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How this works

How this works

How is the match rate worked out?

Fitread's own code works it out, never AI. It adds up to a hundred points.

70 points for the share of the advert's skills that your CV shows.

15 points for the job title: earned when your CV shows a skill named in the advert's title, or when the first line after your name and contact details names the same role as the title.

15 points for the sector when your CV's own field is the advert's (8 when it is close, none when it differs). A part we cannot read is left out and the rest is scaled to 100.

The reading prints the sum for your CV, so you can check it.

Read this answer in Help

What do Strong, Good, Partial and Low match mean?

Strong match: 70% or more.

Good match: 50% to 69%.

Partial match: 30% to 49%.

Low match: under 30%.

There is no pass mark. The band says how much of the advert your CV shows, not whether you will be shortlisted.

Read this answer in Help

Which fix should I do first?

The reading orders its fixes the same way every time. Fixes come before notes, then the most serious first, then the order of the sections on the page.

On the free plan the first fix in each section is shown in full, up to 5 a reading; the rest are counted. Pro shows every fix.

Add a missing skill or result only if it is true. The reading says so beside every one.

Read this answer in Help

A skill is marked missing, but I have it. Why?

Fitread looks for the advert's skills by their names and the usual short forms of those names.

If your CV says it another way, or only inside a picture, a table or a text box, it may not be found.

Where it is true, use the advert's own wording, and write both the full term and its short form once.

The searchability checks point out pictures, tables and text boxes.

Read this answer in Help

Sample reading

Management Accountant

Read my CV

Fictional CV and advert · Read 20 Oct 2026

Fictional permanent advert

Salary
£45,000 - £50,000 per annum

Not stated: notice period, start.

CV tips

  • Put your email address and phone number in the body of the page, not only in a header or footer.
  • Open with a one-line headline under your name that says what you do, in the words adverts use.
  • Use the advert's own words for the skills, qualifications and job titles you really have.
  • Give each role its start and end month.
  • Send a Word file or a PDF in one column, with no tables or text boxes, unless the employer's form asks otherwise.
  • State your right to work in the UK, and leave out your date of birth, a photo and your marital status.

Fictional permanent advert

  • Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.

Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.

About this sample

Riley Sample is not a real person. Every Pro check is open here, except those that need a CV file.

More about this sample

Our engine read this made-up CV of an assistant management accountant against a made-up permanent advert on 20 Oct 2026, as it reads yours.

A free reading of this CV would hide 4 skill names and 2 findings. See Pro plans

A sample keeps nothing about you and runs no AI.

The reading The advert

Searchability

IMPORTANT

Employers and agencies load your CV into their systems and recruiters search it by keyword. This is how well yours reads in that process. Only the job title match counts in your score here: it earns 15 points.

Contact details

What we check and why

We look for an email address and a phone number in the body of the page. Some application systems skip page headers and footers, so contact details only there can be lost.

Tips

  • Put your email address and mobile number just under your name.
  • Write them as plain text on a line of their own, not in a header, footer, text box or table.
  • Add your town and outward postcode, such as "Leeds LS6". A street address is not needed.
  • Use an email address you will keep, not one from your current employer.
  • Pass

    Your email address and a UK mobile number are in the body of your CV, where application systems read them.

  • Pass

    Your CV names a town or area near the top, so a recruiter searching by location can find you.

Headings

What we check and why

We look for a heading over your work history (such as Experience, Employment history, Contract history, Assignments or Placements). Application systems file your roles under it.

Tips

  • Use plain headings: Profile, Experience (or Employment history), Education, Skills.
  • A heading such as "Where I've been" may not be read as your work history.
  • Put each heading on a line of its own, as text, not inside a picture or a text box.
  • Open with two or three lines on what you do, or your tickets and cards, in the advert's words where they are true.
  • Pass

    We found 5 standard section headings: Profile or summary, Skills, Experience, Interests, Education. One of them heads your work history.

  • Pass

    Your CV has a profile or summary heading.

  • Pass

    Your CV has a heading for your qualifications (Education).

  • Pass

    Your CV has a Skills heading.

