FAQ · 50 questions
Clear, concrete answers to every question about recruitment in 2026.
An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is software that automatically filters resumes before a human reads them. It extracts the resume's text, looks for keywords from the posting, and assigns a score. Below a certain threshold (often 60/100), the resume is never shown to the recruiter. Most large companies use an ATS.
Simple test: open your PDF resume, Ctrl+A to select everything, copy, paste into a blank document. If the text appears readable and in order, your resume 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 resumes 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 resume 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 an average of 6 seconds on a resume; conciseness pays.
Both work if the file contains text (not an image). Word (.docx) is the safest: 100% compatible with all 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 analyzed Canva resumes 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 penalize keyword stuffing (excessive repetition of the same words). Aim for a natural density (1-3%) 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 70% of 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. 5-8 targeted applications per week produce more responses (20-30%) than 30 generic ones (1-3%). Prioritize adapting to each posting.
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 specialized 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. A well-done follow-up multiplies the response rate by 4.
List 20-30 relevant people, send a personalized message (not a copy-paste), offer a coffee or a 20-minute call. Ask for advice, not a job. 1 coffee out of 5 leads to a concrete opportunity.
Yes, provided you compensate. Highlight: relevant student projects, internships, side-projects, verifiable technical skills, quantified motivation (e.g. a recent certification). Prioritize 'junior' or 'entry-level welcome' positions.
No. It's complementary. Some recruiters contact you via LinkedIn without a resume, but the formal application phase always requires a resume 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.
Almost always. 92% of recruiters check a candidate's LinkedIn before or after an interview. Your profile must be consistent with your resume (dates, titles, responsibilities).
On average 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 behavioral interview questions: Situation (context) + Task (goal) + Action (what you did) + Result (quantified impact). Preparing 5-7 STAR stories covers 80% 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, systematically. 65% of candidates don't negotiate and leave 10-15% of salary on the table. Ask for 10-15% above the initial offer, justify it with quantified achievements, 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 resume 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 resumes 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 resume: 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 resume 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 resume with a photo and date of birth will score well for France but be penalized for the US, with adapted suggestions.
Yes. After the import, you choose the country where you're applying. CVpass translates the resume 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 resume ready to send, compliant with a local recruiter's expectations.
CVpass is a free AI-powered ATS resume scanner. It analyzes a resume, 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 1 analysis on sign-up (no credit card). Starter: €2.90 for 2 credits (one-time payment). Pro: €8.90/month for unlimited analyses + LinkedIn optimizer + cover-letter generator + application tracking.
No, no resume is stored after analysis. The file is processed in memory and deleted immediately. GDPR-compliant, hosting in Europe.
Yes for English (same quality as French). Possible for Spanish/Italian/Portuguese but with reduced quality. Optimized as a priority for the French market.
Over 5,000 candidates have analyzed their resume with CVpass since its launch in 2026. The ATS score rises on average from ~56 to ~65/100, and up to 87/100 for resumes that apply all the suggestions.
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