How CVCater Works

Transparent scoring, ethical AI tailoring, and everything you need to know about how your CVs are generated and scored.

What CVCater Does

CVCater takes your real CV and a target job description, then generates a tailored version that highlights your most relevant experience for that specific role. Every generated CV is scored with a deterministic algorithm — not an AI guess — so you get an honest, repeatable percentage match.

The goal is honesty: if a role isn't a good fit, we tell you. If it is, we show you exactly why and help you put your best foot forward — without fabricating anything.

The Scoring Algorithm

Your match score (0–100%) is computed by a deterministic algorithm, not by asking AI to pick a number. This means the score is consistent, repeatable, and based on actual data extraction from your CV and the job description.

AI is only used for the qualitative commentary (the analysis text, strengths, gaps, and recommendations). The AI is told the algorithmic score and asked to explain it — it cannot override or inflate the number.

Score Breakdown

Your total score is the sum of 5 weighted components:

Skill Match40 points

We extract hard skills from both your CV and the job description using 70+ pattern matchers (programming languages, frameworks, tools, certifications, domain skills). Your score is the fraction of the job's required skills that you actually have.

Example: Job needs 9 skills, you have 6 of them → 6/9 × 40 = 27 points

Industry / Field Fit25 points

Both your CV and the job are classified into career fields (Software, Culinary, Healthcare, Finance, Marketing, Education, Construction, Legal, Retail, Logistics, Design, Data Science, HR) using keyword dictionaries. If your field matches the job's field, you get full points. No overlap = 0 points.

Example: Software engineer applying for a chef role → 0 points (different fields)

Experience Match15 points

We extract years of experience from date ranges in your CV (e.g. "2022 – Present") and compare against the job's requirements (e.g. "3+ years experience"). Crucially, experience in the wrong field is heavily discounted — 6 years of software experience barely counts when applying for a chef role.

Keyword Overlap10 points

General text similarity between your CV and the job description, measured by n-gram overlap after removing common stop words. This catches relevant terms that aren't in the skill dictionaries.

Soft Skills10 points

Matches transferable soft skills (leadership, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, time management, project management, collaboration) between your CV and the job. Deliberately low weight — soft skills alone shouldn't inflate your score.

What Your Score Means

80–100%

Excellent match. Your skills, experience, and industry background strongly align with this role. You should apply with confidence.

60–79%

Good match. Most requirements are met with minor gaps. Worth applying — review the gaps section for areas to address in your cover letter.

40–59%

Partial match. Some transferable skills but significant gaps. Consider whether you can credibly address the missing requirements or if a different role would be a better use of your time.

20–39%

Weak match. Major skill gaps or different field. Applying is unlikely to succeed — look for roles closer to your background.

0–19%

Poor match. The role is in a completely different career field. We recommend not applying and focusing on roles that match your actual skills and experience.

AI Tailoring: What We Never Change

Our AI tailoring is designed to be ethical and honest. Here's exactly what the AI is and isn't allowed to do:

Never Changed
  • Your name, address, phone number, email, or LinkedIn profile
  • Education institution names, degree names, or graduation dates
  • Company names, job titles, or employment dates
  • Project names or descriptions of projects you didn't do
  • Skills you don't actually have
What The AI May Do
  • Rephrase bullet point wording to highlight genuinely relevant transferable aspects
  • Reorder sections or bullets to put the most relevant content first
  • Adjust your Summary/Profile to better frame you for the role (truthfully)
  • If your background is a poor fit, it will still present your CV honestly — no disguising

Gems & Plans

Each CV generation costs 1 gem. Your gem balance depends on your plan:

Free3gems total
Starter50gems / month
Prounlimited
Careerunlimited

Any plan can also purchase gem top-ups for additional generations.

Privacy & Data

  • Your CV data is sent to OpenAI for tailoring and analysis — it is not stored by OpenAI beyond the API request.
  • Generated CVs and scores are stored in your account history so you can review them later.
  • You can delete any generation from your history at any time.
  • Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text.
  • Authentication uses JWT tokens stored in your browser's local storage.
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