Job title match

What we check and why

We look for the advert's job title in the first line of your CV after your name and contact details, where our match rate gives 15 points for it, and anywhere in your CV, where a recruiter's search for the title would find it.

Tips

  • If the advert's title fairly describes your work, use it in a one-line headline under your name.
  • Use the advert's exact wording for the title where it is true, including any short form.
  • Never rename a past role. If your real title differed but the work matched, say so in its first bullet.
  • Put each role's title on its own line, before the employer and the dates.
  • Pass

    Your CV uses the advert's title, "Management Accountant". We could not map this title to a role in our catalogue. Your CV earns the 15 title points in the match rate because the first line of your CV after your name and contact details names the same role as the advert's title.

Education match

What we check and why

We compare the level the advert asks for with the highest level your CV names, in RQF levels (SCQF in Scotland). "Or equivalent experience" in the advert means a miss is not a fix.

When an advert names a qualification, a recruiter looks for it on your CV.

Tips

  • Name each qualification in full, with the year: "BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering, 2019".
  • Add the level where the name does not show it, such as "HNC (Level 4)".
  • Use the advert's name for a qualification when yours is the same one.
  • List only what you hold. If you are still studying, say so, with the expected date.
  • Where the advert says "or equivalent experience", make that experience easy to see in your roles.
  • Your choice, not scored

    The advert names CIMA and ACCA. They are counted with your skills, and under Credentials where the advert's discipline checks them, so this part does not count them again. See it in the advert

Dates

What we check and why

We check that the date ranges in your work history use one format (for example "Mar 2021 - Present" throughout), so a system reads each role's dates the same way.

Tips

  • Choose one style and use it for every role, such as "Mar 2021 - Jun 2024".
  • Give a month and a year for every start and end date.
  • Write "Present" for the role you are in now.
  • Keep the dates beside each role, not in a separate column or table.
  • Pass

    Your 3 date ranges use one format (like "05/2023").

Acronyms

What we check and why

We check that a term the advert uses in full or as a short form appears on your CV both ways at least once (for example "Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)"), so a search for either finds you.

Tips

  • Write the full term once with its short form in brackets: "Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)".
  • After that, the short form on its own is fine.
  • Follow the advert's own form of each term, for the skills you really have.
  • Pass

    None of the advert's skills on your CV has a common short form, so there is nothing to pair.

Text we could read

What we check and why

We check that we could read the text of your file. A scanned page or a picture of text can come back empty to an application system too.

Tips

  • Save your CV from a word processor as a Word file or a PDF, never as a scan or a photo.
  • Keep every word as real text: none inside images, logos or graphics.
  • Use one column and plain lines; tables, text boxes and sidebars can come out in the wrong order.
  • Use a common font and plain round bullets; unusual symbols can turn into stray characters.
  • Keep your name and contact details out of the page header and footer.
  • If a PDF reads badly here, save it again from the original file.
  • Pass

    We read 355 words from your CV.

Hard skills

UP TO +35 POINTS

The skills this advert asks for, and how often your CV names them. They carry most of your match rate. Each gain is our scorer re-run on your CV with that one change. Skills are 70 of your match rate's 100 points.

Tip: Balance sheet moves your match rate most: +6 points if your CV shows it, only if you have it.

SkillThis CVThe advert
ACCA Missing 1
+8 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it · counted under Credentials
Balance sheet Missing 1
+6 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
Variance analysis Missing 1
+6 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
Finance systems Missing 1
+6 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
Sage Missing 1
+6 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
Forecasting Missing 1
+4 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
CIMA 4 1
Management accounts 3 1
Accruals and prepayments 2 1
Month-end close 3 1
Journals 4 1
Excel 3 1

Add a skill only if you really have it.

All of them together: 65% to 100%. Gains overlap: the skills share the 70 skill points, so they do not simply add up.

Credentials

IMPORTANT

The licences, cards, registrations and clearances the advert names or the role usually asks for, and whether your CV says them. Credentials the advert names count in your match rate.

