CV Score Statistics: What 1,615 Real CVs Show
Each month we publish what our free CV Score tool finds in the CVs people check with it. This edition covers 1,615 CVs checked between 10 September 2026 and 30 September 2026. Every figure comes from our own data, and the method further down shows how each one was counted.
This is the September 2026 edition, published on 30 September 2026. Its figures are fixed and won't be revised.
Key Figures
Share of the 1,615 CVs checked between 10 September 2026 and 30 September 2026. The quantified results figure only counts the CVs that check applies to.
How Scores Are Spread
| Under 50 | 7.4% |
| 50 to 79 | 71.1% |
| 80 and over | 21.5% |
Scores out of 100, across 1,615 CVs.
Median Score by CV Language
Median score out of 100, by the language each CV is written in.
| English | 75/100 | n = 132 |
| French | 66/100 | n = 1,099 |
| Spanish | 65/100 | n = 350 |
Languages with fewer than 30 CVs in this edition aren't shown.
The Checks CVs Fail Most
Share of CVs failing each check, highest first. A partial pass, which the tool shows as a warning, counts as a fail.
No LinkedIn URL, or fewer than four of these five: name, email, phone, city or country, LinkedIn.
n = 1,615
Fewer than two of the three most recent roles include a figure, such as a percentage, an amount or a headcount (one role is enough for graduates, and student CVs always pass).
n = 1,574: trades CVs aren't scored on this check
Too few or too many skills listed. For experienced candidates the target is 8 to 15, with lower ranges for students and graduates.
n = 1,615
No summary, or one that isn't three to five sentences long.
n = 1,615
At least one phrase from our list of overused CV wording, such as "results-driven" or "team player".
n = 1,615
Fewer than three roles (or not all of them, when the CV lists under three) have a description of at least 50 characters.
n = 1,615
At least one of the five core sections is missing: contact details, summary, experience, education or skills.
n = 1,615
| Contact details | 74.5% | n = 1,615 | No LinkedIn URL, or fewer than four of these five: name, email, phone, city or country, LinkedIn. |
| Quantified results | 64.8% | n = 1,574 | Fewer than two of the three most recent roles include a figure, such as a percentage, an amount or a headcount (one role is enough for graduates, and student CVs always pass). |
| Skills section | 63.0% | n = 1,615 | Too few or too many skills listed. For experienced candidates the target is 8 to 15, with lower ranges for students and graduates. |
| Summary | 55.4% | n = 1,615 | No summary, or one that isn't three to five sentences long. |
| Overused phrases | 18.3% | n = 1,615 | At least one phrase from our list of overused CV wording, such as "results-driven" or "team player". |
| Experience descriptions | 16.3% | n = 1,615 | Fewer than three roles (or not all of them, when the CV lists under three) have a description of at least 50 characters. |
| Section structure | 13.9% | n = 1,615 | At least one of the five core sections is missing: contact details, summary, experience, education or skills. |
How We Measured This
This edition covers every CV run through our free CV Score tool from 10 September 2026 at 00:00 to 30 September 2026 at 09:10 UTC for which a score was saved: 1,615 CVs, whether or not the person went on to create an account. We count checks, not people, so a CV checked twice counts twice. The statistics only use the score and the pass or fail result of each check, never the text of the CV, a name or contact details.
Each CV gets a score out of 100 from eight checks: format, section structure, contact details, quantified results, skills, experience descriptions, overused phrases and summary. The score uses all eight. The list of checks above leaves out format (multi-column layouts) while we confirm how reliable that detection is. Trades CVs aren't scored on quantified results, and that weight moves to experience descriptions.
CVs checked before 10 September 2026 aren't included, because we changed the scoring rules at the start of that month and older scores aren't comparable. From October 2026 each edition covers one calendar month, and past editions stay online at their own address with their figures unchanged.
These are CVs from people who chose to check them with us, and the mix of languages follows who uses the tool (see the sample sizes above), so the figures describe that group rather than every job seeker. We publish aggregates only: no figure here rests on fewer than 30 CVs, and nothing identifies a person, an employer or a job ad.
How to Cite This Data
You're welcome to quote these figures. Please name Personal Job Coach as the source, with the edition and a link to the page:
Personal Job Coach, "CV Score Statistics", September 2026 edition, https://personaljobcoach.com/cv-score-stats/2026-09
- Permanent link to this edition:
- CV Score Statistics, September 2026 Edition
- Latest edition, updated monthly:
- CV Score Statistics, Latest edition
All Editions
- September 2026 Edition (1,615 CVs)
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