An illustration of a typical result. No real file, name or location is used.
Before — what you would be sending
CV-2026.pdfPDF
Authorcv-template-modern-v3
Created2026-08-14 02:17
Earlier versions retainedSaved 6 times — earlier drafts still in the file
After cleaning
CV-2026-clean.pdfPDF
Authorremoved
Createdremoved
Earlier versions retainedremoved
Layout and text unchanged. The recruiter sees your CV, not your history.
The template you started from
Most CVs begin as someone else's file. The original author's name often stays in the document properties through every subsequent edit, which means your CV can arrive attributed to a stranger, or to the friend who sent you the template.
Every version you have sent
People tailor a CV per application. If the file is a PDF exported repeatedly from the same document, or a Word file edited in place with tracked changes on, the earlier tailoring can still be in there — including salary figures, other companies' names, and lines you removed because they were not true any more.
Timestamps tell a recruiter when you started looking
The creation and modification dates are readable by anyone. A file modified at two in the morning on a weekday, or created the day after a bad performance review, is a piece of information you did not intend to hand over.
The safest export path
Finish the document, run the checks, then export a fresh PDF rather than editing an old one. Clean it, and confirm with the tool above that the author field is empty before you attach it.
In practice
A clean export routine
Keep one master document. When you tailor it for an application, duplicate the master rather than editing it, make the changes, then export a fresh PDF rather than saving over an earlier export. Exporting builds a new file with no accumulated history. Then check the output and confirm the author field is empty before attaching. The whole routine adds about a minute per application and removes every version-history problem at once.
What recruiters can see without trying
Right-clicking a PDF and choosing Properties or Get Info shows the author, the creating application and both timestamps, on any operating system, with no special software. This is not a hypothetical technical attack; it is two clicks in a file browser. Assume anything in those fields will be seen by someone who is deciding whether to interview you.
Filenames travel too
A file called CV_final_v7_BigCompany_rejected.pdf tells a story before anyone opens it, and the filename is the one piece of metadata no cleaning tool can help with, because it lives outside the file. Name it something plain and professional — your name and the word CV is enough — and check it after every save, because editors sometimes append their own suffixes.
Common questions
Can a recruiter see who created my CV?
If the author property is still populated, yes. It is visible in the document properties of any PDF or Word file.
Should I send my CV as PDF or Word?
PDF is more predictable in layout and carries less structure, but it still holds author and timestamp fields. Clean either one before sending.
Does exporting to PDF remove Word metadata?
It removes tracked changes and comments, but the author name and timestamps usually carry across into the PDF.