Tip: Start with "ACCA": +8 points if your CV shows it, only if you hold it.

Asked in the advert

What we check and why

These are named in the advert. The ones that are also among its skills count in your match rate.

A licence, card or registration the advert names is something a recruiter looks for by name.

Tips

  • Write each one by its full name with its level, such as "CSCS Gold Card (Supervisory)".
  • Give them a heading of their own near the top, such as "Tickets and cards" or "Registrations".
  • Use each one's official name, as its issuer writes it.
  • List only what you hold now. Add an expiry date where it has one, and say if a renewal is booked.
  • Needs a fix

    The advert asks for ACCA; your CV does not say you hold it. If you hold it, put it near the top: 'ACCA <member / affiliate / studying>, <year>'. Only if you hold it. See it in the advert

    +8 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
  • Pass

    Your CV says CIMA, which the advert asks for.

Soft skills

NOT SCORED

The soft skills this advert names, and whether your CV shows them. Does not change your match rate.

Tip: Show it with an example: who you explained something to, and what changed because of it. Only if it is true.

Communication

What we check and why

We look for the soft skills on a plain list we maintain, word by word, in the advert and your CV. A recruiter's search rarely uses these words; an interviewer asks for examples. They do not change your match rate.

Tips

  • Show the skill through something you did: "Trained 6 new starters" says more than "good communicator".
  • Where you have the skill, use the advert's word for it once, in a line that shows it.
  • Keep a fuller example ready for the interview.
  • Worth a look

    The advert names communication; your CV does not say it. Show it with an example, only if it is true. See it in the advert

Recruiter tips

IMPORTANT

What a recruiter notices when they open your CV: results, length, wording and a few UK conventions. Does not change your match rate.

Tip: Worth a look first: "No link to a LinkedIn profile".

Measurable results

What we check and why

We count lines that show a result with a number, a percentage or a £ figure (dates, phone numbers and versions left out); 3 or more pass.

Numbers show what changed because of you, which a list of duties cannot.

Tips

  • Aim for at least 3 lines with a number in them.
  • Lead with the result, then how: "Cut invoice errors by 30% by rebuilding the checks".
  • Use real figures you can back up; "about" or a range is fine when the exact number is not known.
  • Round sensibly: £1.2m, not £1,198,374.

Examples, by kind of result

  • Money: "Cut overtime costs by £18,000 in a year"
  • People: "Supervised 14 care assistants across two shifts"
  • Volume: "Processed around 400 invoices a week"
  • Time: "Brought month-end close down from 8 days to 5"
  • Quality: "Kept a 99% on-time delivery rate for 12 months"
  • Pass

    7 lines in your CV show a measurable result (a number, % or £ figure).

    • Line 14- Prepared the monthly management accounts (in the advert and this CV) pack for a £40m turnover business.
    • Line 15- Ran month-end close (in the advert and this CV) for 3 entities, including journals (in the advert and this CV), accruals and prepayments (in the advert and this CV).
    • Line 16- Completed control account reconciliations every month and cleared 60 old items.
    Show all 7 lines
    • Line 19- Reviewed overhead spend with 6 budget holders and wrote the notes for the board pack.
    • Line 20- Set up a monthly checklist for the close that cut the timetable from 8 working days to 6.
    • Line 24- Processed the purchase ledger for 400 suppliers and ran the weekly payment run.
    • Line 27- Reconciled supplier statements each month and agreed disputed balances with 20 key suppliers.

Paragraph length

What we check and why

We look for blocks of text over 40 words in your work history that are not bullets. Bullets are the UK norm.

Tips

  • Break any block of more than 40 words into bullets.
  • Keep each bullet to one point, on one or two lines.
  • Give recent roles more bullets than older ones.
  • A short paragraph is fine for your profile; it is the work history that reads best as bullets.
  • Pass

    No paragraph in your work history runs past 40 words.

Tone

What we check and why

We look for blame and excuse phrases from a plain list we maintain, such as "unfortunately" or "was forced to", line by line.

Blame or excuses colour how a reader remembers you.

