Source review recorded 26 September 2026. Advert measurements are dated snapshots of the stage copy. Fitread check descriptions in chapter 9 were reviewed on 28 September 2026.

Sources

Where every claim comes from

Every source was read on 26 September 2026. Nothing was fetched from the feed partner's own site. No vendor was contacted, and no account, trial or form was used.

Kinds: Vendor documentation is the vendor describing its own product (good evidence of what the product does). Vendor marketing is a claim we could not check. Third party is someone else describing it. Search snippet means the page refused to load and we saw only a search-engine excerpt, which is weaker. Our measurement is a figure ContractorUK computed, with its sample and date.

Our own measurements

CUK1. The ContractorUK board, measured: Our measurement. 22,518 published adverts on the stage copy of the ContractorUK jobs board (19,519 contract, 2,999 temporary, 0 permanent), posted June to 13 September 2026 (August 13,534; September to the 13th 7,491). Measured 26 Sep 2026 with the skills list and extractor used at that date. "Thin" means the advert names fewer than 3 skills from that list. That recorded list was IT-heavy, so a thin figure outside IT says as much about our list as about the adverts.
CUK2. IR35 status field: Our measurement. The IR35 field the feed supplies on the same 19,519 contract adverts: inside 1,731, outside 991, undetermined 16,797. Read 26 Sep 2026.
CUK3. Words in advert text: Our measurement. Adverts whose title or body contains a phrase, on the same adverts, 26 Sep 2026. Plain text matching, not read by a person, so it can over-count (for example "night" also matches "overnight").
CUK4. Credentials and licences named in adverts: Our measurement. Adverts naming each credential (DBS, CSCS, QTS, HGV and so on), same adverts, 26 Sep 2026, whole-word matching with case-sensitive acronyms. Three random adverts per credential were read to check the sense. Known inflation: DBS and right to work in education adverts (agency boilerplate repeated on every advert); ECS also matches an agency's name.
CUK5. Advertised day rates by role: Our measurement. Contract adverts that state a day rate, grouped by role, period September 2026 (stage, 26 Sep 2026). These are advertised rates, not rates paid.
CUK6. Phrases per sector: Our measurement. The most frequent and most distinctive one-to-three-word phrases in each sector's adverts, same adverts, 26 Sep 2026.
CUK7. What a feed advert tells you: Our measurement. Adverts on ContractorUK come from the feed partner's feed and carry the feed partner's own reference. On 26 Sep 2026, 9 advert bodies carried a Broadbean- or Bullhorn-style reference and none named Vincere, JobAdder, idibu or Firefish, so the agency's own system cannot be read from the advert.
CUK8. Fitread's checks: Our measurement of our own product: the original checklist recorded on stage, 26 Sep 2026 (searchability, recruiter checks, skills, role title, pay and IR35 as stated). Chapter 9 was checked against the repository code on 28 September 2026, including SearchabilityAnalyzer, RecruiterChecksAnalyzer and CredentialsAnalyzer; that code review does not refresh any advert measurement.

