Common questions.

What does the service do?

PerfectCV takes your existing CV, rewrites the bullets, generates a 3–5 bullet executive summary, and renders the result into a clean, ATS-friendly Word document. You pick the template layout at checkout. The whole thing runs after payment and arrives by email — usually within 60 seconds.

Will my CV pass ATS systems?

Yes. Our ATS-safe templates are single-column, no tables for layout, no images, no text boxes — just structured text in standard fonts. That's what applicant tracking systems are designed to parse cleanly. Our designed layouts are made for human readers and are not sold as ATS-safe; every designed order ships an ATS-safe Word document alongside the PDF, in the same purchase, so you have the right file for each reader. If anything in your source CV looks unparseable, we reject it before payment so you don't pay for a CV we can't process.

What format do I get?

A .docx Word document from the upload door. Orders built in our CV builder — which is also where a designed layout is rendered — include a PDF and a plain-text version alongside the Word file. The Word document opens in Microsoft Word, Pages, Google Docs, and any modern editor, and exports to PDF yourself in one click if a recruiter asks for one.

Should I put a photo on my CV?

For UK applications, almost never — and there is no photo field anywhere in PerfectCV, so there is nothing to switch off. The practical reason is that applicant tracking systems parse text, and the text boxes, tables and document headers a photo layout needs are exactly what parsers drop, often taking your contact details with them. UK employers also increasingly shortlist anonymously. Our CV photo page covers the parsing detail and the Equality Act 2010 context in full; it is general information, not legal advice.

How long does it take?

Almost always under 60 seconds from payment to email. The pipeline runs on a single serverless function: extract structure, rewrite, cross-check for hallucinations, render the Word document, upload, email. No queue, no waiting room.

Will the AI invent information?

No. There is a separate verification pass after the rewrite that cross-checks every employer, job title, date, qualification, certification, language, and metric against your source CV. Anything that can't be traced to the source is either rejected (the order fails and we refund) or flagged for review. We never invent metrics, employers, dates, or skills.

What happens to my CV file?

Your source file and the generated Word document are stored in a private bucket and automatically deleted seven days after delivery. We never sell or share your data. The AI vendor (Anthropic) operates under a training opt-out for paid usage.

Can I get a refund if I'm not happy?

If our pipeline fails for any reason — invalid extraction, hallucination guardrail trip, render error — your payment is refunded automatically and you'll get an email about it. For dissatisfaction with the output, contact us at the email in our terms and we'll review case-by-case.

Do you offer cover letters?

Yes — there's an optional cover letter add-on at checkout for £2. It uses your reformatted CV plus any job description you paste, and ships as a separate Word document. Same hallucination rules apply — no invented company facts or skills.

Is this for individuals or recruiters?

Individuals. PerfectCV is a one-off transactional product for jobseekers — there's no account, no subscription, no bulk mode. A multi-seat / agency tier may arrive later but is explicitly out of scope today.

More on the photo question: should you put a photo on your CV? — how applicant tracking systems handle them, and why UK employers prefer CVs without one.