, “worked on”) tank this score.
• ATS friendliness — parseable formatting, standard section headings, no graphics or tables that break automated readers.
• Completeness — does your CV have all the sections it should? Contact, summary, experience, education, skills. Missing sections cost you here.

Five signs of an A-grade CV

1. Every bullet starts with a strong verb. “Built”, “launched”, “reduced”, “negotiated”. Never “Was responsible for” or “Helped with.”
2. At least 60% of bullets contain a number. Revenue, percentages, headcount, time saved, users acquired — anything that quantifies the result.
3. A specific summary at the top — three lines naming your role, your years of experience, and your specialism. Generic summaries (“motivated team player”) get skimmed past.
4. One page if you have under 10 years' experience, two pages max otherwise. Recruiters won't read a third.
5. A skills section that mirrors actual job postings in your field — not a wishlist.

Common mistakes that drop a grade

• Generic objective statements. “Seeking a challenging role where I can grow.” Replace with a sharp summary or remove entirely.
• Wall-of-text paragraphs. Recruiters skim. Use 2–4 line bullets, never 8-line paragraphs.
• Two-column layouts and graphics. They look great but break ATS parsing and waste space recruiters scan.
• Listing duties instead of achievements. “Managed a team of 6” describes the job. “Led a team of 6 to ship 4 product releases ahead of schedule” describes the result.
• Outdated info. Your 2008 internship and your high school usually shouldn't still be on the CV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CV grader free?

Yes. No sign-up or credit card needed. You get up to five grades per hour per IP. Logged-in users get unlimited grading.

What grade should I aim for?

B+ or higher. A and A+ CVs are recruiter-ready and consistently get callbacks. Anything in the C range usually gets you through automated screening but won't stand out. D and F mean a meaningful rewrite is the highest-ROI thing you can do this week.

How is this different from an ATS score check?

An ATS score check measures how well your CV matches a specific job posting. The grader assesses intrinsic CV quality — useful when you're polishing before applying or haven't found the exact role yet.

What file formats are supported?

PDF only, up to 5MB. Make sure the PDF was exported from a text editor (Word, Google Docs, Pages) — scanned images and photos can't be read.

Can I get feedback on a specific section?

Yes. The grader returns specific weak bullets pulled from your CV with one-line critiques, plus the top 3–5 fixes ordered by impact.

Is my CV saved or shared?

No. Your CV is parsed in memory, graded, and discarded. We do not store the file or its contents.