There is no general CV attachment box
NHSBSA's applicant guidance says that you cannot upload a CV to NHS Jobs. Where an employer offers a CV application, you copy the relevant information into the application sections rather than attach your existing document. Compressing a CV to 1MB will not create an upload route that is missing from the service.
Keep your CV open beside the application and transfer the information into the requested fields. Read each field before pasting a whole paragraph: employment history, qualifications and supporting information do different jobs. Check that line breaks, dates and bullet points still make sense after the paste. Save your working document separately so you do not lose your own version while completing the form.
Read the vacancy instructions, not just the error
Start from the vacancy you are applying for and read the application instructions again. A link can lead you away from NHS Jobs to a recruiting employer or another recruitment system. Notice which website is open when the problem happens. Advice for the NHS Jobs service is not automatically the correct advice for a form reached through an employer's own recruitment link.
Write down the vacancy reference, the name of the recruiting organisation and the exact step you cannot complete. A useful description is 'the qualifications section does not save' or 'the employer's attachment field rejects this PDF'. Those are different problems. Do not send a random collection of certificates to a general support address just because you cannot find a file picker.
Pre-employment documents go through the employer's process
NHSBSA also explains that applicants cannot upload pre-employment documents directly into NHS Jobs. The employer contacts you about how to provide them. Some information is supplied within the service, while identity and other checks can happen outside it. Follow the specific request rather than treating the application form as a document storage area.
When a recruiter asks for a file through a separate secure channel, confirm what that channel accepts. The request should tell you which document is needed and where to send it. A file checker can compare bytes, image dimensions and format, but it cannot decide which evidence the employer requires. If a request is unclear, ask the named recruiting contact before uploading personal records.
Do not borrow an employer-side attachment limit
Recruitment websites can publish help for both applicants and employers. A limit described in guidance about adding documents to a vacancy may apply to the person publishing the advert, not the person applying. Check the audience and the action described on the help page before using a number as your own upload limit.
That is why this guide does not open the checker with a supposed universal NHS Jobs file-size cap. It opens a blank compatibility check. Enter a limit only when the actual receiving form or your recruiter provides one. Leaving a requirement blank is more honest than measuring a certificate against a rule intended for an employer's job-description attachment.
Prepare a requested copy without losing information
For a document the employer has specifically requested, begin with a readable authorised copy. Check names, dates, document edges and the relevant qualification details before reducing its size. A cropped image that removes the issuing organisation can be small and sharp but still fail to communicate what the document is.
If several pages belong to one requested document, first establish whether the receiving service wants them together or separately. Merge only when that is suitable. Check the new PDF's page count and reading order, then open every page. Avoid changing a signed digital document simply to reduce bytes: editing it can affect signatures and other features even when the exported PDF opens normally.
Identify the problem before selecting a tool
A size complaint calls for a byte measurement. An unsupported-format complaint calls for a format check. A login failure, missing field or expired application session is not fixed by converting a file. Read the wording carefully and make one change that addresses the stated problem, rather than repeatedly trying every tool.
Make My Files Work processes supported photos and PDFs in your browser. A DOCX CV is not supported by this inspector, so there is no reason to convert it merely to make this website recognise it. Keep the version the recruiting organisation asked for. When a PDF or image is suitable, the checker can help you compare its technical properties with the rules you enter.
Keep your application and evidence copies organised
Use a separate folder for this application rather than mixing several job applications and older certificates in Downloads. Give working copies descriptive names that make sense to you without adding unnecessary personal information. Keep the original file beside any converted version so you can return to it if the employer requests a clearer copy.
Before attaching anything to an authorised employer form, open the exact file selected by the picker. A recently created file and an older file can have almost identical names. Check the preview, page order and final filename in the receiving service where available. Do not assume that the top item in a folder is the version you just checked.
Ask the right team for help
For a question about what evidence to provide, use the recruiting contact for the vacancy. For a technical problem within NHS Jobs, use the applicant help route linked by NHSBSA. Explain the step, browser, device and exact error, but keep passwords, identity numbers and medical information out of an ordinary support message.
If a deadline is approaching, make a private record of the problem and contact the recruiter promptly. That record does not replace submitting an application, and a file tool cannot extend a deadline. The useful outcome is a confirmed route for the required information, not an endless sequence of smaller copies with no suitable place to send them.
Questions that come up
Can I upload a PDF version of my CV instead?
Not to a general NHS Jobs CV attachment field: the applicant guidance says CVs cannot be uploaded. Where a CV application is offered, put the information into the requested sections. A separate employer service may work differently, so follow the instructions on that actual form rather than treating PDF conversion as a workaround.
What size should my NHS Jobs supporting documents be?
There is no single applicant attachment limit established by the sources for this guide. The first question is whether you have been asked to provide a file through an employer's separate process. Use that receiving service's stated size and format requirements. Do not apply a vacancy-publishing limit to an applicant document.
Can the checker confirm that a certificate will be accepted?
No. It can inspect supported technical properties, not the authenticity of a qualification, the completeness of a recruitment application or the employer's decision. A passing technical result means only that the checks you selected passed. Keep the complete document and ask the recruiter when the required evidence or submission route is unclear.