Tips

  • Say what happened plainly: "Contract ended when the project closed."
  • Leave out why an employer or a colleague was at fault.
  • Turn a setback into what you did next.
  • Cut words like "unfortunately" that add nothing.
  • Pass

    We found none of the phrases on our list of blame and excuse phrases, a plain list we maintain.

Overused words

What we check and why

We count phrases from our overused-phrase list, a plain list we maintain. 3 or more, at 0.5 or more per 100 words, need a fix.

Phrases that appear on CV after CV tell a reader nothing about you.

Tips

  • Swap each one for a fact: instead of "results-driven", say which result, for whom.
  • Let numbers and examples do the praising.
  • Cut self-praise such as "passionate" or "exceptional" unless a fact sits beside it.
  • Keep the advert's own words where they describe skills you really have.
  • Pass

    We found none of the phrases on our overused-phrase list, a plain list we maintain.

Repeated phrases

What we check and why

We look for four-word phrases used 3 times or more.

The same phrase again and again makes different roles read alike.

Tips

  • Reword the repeats so each role reads as its own job.
  • Vary the verbs: led, built, ran, fixed, trained.
  • Keep a repeated term where it is the correct name for something.
  • Pass

    No four-word phrase appears three times or more in your CV.

Weak openers

What we check and why

We count lines that start with a phrase from our weak-opener list, a plain list we maintain, such as "responsible for"; 2 or more need a fix.

The first words of a line are the ones a reader skimming the page sees.

Tips

  • Start each line with an action: managed, delivered, installed, reduced.
  • Replace "Responsible for" with what you actually did.
  • Follow the action with its result where you have one.
  • Pass

    Only one line starts with a phrase from our weak-opener list.

Word count

What we check and why

We check your CV runs to 350 to 1,300 words.

Too few words leave out your evidence; too many bury it.

Tips

  • Aim for 350 to 1,300 words.
  • If you are under, add results and the skills you used in each role.
  • If you are over, trim older roles and repeated duties first.
  • Pass

    Your CV runs to 355 words, inside the 350 to 1,300 range we check for.

UK conventions

What we check and why

We look for details a UK CV does not need (date of birth, age, marital status, nationality, a National Insurance number, a photo) from a plain list we maintain, and for US and UK spelling mixed.

A UK CV leaves out personal details an employer should not use, and keeps to UK spelling.

Tips

  • Leave out your date of birth, age, marital status, nationality and a photo.
  • Never put your National Insurance number on a CV.
  • If it is true, one line such as "Full right to work in the UK" can save a question.
  • Use UK spelling throughout: organise, colour, programme.
  • Pass

    Your CV leaves out date of birth, age, marital status, nationality and a National Insurance number, as UK CVs do, and does not mix US and UK spelling (we look for 3 or more of each).

Web presence

What we check and why

We look for a LinkedIn profile, a portfolio or a personal website near the top. Whether a link is useful comes from the advert's discipline, from a plain list we maintain; a missing link is never a fix.

A link lets a recruiter see your work, or more about you, for themselves.

Tips

  • Add your LinkedIn profile link under your contact details, in its short custom form.
  • Where your field shows its work, link one portfolio or set of samples.
  • Check every link works and shows only what you are happy to share.
  • No link is fine where your field does not use them.
  • Worth a look

    Your CV has no link to a LinkedIn profile. For this kind of role, a link to one is useful: LinkedIn lets a finance, legal, HR or office recruiter check your employment history in one click. Add one only if you have it and keep it up to date.

Job level

What we check and why

We read the level words in the advert's title and in your CV's role titles (assistant, officer, senior, lead, head and so on) from a plain list we maintain. We never read age or years of service.

A recruiter compares the level of your recent roles with the level of the job.

Tips

  • Show your level through scope: the team you led, the budget you held, what you signed off.
  • Use your real job titles. If your duties were above your title, show them in the bullets.
  • Going for a step up? Lead with the work you have already done at that level.
  • Pass

    Your CV's role titles and this advert's title read at a similar level. This advert's title has no level word, so we read it as a mid-level title. The advert states the salary as £45,000 - £50,000 per annum. We don't hold enough permanent adverts yet to compare this salary with the market.

