How Workable handles your CV
When you apply through a Workable job page, you can upload your CV from your device, Dropbox or Google Drive and Workable imports its details to fill in the application form. Its jobseeker help centre accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT and RTF files up to 5 MB, and advises clearly divided sections, readable fonts and no image-only CVs. You can also skip the upload and fill in the form by hand.
Employers can add knockout questions. In Workable these are yes/no questions where answering no disqualifies you automatically. You still get the normal confirmation email and are not told you were disqualified.
Workable also has an AI agent that evaluates applicants against matching criteria, gives a score and can advance or disqualify candidates at the Sourced and Applied stages. Total years of experience is calculated from the experience entries on your profile, which can come from your form or the CV parser.
Do
- Keep the file under 5 MB and in PDF or DOCX; Workable lists PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT and RTF as accepted.
- Check every imported experience entry, especially dates, because Workable works out your total years of experience from these entries.
- Use clearly separated sections (Experience, Education, Skills) as Workable's own guidance suggests, so the import fills the right fields.
- Match the job description's must-have skills with the same wording where it is true, since employers define the criteria the AI agent scores against.
- Treat every yes/no question as a possible knockout: read it twice and answer accurately.
Don't
- Don't upload an image-only or image-heavy CV; Workable's jobseeker advice warns against it.
- Don't leave the experience section of the form empty because your CV is attached; it feeds the experience calculation.
- Don't take a confirmation email as proof you passed screening; knockout disqualifications still trigger it.
- Don't fill in dates loosely (2019 to now) in one place and precisely in another.
Questions
Does Workable automatically disqualify candidates?
It can. Employers can set yes/no knockout questions so that a no disqualifies you automatically, and Workable's AI agent can advance or disqualify candidates at early stages. With knockout questions, you still receive the standard confirmation email.
What file types and size does Workable accept for a CV?
Workable's jobseeker help centre lists .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt and .rtf files up to 5 MB, uploaded from your device, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Does Workable score candidates?
Workable's AI agent evaluates candidates against matching criteria the employer defines and shows a score percentage that recruiters can filter by. How it is used is up to each employer.