Hidden text in CVs: what a document integrity check catches

Hidden text is writing in a CV that a human reader cannot see, such as white text on a white page or text in a tiny font. It is sometimes used to stuff keywords or to give instructions to AI screening tools.

Why it matters

If a screening tool reads hidden instructions as part of the CV, its output can be skewed. A fair process needs to notice and show it.

What HireSieve does

HireSieve runs document integrity checks on each CV. A hidden-text finding is flagged on the record for a person to review. It is not an automatic rejection; the person decides what it means.

What a reviewer should do

1. Open the original file and look at the flagged section.
2. Decide whether it is an innocent formatting quirk or an attempt to game the screen.
3. Record the decision on the candidate.

Why scoring stays safe

In HireSieve the model only extracts facts with quotes, and Python does every calculation, so a hidden instruction cannot make up a score. Read how scoring works.

For checks you must do before someone starts, see the Braivex guide to right to work checks. Running a team across several branches? Loculens tracks reviews for each one.

Telling a quirk from a trick

Some hidden text is accidental: a template with white placeholder text, or a copied section with odd formatting. Other hidden text is deliberate, such as a block of keywords or a line telling software to rank the CV first. Look at what the text says. Keywords matching your advert word for word, or instructions addressed to software, are deliberate. Decide consistently and note your reason.

Small shops hiring their first marketer can see what that person would watch each morning in VirtualPA.

More from Braivex

• ReelSieve turns an Airbnb listing link into a walkthrough video saved to your own Google Drive.
• Housieve scores London listings from Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket and Gumtree every morning.
• Loculens brings every branch's Google reviews into one dashboard, with reply drafts a person sends.
• VirtualPA gives small shops a daily marketing brief from their ads, email, sales and stock.
• Reachwyn plans a week of LinkedIn posts in your own voice, and nothing publishes until you approve it.

Read more guides on the Braivex blog.