Chronology

What we check and why

We read the start and end of each dated role; at least 2 dated roles are needed. Years without months, or a work history with no dates at all, are worth a look. Short roles and overlaps are normal in contract and temp work, and we never look at gaps.

A recruiter reads your history as a timeline, so it should be easy to follow.

Tips

  • List roles newest first, each with a start and end month.
  • Short contracts or temp assignments can sit under one heading, each with its own dates.
  • Give every role its real dates, even where roles overlap; never stretch dates to close a gap.
  • A gap needs no excuse. A short line such as "Career break: caring" is enough if you want one.
  • Pass

    All 3 dated roles show months, not just years. We never look at gaps or short roles.

References

What we check and why

References are optional on a UK CV; employers and agencies take them at offer. We look for referees' names with a phone number or email in the 6 lines after a References heading: those are other people's details.

Tips

  • Leave referees' names and numbers off; give them when an offer is close.
  • You do not need to write "References available on request".
  • Ask your referees first, and tell them about the role.
  • Your choice, not scored

    No references section. That is fine: references are optional on a UK CV, and employers and agencies take them at offer.

Tense in dated roles

What we check and why

We compare line-opening verbs from a plain list we maintain within dated work roles. Present or Current dates mean ongoing duties; completed achievements can still use the past tense. Undated roles and unrecognised verbs are not judged.

Mixed tenses blur what you do now and what you did before.

Tips

  • Use the present tense for duties in the role you are in now: "manage", "lead".
  • Use the past tense for past roles and finished achievements: "managed", "delivered".
  • In a role you have left, keep every line in the past tense.
  • Pass

    No issue found by this check.

First-person line openings

What we check and why

We look for I, we, my, our and contractions at the start of a line, after any bullet, from a plain list we maintain. First person is a style choice; starting with the action can make a CV easier to scan.

Tips

  • Start with the action: "Led a team of 5" rather than "I led a team of 5".
  • In your profile, open with what you do: "Site manager running housing projects" rather than "I am a site manager".
  • Where a result was shared, give your part: "Led the team of 4 that cut waiting times by a third".
  • Pass

    No issue found by this check.

Repeated words

What we check and why

We look for the same whole word twice in succession on one line, separated only by spaces. Punctuation breaks the pair. Remove accidental duplication and keep deliberate repetition.

A doubled word reads as a typing slip.

Tips

  • Read each flagged line aloud to catch the slip.
  • A word repeated across a line break is not flagged here, so read those joins too.
  • Run your word processor's spelling and grammar check before you send.
  • Pass

    No issue found by this check.

Spaces and punctuation

What we check and why

We look for two or more spaces inside a line and a space before punctuation. Indentation and blank lines are ignored; extraction from a file can introduce spacing too.

Stray spaces are small, but they make a CV look less cared for.

Tips

  • Use one space between words and none before a full stop or comma.
  • Use find and replace in your word processor to swap double spaces for single ones.
  • Turning a PDF into text can add spaces; check the original before you change anything.
  • Pass

    No issue found by this check.

Skill names

What we check and why

The existing skill extractor groups known names for the same skill. We flag more than one written form for review, without changing the score. A full name and its abbreviation together can be useful.

Writing a skill one way makes it easier to find and easier to read.

Tips

  • Choose one name for each skill and use it throughout.
  • Use the advert's form of the name for the skills you have.
  • Give a full name with its short form in brackets once, then keep to one of them.
  • Pass

    No issue found by this check.

Formatting

How the file itself is laid out: columns, fonts, images and page setup. Does not change your match rate.

AI review

Your own reading adds an AI review.

