Frequently asked questions
Clear answers before you trust us with your career history.
These answers describe the product as it works today: what happens to an upload, how AI suggestions stay grounded, how role targeting works, and what the one-time payment unlocks.
Starting and analysis
Do I need an existing resume?
No. If you have a PDF, DOCX, screenshot, or readable resume image, uploading it is the fastest way to begin. If you do not have a resume, choose the guided questionnaire and provide your work history, achievements, skills, and education. Both paths feed the same evidence-first analysis.
What happens before the resume is generated?
First, My Best Resume analyzes your experience and shows a strengths report. That report surfaces achievements, ownership, scope, recurring capabilities, and evidence that may be hidden by weak wording. Next, you choose a target role or career goal. The product then explains how your evidence aligns with that target and where the story needs more support.
Can I upload a screenshot or photo of my resume?
Yes. PNG, JPEG, and other supported image uploads are processed with OCR to extract readable text. For the best result, use a sharp, well-lit image with the full page visible and minimal perspective distortion. A PDF or DOCX with selectable text will usually produce cleaner extraction, but an image is acceptable when that is all you have.
Will the AI invent achievements or numbers?
It is designed not to. Generated claims must trace back to the uploaded resume or to information you explicitly provide and confirm. The workflow asks follow-up questions when an important result needs evidence. You are still responsible for reviewing the final resume and confirming that every statement is accurate.
Targeting and ATS
Can it tailor my resume to a job description?
Yes. You can provide a role title alone or paste a specific job description. The target analysis identifies priorities, skills, seniority signals, and relevant language, then compares them with evidence from your history. Tailoring changes emphasis and wording; it should never copy the posting or add experience you do not have.
What does ATS-friendly mean?
ATS-friendly means the document preserves readable text, uses recognizable section headings, keeps a logical content order, and avoids formatting that makes important information difficult to parse. It does not mean that one secret template guarantees a score or interview. Relevance, credible evidence, and clear language still matter more than visual tricks.
Are all templates equally safe for an ATS?
No. Classic ATS, Minimal, and Technical are the safest choices for conservative application portals and technical roles. Modern and Refined Serif balance readability with more visual character. Creative is intended for brand and design contexts where presentation carries more weight. The product recommends a template based on your target role and goal.
Can I use it for a career change?
Yes. Career-change targeting focuses on transferable evidence: the problems you solved, stakeholders you influenced, systems you built, decisions you owned, and measurable outcomes you produced. It does not hide your past career. It makes the connection between that experience and the new role explicit.
Accounts, payment, and files
How can I sign in?
You can use Google sign-in or enter any email address to receive a secure magic link. The email option works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, QQ, 163, and most business email providers. My Best Resume does not require a traditional password.
How much does it cost?
Your first targeted resume costs $1.99. Additional targeted resumes cost $4.99 each. Payments are one-time; there is no subscription, automatic renewal, or recurring membership fee. You can see the strengths and target-fit analysis before paying.
What does a purchase unlock?
A purchase unlocks PDF and DOCX downloads for one targeted resume, plus edits and re-downloads during a seven-day edit window. The current product limit is up to 20 regenerations for that purchased resume during the active window.
Can I add a profile photo?
A profile photo is optional and only appears with templates that support it. Whether a photo belongs on a resume depends on the country, industry, and hiring context. The product does not force a photo. The Technical, Classic ATS, Minimal, and Executive templates intentionally omit one.
Privacy and retention
Do you keep the original resume file?
The application processes uploaded resume files in memory to extract text and discards the original source file after extraction. Extracted resume content and analysis are retained according to the session and purchase timelines described in the Privacy Policy so that you can continue the workflow and retrieve purchased work.
Is my resume used to train AI models?
My Best Resume does not use your resume to train its own models. Resume text is sent to the configured AI provider only to perform the analysis and generation you request. Optional profile photos are not sent to the language model or OCR provider.
Can I delete my information?
Yes. The self-service data deletion page permanently removes the account, resume sessions, generated versions, processed profile photo, purchase records, and related analytics tied to the authenticated user or active browser session. If you no longer have access to that session, contact support using the address in the Privacy Policy.
Still deciding whether the workflow fits?
Read how the evidence-first method works, review the complete privacy policy, or start with a resume upload. The strengths report comes before account creation and payment.
Your strongest evidence is already in your experience.
Upload your current resume first. See the strengths report before you create an account or pay.