Interview Signal CV attach: how a candidate's CV is used
On this page
Interview Signal lets you attach the candidate's CV on the pre-interview screen, by pasting it into the Their CV box or loading a PDF or plain-text file. During the call, it goes with follow-up and Ask the AI requests so suggestions can probe gaps between what the CV claims and what the candidate says. After the call, the submittal can add one line to its risks section where the CV claims something the interview did not establish. The CV is never used for scoring or as a source of quotes, and it stays on your computer with the interview. This describes version 0.9.10, current as of October 2026.
How do I attach a CV?
- Press Start on a role. The pre-interview screen opens.
- In section 2. The candidate, find Their CV (optional).
- Paste the CV text into the box, or press Attach a PDF or text file and choose a .pdf, .txt or .md file. The text appears in the box, with a note such as "Read jane-doe-cv.pdf."
- Read the box. You can edit the text, or press Clear to start again.
- Finish the other steps and start the interview.
The CV has to be in place before you press Start. There is no CV box on the live or review screens, so a CV cannot be added to an interview once it has begun.
Which files can it read?
| What you attach | Result |
|---|---|
| PDF with real text in it | Read |
| Plain text (.txt) or Markdown (.md) | Read |
| Scanned PDF or photo of a CV | Refused: "No text came out of that PDF. It is most likely a scan or a photograph rather than a document, so there is nothing to extract. Paste the text instead." |
| Word (.docx or .doc), .rtf, Pages or .odt | Refused by name, for example "Word (.docx) files cannot be read here.", with a suggestion to paste the text or save it as a PDF |
| Any file over 12 MB | Refused as too large to be a CV |
The box is the real interface and the button only fills it, so pasting always works when a file will not.
How long can the CV be?
The app keeps the first 8,000 characters, cut at a line break. If a file is longer, the note says "It was longer than we send to a model, so the first 8,000 characters were kept." During the call, shorter extracts from the start of the CV go with each request: about the first 2,500 characters with follow-ups and the first 2,000 with Ask the AI. The submittal can use all 8,000. Since most CVs open with the latest role, that usually means the most relevant part is what the live features see.
What does the CV change during the interview?
- Follow-ups. The AI is told that where the CV and the conversation disagree, that gap is the best follow-up available. A suggestion still has to quote what the candidate said, never what the CV claims. As an illustration: the CV says they led a project, the candidate keeps saying "the team did it", and a suggestion asks which part was theirs. See follow-up suggestions.
- Ask the AI. You can ask about the CV directly, for example "Does what he said about his last role match the CV?" See Ask the AI.
- Not the scorecard. The CV is never sent with scoring requests. Every score comes only from what the candidate said, with each quote checked against the transcript.
- Not the guide. Questions tick off from what you ask, not from the CV.
What does the CV change in the submittal?
The submittal is told to treat the CV as context, not evidence. Nothing in it may be sourced from the CV: every fact and every quote still comes from the transcript. The CV's one use is the risks section, where a claim on the CV that the interview did not establish is worth one line telling the client what to probe next. See the client submittal.
Where is the CV stored, and who can see it?
The screen says it directly: "Stays on this computer with the rest of the interview. It is sent to the model while the interview runs, so follow-ups can probe what it claims and the submittal can say where the CV and the conversation disagree." The security page lists the CV with the interview content that is stored only on the recruiter's computer, and the privacy policy explains that extracts of it go with AI requests while the interview runs, under paid API terms that do not allow training on them. It is not stored on Interview Signal's servers, and on a panel it is not shared with the other interviewers. Deleting the interview's folder, or pressing Delete all local interviews in Settings, deletes it. More in where your data is stored.
What CV attach does not do
- It does not read Word files or scans. Paste the text instead.
- It does not check the CV. There is no employment or background verification; our guide to verifying employment history covers that.
- It does not screen or rank CVs, and it does not fill fields from them.
- It does not import a CV from an ATS. Interview Signal has no ATS integration.
- It is attached to one interview, not to the role or the candidate across interviews.
For the interview technique behind CV follow-ups, see how to ask about resume gaps.
Questions people ask
Can I attach a candidate's resume or CV in Interview Signal?
Yes. On the pre-interview screen, the Their CV box takes the CV pasted as text, or you can press Attach a PDF or text file to load a PDF, .txt or .md file. It is optional, it must be added before you press Start, and the first 8,000 characters are kept.
Does Interview Signal score candidates on their CV?
No. The CV is never sent with scoring requests, so every score comes only from what the candidate said in the interview, with quotes checked against the transcript. The CV is used to shape follow-up questions, to answer your own questions in Ask the AI, and for one line in the submittal's risks section.
Why can't Interview Signal read my Word CV?
As of version 0.9.10 the app reads PDFs that contain text, plain text and Markdown files, and refuses .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pages and .odt files by name rather than reading them badly. Open the file, select all and paste the text into the box, or save it as a PDF and attach that.
Where does Interview Signal store the CV I attach?
With the rest of the interview, in the interview's folder on your computer. It is not stored on Interview Signal's servers and is not shared with a panel. While the interview runs, extracts of it are sent to the AI model provider with follow-up, Ask the AI and submittal requests.