Frequently asked questions

What does my score mean?

Your score is a conservative estimate of how your résumé stacks up against others in your band. It starts near 0and climbs as your résumé wins head-to-head comparisons and the system grows more confident about it. Under the hood it’s a TrueSkill rating: we track an estimated strength and how unsure we still are, then deliberately subtract a margin for that uncertainty. So a high score means your résumé was judged strong and judged often enough for us to be sure, not just lucky in a few matchups.

How is the ranking actually done?

By people, not by an algorithm grading your résumé’s contents. Real users are shown two résumés side by side and pick the stronger one (or mark it a tie). Every comparison nudges both résumés’ ratings up or down, the same idea as chess ratings, but Bayesian, so it also tracks confidence. Over many comparisons, stronger résumés rise to the top.

Why did my score start at zero?

New résumés begin uncertain, so the conservative score sits near zero until they’ve been compared a few times. This is calibration: as comparisons come in, the uncertainty shrinks and your score settles to reflect where you actually stand. Give it a handful of matchups before reading too much into the number.

Who is my résumé compared against?

Only résumés in the same seniority band: Intern, Junior, Mid-Senior, Senior, or Staff/Architect. An intern résumé is never pitted against a staff-level one. You choose your band when you upload.

Who gets to rate my résumé?

Other users, anonymously. To keep judgments fair, raters can only judge their own band and below (Mid-Senior and above may judge any band), and you must upload your own résumé before you can rate others.

Is it anonymous?

Yes. Comparisons are blind, so raters don’t see your name or contact details: you redact those from your résumé before it goes live, and any written feedback you receive is anonymous.

What happens to my original file?

We never keep it. Your PDF is rendered to page images for review and is never saved to our storage. Once you confirm your redactions, only the flattened, redacted images are kept; the un-redacted pages are deleted right away. Because we store images and not the PDF, the selectable text layer is gone too, so nothing from your original document can be copied back out.

Can people game it or tank my rating?

No single vote swings your score; it moves gradually across many judgments. We also weight votes for integrity: you can’t rate your own résumé, contrarian or suspicious voting patterns are automatically down-weighted, and rushed or abusive behavior is flagged.

What’s the difference between the ranking and the stars?

When raters compare two résumés they also give each a quality rating from 1 to 10. The head-to-head wins and losses are what drive your ranking position; the stars are a separate quality signal and feedback for you.

What happens if I upload a new version?

Replacing your résumé in a category carries your rating forward but re-opens calibration, so the new version re-proves itself over a few comparisons. Your previous version is archived and its past comparisons are kept.

How do I improve my score?

Win more head-to-head comparisons by making your résumé clearly stronger than others in your band, and rack up enough comparisons for the system to be confident. Rating other résumés keeps the pool active and earns you more matchups in return.