The sample CV (Riley Sample, fictional)

, ShowHide
  1. Line 1Riley Sample
  2. Line 2Assistant Management Accountant
  3. Line 3riley.sample@example.com | 07700 900633 | Stockport SK4
  4. Line 4
  5. Line 5Profile
  6. Line 6CIMA (in the advert and the CV) part-qualified assistant management accountant with five years in manufacturing and distribution finance teams. I run month-end close (in the advert and the CV), reconciliations and journals (in the advert and the CV), and prepare the management accounts (in the advert and the CV) pack for the finance director. I enjoy turning ledgers into reports people outside finance can use, and I am studying for the CIMA (in the advert and the CV) management level. I am looking for a permanent role where I can take on more of the reporting and learn planning from an experienced finance team.
  7. Line 7
  8. Line 8Skills
  9. Line 9Month-end close (in the advert and the CV), management accounts (in the advert and the CV), reconciliations, journals (in the advert and the CV), accruals and prepayments (in the advert and the CV), purchase ledger, Excel (in the advert and the CV) (pivot tables, lookups), Xero
  10. Line 10
  11. Line 11Experience
  12. Line 12
  13. Line 13Assistant Management Accountant, a manufacturing company, 05/2023 - 09/2026
  14. Line 14- Prepared the monthly management accounts (in the advert and the CV) pack for a £40m turnover business.
  15. Line 15- Ran month-end close (in the advert and the CV) for 3 entities, including journals (in the advert and the CV), accruals and prepayments (in the advert and the CV).
  16. Line 16- Completed control account reconciliations every month and cleared 60 old items.
  17. Line 17- Built an Excel (in the advert and the CV) model of stock and work in progress that the auditors used at year-end.
  18. Line 18- Answered questions from site managers on their cost centre reports each month.
  19. Line 19- Reviewed overhead spend with 6 budget holders and wrote the notes for the board pack.
  20. Line 20- Set up a monthly checklist for the close that cut the timetable from 8 working days to 6.
  21. Line 21
  22. Line 22Assistant Accountant, a distribution business, 08/2021 - 04/2023
  23. Line 23- Posted journals (in the advert and the CV) and ran bank reconciliations in Xero.
  24. Line 24- Processed the purchase ledger for 400 suppliers and ran the weekly payment run.
  25. Line 25- Built Excel (in the advert and the CV) reports with pivot tables for the operations team.
  26. Line 26- Helped move the chart of accounts to a new structure without a late close.
  27. Line 27- Reconciled supplier statements each month and agreed disputed balances with 20 key suppliers.
  28. Line 28
  29. Line 29Finance Assistant (placement year), a housing association, 07/2019 - 07/2020
  30. Line 30- Matched invoices to purchase orders and chased missing approvals.
  31. Line 31- Kept the fixed asset register up to date.
  32. Line 32- Prepared the monthly rent arrears report for the income team.
  33. Line 33- Supported the year-end audit by pulling samples and answering auditor queries.
  34. Line 34
  35. Line 35Interests
  36. Line 36Five-a-side football and cooking for friends.
  37. Line 37
  38. Line 38Education
  39. Line 39CIMA (in the advert and the CV) management level, studying, exams in 2027
  40. Line 40CIMA (in the advert and the CV) Certificate in Business Accounting, 2021
  41. Line 41BA (a qualification the advert names) Business Studies, 2:1, University of Salford, 2021

Fictional advert Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.

The advert, as we read it

Select a marked skill to see if this CV shows it.

Management Accountant - Permanent Manchester (hybrid) | £45,000 - £50,000 per annum (Pay and terms as stated) | Full time, permanent A growing manufacturing group in Manchester is looking for a Management Accountant to join its finance team. The role - Prepare monthly management accounts (Skills this CV shows) and commentary for the board. - Lead month-end close (Skills this CV shows), including journals (Skills this CV shows), accruals and prepayments (Skills this CV shows). - Budgeting and forecasting (Skills this CV does not show) with the operations managers. - Variance analysis (Skills this CV does not show) against budget and forecast. - Balance sheet reconciliations (Skills this CV does not show). About you - CIMA (Skills this CV shows) or ACCA (Skills this CV does not show) qualified, or finalist. - Strong Excel (Skills this CV shows) skills. - Experience of Sage (Skills this CV does not show) or a similar finance system (Skills this CV does not show). - Clear communication (Soft skills) with non-finance managers.

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