Agency systems, multiposters and CV databases

B10. Bullhorn acquires Textkernel (18 Jun 2024): Vendor announcement. https://www.bullhorn.com/blog/bullhorn-acquires-textkernel-to-accelerate-its-ai-strategy/
B1. Bullhorn ATS, parsing updates: Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/ats/Content/BHATS/Topics/parsingUpdates.htm
B3. Bullhorn ATS, Boolean logic: Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/ats/Content/BHATS/Topics/understandingBooleanLogic.htm
B5. Bullhorn Search & Match: Vendor marketing. https://www.bullhorn.com/products/candidate-search-match-software/
B6. Bullhorn Amplify scores: Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/amplify/Content/GettingStarted/Topics/understandingBullhornScores.htm
B7. Bullhorn for Salesforce, parsing with Daxtra: Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/bh4sf/Content/BH4SF/Topics/resumeParsingWithDaxtra.htm
B8. Bullhorn for Salesforce, resume parsing process (Textkernel Extract!): Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/bh4sf/Content/BH4SF/Topics/resumeParsingProcess.htm
FP4. Bullhorn ATS, resume parsing: Vendor documentation. https://kb.bullhorn.com/ats/Content/BHATS/Topics/resumeParsingBHATS.htm
M1. Mercury xRM, Daxtra CV guidance: Vendor documentation. https://portal.wearemercury.com/knowledgebase/article/KA-01555/en-us
M2. Mercury xRM, Textkernel parsing: Vendor documentation. https://portal.wearemercury.com/knowledgebase/article/KA-01538/en-us
M4. Mercury xRM, Daxtra Search: Vendor documentation. https://portal.wearemercury.com/knowledgebase/article/KA-01431/en-us
C1. Colleague 7, CV parsing: Vendor documentation. https://www.colleaguesoftware.com/my-product/colleague7-cvparsing/
J1. JobAdder, Daxtra integration: Vendor documentation. https://jobadder.com/integration/daxtra/
V4. Vincere help centre (Daxtra Styler; auto-parse): Vendor documentation. https://help.vincere.io/en/articles/4771472-daxtra-styler-for-vincere
F1. Firefish, AI CV parsing: Vendor marketing. https://www.firefishsoftware.com/product/ai-cv-parsing
FP22. Firefish, direct job board applications: Vendor documentation. https://fishtank.firefishsoftware.com/direct-job-board-applications
R1. Recruit CRM, AI resume parser: Vendor documentation. https://help.recruitcrm.io/en/articles/3029953-how-does-the-ai-resume-parser-work
R2. Recruit CRM features: Search snippet. https://recruitcrm.io/features/
Z2. Zoho Recruit, staffing features: Search snippet. https://www.zoho.com/recruit/staffing-agency-software/features.html
Z3. Zoho Recruit, Zia matching: Vendor documentation. https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/recruit/zia/overview/articles/zia-matching-overview
I1. Daxtra and idibu integration (20 May 2009): Third party. https://www.onrec.com/news/news-archive/daxtra-and-idibu-integrate-to-launch-multi-postingcv-parsing-product
FP20. idibu, when a candidate applies: Vendor documentation. https://v3-docs.idibu.com/article/757-what-happens-when-a-candidate-applies-through-my-application-page
BB1. Broadbean Aplitrak: Vendor documentation. https://www.broadbean.com/uk/product-suite/aplitrak/
BB2. Broadbean Search: Vendor documentation. https://www.broadbean.com/product-suite/resume-search-software/
BB4. Broadbean Boolean guide: Vendor documentation. https://www.broadbean.com/uk/resources/whitepapers/broadbeans-boolean-guide/
CV1. Totaljobs CV Database user guide: Vendor documentation. https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/hiring-people/user-guide-using-the-totaljobs-cv-database/
CV2. Reed, step-by-step CV searching: Vendor documentation. https://www.reed.co.uk/recruiter-advice/step-by-step-guide-cv-searching/
CV3. Reed, Boolean search: Search snippet. https://www.reed.co.uk/recruiter-advice/using-boolean-search-to-find-the-right-staff-fast/

