Fix my CV — Piyush Raj Akhouri

Most CVs I see are not badly written. They are badly read — by the software that sits between an applicant and a human being. I have opened CVs where the whole document was a scanned photograph, so every tracking system that processed it recorded an empty row. On another, the applicant's email address reached the parser as rn.esh?.ku1nar8l02@grna1l.corn — close enough to look right to a human eye, useless to a machine. He had been applying for months. He never knew.

You get two things back, as PDFs:

A rebuilt CV — single column, real selectable text, standard headings, no graphics or rating bars, and every product and skill keyword preserved exactly so recruiter searches actually find you.
A personal letter — what was wrong with the original, what I changed and why, anything I could not fix without your input, and specific things to learn or prepare for the roles you are going for.

I do not invent facts. If your CV does not state a job title or a date, I will not guess one — I will write and ask you. That means the letter usually ends with a short list of things only you can confirm.

Before you send anything

This is free, and it comes with no guarantees. No promise of a job, an interview, a reply from any employer, or any particular outcome. The advice is my honest opinion, not professional, legal or financial advice, and what you do with it is your decision and your responsibility.
Sharing your CV is your call. A CV holds personal information — your phone number, your address, sometimes more. Please look at what is in yours and decide whether you are comfortable sending it. Remove anything you would rather not share; the review works fine without it.
What I store, and for how long. Your CV, your name, your email and anything you type below. I keep it for up to 90 days so I can do the review and answer follow-up questions, then it goes.
Deletion, whenever you want. Email mail@piyushraj.com and I will delete your CV and details. No reason needed, no questions asked.
I will not sell your data, add you to a mailing list, or pass it to anyone without the permission you give below.
Nothing is automated. I read every CV and review every reply before it is sent. That is slower, and it is the reason the reviews are worth having.

Access code — open to everyone, for now

Paste it into the access code field below. There is no waiting list and nobody to ask — the code is right here because the point is to help, not to gatekeep.

Your details

Your name * Email * Where I will send the two PDFs. Access code * Copy it from the box above. Roles you are targeting Optional, but it sharpens the review a great deal. Where you are, or want to be

Anything I should know Context helps. If there is a gap in your CV, telling me about it means the letter can address it honestly instead of flagging it as a question. Your CV * PDF only, up to 4 MB. A Word file exported as PDF is fine.

I have read the points above. I understand this is free, comes with no guarantees, and that sending my CV is my own decision. I am happy for Piyush to store my CV and details for up to 90 days to carry out this review. * Optional: if Piyush comes across a role that genuinely fits me, he may share my CV with that employer or recruiter. I can withdraw this at any time by email.

I do this because someone did it for me once, and because a good CV should not be a privilege. Reviews are done by hand, so give me a few days. If you have not heard back within a week, do email me — it means something went wrong, not that I lost interest.