Candid Tools

Compress for a Job Application

Compress for Job Application checks a CV, photo or certificate against the limit a portal states and shrinks any file that is over, in your browser with nothing uploaded.

Drop the file you want to send, or click to choose it

PDFs, JPG/PNG/WebP images or videos · processed on your device, never uploaded

No common rule. Each portal sets its own, often per upload field; the form says which.

At a glance

Accepts
PDFs, JPG/PNG/WebP images and videos your browser can decode (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV)
Outputs
A verdict per file, and shrunk copies of the files that were over
Where it runs
Entirely in your browser, on your device
What leaves your device
Nothing - the file never leaves your device
Limits
PDFs lose selectable text when shrunk; videos need WebCodecs; a file too long or too big for the limit is reported, not mangled
Account
Not required - there is no sign-up
Price
Free, with no watermark and no usage cap
Made by
Visrut
Last updated
13 October 2026

Application portals reject files over their own limit, and that limit is different on every site. Set the number the form shows (2 MB is preselected), drop your CV, photo and certificates, and each one gets a verdict. Make it fit shrinks only the files that are over, with candidtools' PDF and image compressors, aiming just under the limit so you keep as much quality as it allows.

How to use it

  1. Type or pick the limit the portal states, per file.
  2. Drop your files.
  3. Press Make it fit for any marked too big, check each preview, and download.

Before you compress a CV

Where the limit comes from

Checked against each platform's own help pages on . Sizes are counted in decimal (1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes), the stricter reading.

Job or college portal

Limit:
No common rule. Each portal sets its own, often per upload field; the form says which.
Formats:
Usually PDF for documents and JPG for photos; the form says.
Source:
None: there is no single published rule, so you type the limit.

Custom limit

Limit:
Government forms, insurers, school systems: type the limit the form shows.
Formats:
Whatever the form lists.
Source:
None: there is no single published rule, so you type the limit.

The compressors behind it

Make it fit picks settings for you. For full control over one kind of file, use the compressor directly:

Frequently asked questions

What file size do job portals allow?

There is no common rule: every applicant tracking system and careers page sets its own, and many set it per field. The upload field or the instructions next to it usually state the limit; type that number here.

Should I count 1 MB as 1,000 or 1,024 KB?

This page counts 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes, the stricter of the two, and aims a little under. A file that passes here passes a 1 MB check done either way.

Will my CV still be readable?

A short CV almost always fits with little visible change. Compressing a PDF here re-renders each page as an image, so the text stops being selectable and searchable, which some applicant tracking systems rely on to read your CV. If your CV is a text PDF exported from Word or Google Docs, it is probably already small; check the verdict before compressing.

My CV is mostly text and still too big. Why?

Usually embedded fonts or a large photo or logo. Rendering the pages as images can make a text PDF bigger, and if that happens the page keeps the original and says so. Export it again from your editor with a smaller image instead.

Can I do my photo and certificates too?

Yes. Drop them together; each file is checked against the limit on its own, and Make it fit shrinks only the ones that are over.