Employer application systems and public sector

FP1. Greenhouse, supported file formats: Vendor documentation. https://support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/360052218132-Supported-formats-for-resumes-cover-letters-and-other-candidate-uploads
FP2. Greenhouse, auto-reject: Vendor documentation. https://support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/360000653472-Auto-reject
FP3. Greenhouse, "What really happens after you apply" (8 Jan 2025): Vendor describing itself. https://my.greenhouse.com/blogs/what-really-happens-after-you-apply-for-a-job
G1. Greenhouse, search resumes for keywords: Vendor documentation. https://support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/115004600186-Search-resumes-for-keywords
FP6. Workable, file types on the application form: Vendor documentation. https://help.workable.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012238108-What-types-of-files-can-be-uploaded-on-the-application-form
FP7. Workable, auto-disqualify questions: Vendor documentation. https://help.workable.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012238688-Auto-disqualify-candidates-using-application-form-questions
WK2. Workable Agent: Vendor documentation. https://help.workable.com/hc/en-us/articles/38381544828695-Using-the-Workable-Agent
W1. Workday, prospects and candidates: Vendor documentation. https://doc.workday.com/admin-guide/en-us/human-capital-management/recruiting/candidates/set-up-prospects-and-candidates/hdc1552497830785.html
FP8. Workday, career sites: Vendor documentation. https://doc.workday.com/admin-guide/en-us/human-capital-management/recruiting/career-sites/ddo1548786792678.html
FP11. SmartRecruiters, rejection screening questions: Vendor documentation. https://learning.sap.com/courses/smartrecruiters-for-sap-successfactors-academy/creating-rejection-screening-questions_ed2425b9-fd44-4e3d-ab8b-e96adca1c225
FP13. Ashby, application forms: Vendor documentation. https://docs.ashbyhq.com/application-forms
AS1. Ashby, AI-assisted application review: Vendor documentation. https://docs.ashbyhq.com/ai-assisted-application-review
TT1. Teamtailor, Co-pilot candidate screening: Vendor documentation. https://support.teamtailor.com/en/articles/10209597-co-pilot-candidate-screening
FP15. Oracle Taleo, candidate prescreening: Vendor documentation. https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/taleo-enterprise/21b/otrec/candidate-prescreening.html
FP16. Oracle Taleo, candidate file import: Vendor documentation. https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/taleo-enterprise/21b/otcug/candidate-file-import.html
FP17. Recruitee, knockout questions: Vendor documentation. https://support.recruitee.com/en/articles/6108676-set-up-knockout-questions-to-automatically-disqualify-candidates
TP1. Tribepad, candidate screening: Vendor marketing. https://tribepad.com/candidate-screening-software/
JT1. Jobtrain, screening questions: Vendor documentation. https://jobtrain.co.uk/home/talent-acquisition-suite/screening-questions/
FP24. NHS Jobs, CV applications (NHSBSA): Vendor documentation. https://faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-25611/en-us
FP25. GOV.UK, using the Civil Service Jobs website (updated 27 Jan 2026): Official guidance. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-civil-service-jobs-website

Parser vendors

PS33. Daxtra Technologies Ltd, Companies House SC235713: Official register. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC235713
PS6. Textkernel Tx Platform FAQ: Vendor documentation. https://developer.textkernel.com/tx-platform/v10/faq/
PS7. Textkernel, resume parser getting started: Vendor documentation. https://developer.textkernel.com/tx-platform/v10/resume-parser/overview/getting-started/
PS13. Textkernel, resume parser API output: Vendor documentation. https://developer.textkernel.com/tx-platform/v10/resume-parser/api/
PS14. Textkernel, parser output (dates by detected culture): Vendor documentation. https://developer.textkernel.com/tx-platform/v9/resume-parser/overview/parser-output/
PS34. Daxtra Parser technical specifications (PDF, undated): Vendor documentation. https://cvxdemo.daxtra.com/cvx/download/Parser%20Technical%20Specifications.pdf
PS11. Affinda resume parser: Vendor marketing (accuracy claims). https://www.affinda.com/resume-parser/
PS15. Daxtra blog, parsing accuracy (16 May 2022): Vendor marketing. https://info.daxtra.com/blog/daxtra-world-leader-in-cv-resume-parsing
PS30. Round-up of resume parsing tools: Third party. https://www.pin.com/blog/best-resume-parsing-tools/

Surveys, regulators and myth-tracing

FP27. Harvard Business School and Accenture, "Hidden Workers" (Sep 2021), pp. 20-25: Survey report (employer survey May-June 2020, US, UK, Germany). https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/hiddenworkers09032021_Fuller_white_paper_33a2047f-41dd-47b1-9a8d-bd08cf3bfa94.pdf
FP28. ICO, AI tools in recruitment: audit outcomes report (6 Nov 2024), pp. 3, 31-32: UK regulator. https://ico.org.uk/media2/migrated/4031620/ai-in-recruitment-outcomes-report.pdf
FP29. Enhancv, recruiter interviews (Sep-Oct 2025, 25 US recruiters): Third party with a commercial interest (sells CV tools). https://enhancv.com/blog/does-ats-reject-resumes/
FP30. Tracing the "75% of resumes are auto-rejected" claim: Third party. https://unchartedcareer.com/blog/the-75-of-resumes-are-auto-rejected-myth-traced-to-its-source

UK government guidance

GOV1. Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) (updated 26 Feb 2026): Official guidance. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-off-payroll-working-ir35
GOV2. Checking a job applicant's right to work: Official guidance. https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work
GOV3. United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels (updated 23 Sep 2024): Official guidance. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels
GOV4. DBS Update Service: Official guidance. https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Compiled 26 September 2026 by ContractorUK from Fitread's research notes. Vendor documentation changes; if a page no longer says what we report, tell us and we will correct the guide.