Question 1

How does CV Booster help pass ATS filters?

Accepted Answer

CV Booster analyzes specific job descriptions and identifies missing keywords and skills. It then uses AI to naturally integrate these terms into your CV while maintaining a professional LaTeX format that is 100% readable by all major Applicant Tracking Systems.

Question 2

Why is a LaTeX CV better than a Canva or Word resume?

Accepted Answer

Canva and Word resumes often contain 'invisible' formatting, floating text boxes, and complex graphics that break ATS parsers. LaTeX produces a clean, machine-readable structure that guarantees your contact info, skills, and work history are extracted correctly every time.

Question 3

What is 'Proof of Work' in a resume?

Accepted Answer

Proof of Work refers to verifiable evidence of your skills within the resume itself. This includes hyperlinks to live projects, GitHub repositories, design portfolios, or published case studies, rather than just text descriptions of your duties. It is the primary signal 2026 recruiters use to verify AI-generated resumes.

Question 4

Is it okay to use AI to write my resume?

Accepted Answer

You should use AI (like CV Booster) to structure, optimize, and edit your resume, but never to generate the core content from scratch without review. Purely AI-generated resumes often suffer from 'hallucinations' (invented metrics) and generic language that recruiters can easily spot and reject.

Question 5

Why does my fancy Canva resume fail in ATS?

Accepted Answer

Canva and similar design tools export PDFs as 'flat' images or use complex positioning that ATS parsers cannot read linearly. This often results in blank or garbled text extraction (e.g., merging columns incorrectly), causing an automatic rejection before a human ever sees it.

Question 6

What is the best resume format for ATS in 2026?

Accepted Answer

A clean, single-column layout with standard headings (Experience, Skills, Education) remains the gold standard. While it may look 'boring' to the human eye, it ensures 100% readability for the AI agents and ATS parsers that screen you first.

Question 7

Does a PDF resume get read differently than a DOCX?

Accepted Answer

Modern ATS parsers read both, but PDF is preferred to 'lock' your formatting. However, the PDF must be text-based (selectable text), not an image-based PDF. If you cannot highlight the text in your PDF viewer, the ATS cannot read it.

Question 8

How do I prove 'Soft Skills' without using buzzwords?

Accepted Answer

Do not list soft skills like 'Leadership' or 'Communication' as keywords. Demonstrate them through results using the Context-Action-Result framework. Instead of saying 'Great leader,' write: 'Mentored 4 junior developers, resulting in 2 promotions within one year.'

Question 9

Do recruiters still read cover letters?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the purpose has shifted. Recruiters use cover letters to understand the context behind your career moves (e.g., gaps, industry pivots) or to assess communication style. They rarely use them to read a summary of the resume.

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The Death of the 'Generalist' Resume: Why 2026 Recruiters Demand Proof of Work Over Keywords

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