Free Job-Search Tools
Interactive tools for the questions I get most often as a recruiter. Built to run entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your device.
Will I Get Shortlisted?
Paste your CV + a UK job description. Get a shortlist probability, the verdict from a 12-year UK recruiter, and the three specific fixes that lift you above the cut.
UK STAR Answer Checker
Paste your STAR-format competency answer. Get a 0-100 score on Situation, Task, Action, Result completeness — plus the three specific fixes that lift you above NHS / Civil Service / corporate cut-offs.
For UK candidates prepping competency interviews — NHS, Civil Service, corporate panels.
UK Take-Home Pay Calculator
Gross to net via 2026/27 tax bands, NI, student loan and pension. England, Wales, NI and Scotland.
For UK PAYE employees pricing offers and pay rises.
UK Tech Salary Calculator
Get a real UK 2026 salary band for your tech role with location premium and skill multipliers (AI/ML, security, cloud, distributed systems).
For UK tech candidates pricing the actual market value of their role + skill stack.
UK Tech Career Pivot Estimator
Pick your current role + target role. Get a realistic UK pivot timeline, skill gap and pay-lift band — adjusted for your situation.
For tech candidates considering a switch (SWE → AI Eng, Data Sci → ML Eng, Frontend ↔ Backend, etc).
UK Salary Negotiation Script Generator
Recruiter-tested negotiation scripts for the 4 most common UK 2026 scenarios — pay rise, new offer, counter-offer, exit. Tuned to UK norms, not US.
For UK candidates going into a salary negotiation conversation.
UK CV Bullet Quality Scorer
Paste one CV bullet. Get a recruiter-perspective 0-100 score on metric strength, action verb, length, buzzwords, pronouns. With improvement recommendations.
For UK candidates rebuilding individual CV bullets one at a time.
UK Notice Period Calculator
Statutory minimum + contract notice + last working day. ERA 1996, plain English.
For UK employees planning to resign.
CV Keyword Match Score
Paste your CV + a job description. Get a match score, missing keywords, and recruiter feedback.
For job seekers checking ATS-readiness before applying.
Cover Letter Generator
5 recruiter-tested opening patterns + 3 closings. Template-based — no AI hallucinations, no buzzwords.
For job seekers who want a structured letter recruiters won’t bin on sight.
Career Change Difficulty Score
How hard is your specific career change? Six factors weighted from 12 years of UK placements.
For anyone weighing up a career change before committing.
Job Description Analyzer
Paste a JD, get instant experience-level read, buzzword score, comp transparency, and red flag count.
For job seekers screening JDs before applying.
Offer Comparison Tool
Got two UK offers? Side-by-side total comp accounting for tax, pension, equity discount, holiday, healthcare.
For candidates at the highest-stakes moment — choosing between two offers.
UK Redundancy Pay Calculator
Statutory 0.5/1/1.5 weeks × age band, 20-year cap, £719 weekly cap, £30k tax-free portion.
For UK employees facing redundancy or settlement agreement negotiation.
UK Settlement Agreement Calculator
Three defensible bands — Low, Realistic, Stretch — for your UK settlement agreement. Covers statutory redundancy + PILON + holiday + ex-gratia, with discrimination Vento uplift and the £30k tax-free split. Recruiter-calibrated.
For UK employees offered (or expecting) a settlement agreement, sense-checking the number before they sign.
UK Bonus Tax Calculator
See exactly what lands in your account after income tax, NI and pension. Flags the £100k–£125k 60% effective-rate trap.
For anyone with a one-off bonus crossing tax bands.
UK Pay Rise Calculator
Three defensible bands — conservative, realistic, ambitious — based on your role, tenure and market gap. Recruiter-calibrated.
For anyone going into a UK pay-rise conversation.
UK Holiday Entitlement Calculator
5.6 weeks pro-rated for full-time, part-time, irregular hours and mid-year starters. Bank holiday inclusive vs exclusive handled.
For UK employees, contractors and irregular-hours workers checking their statutory leave.
UK Statutory Maternity Pay Calculator
90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then £187.18/week for 33 weeks. Eligibility check, total over 39 weeks, enhanced contractual pay modelling.
For UK employees planning maternity leave, modelling SMP plus enhanced contractual pay.
UK Salary Sacrifice Calculator
Pension, EV, cycle-to-work, bonus sacrifice. Income tax + NI savings, employer NI passback, BiK on EVs. 2026/27 rates.
For UK employees considering salary sacrifice into pension, electric vehicle, or cycle scheme.
UK Statutory Sick Pay Calculator
£118.75/week for up to 28 weeks. Eligibility, waiting days, qualifying days, plus company sick pay top-up modelling.
For UK employees on long-term sickness, checking SSP plus company sick pay entitlement.
UK Self-Employed Tax Calculator
Income tax + Class 2 + Class 4 NI on profit. PA taper at £100k, payments on account, allowable expenses. 2026/27 rates.
For UK sole traders, freelancers and contractors estimating self-assessment tax.
UK Student Loan Repayment Calculator
Plan 1, 2, 4 (Scotland), 5 (post-2023), Postgraduate Loan. Monthly repayment, write-off projections, overpayment guidance.
For UK graduates checking student loan deductions and overpayment decisions.
UK Salary Comparison Tool
Am I underpaid? Compare your salary against UK 2026 market for 30 roles, by experience and London vs rest-of-UK location. Percentile + recommendation.
For UK employees checking whether their salary is fair vs market.
UK Statutory Paternity Pay Calculator
£187.18/week or 90% of earnings for up to 2 weeks. Eligibility check, enhanced contractual top-ups (full-pay schemes), 2026/27 rates.
For UK fathers and partners planning paternity leave.
UK Statutory Rates & Thresholds 2026/27 — Complete Reference
Every UK statutory rate, threshold and band in 2026/27: income tax, NI, NLW, SSP, SMP, redundancy, pension auto-enrolment, student loan, ISA, CGT, IHT, tribunal caps. The bookmark-able 2026/27 reference, recruiter-maintained.
Privacy-first
Every calculation runs in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is sent to any server.
No signup
No email, no credit card, no upload rights. Open the page, use the tool, close the tab.
Recruiter-built
Designed by a 12-year UK recruiter, not a tool factory. The maths and the recruiter perspective both come from the desk.
More tools coming. If there's a job-search question you'd like calculated or scored, email hello@joblabs.ai with the request.
Free tool FAQs
Are JobLabs free tools actually free? +
Yes. No signup, no card, no email gate. Built by a 12-year UK recruiter as link-magnet alternatives to paid tools (Jobscan, Reed Salary Checker, etc). The free tools are the discovery surface; the rest of the site is the playbook.
How are the calculations validated? +
UK take-home pay uses HMRC 2026/27 bands (20%/40%/45%, NI 8%/2%, student loan plans 1-5, pension auto-enrolment). Salary bands cross-reference Reed, Indeed UK, LinkedIn Talent Insights, Robert Walters, and Hays surveys. Calibrated against placements I've made in 2025-2026.
Can I embed these tools on my site? +
Yes — the embeddable widgets (Take-Home Pay, Pay Rise Calculator, Notice Period, CV Match, Career Change) generate iframe code on each tool page. Free for non-commercial use; attribution back to JobLabs required.
Why no signup or login required? +
Friction kills conversions and helps no one. The tools run client-side in your browser — your salary numbers, CV text, and notice period don't leave your device. No analytics on tool inputs. The same privacy model as a calculator app.
Which tool should I start with? +
For salary research: Take-Home Pay Calculator. For CV improvement: CV Bullet Quality Scorer. For career pivot: UK Tech Career Pivot Estimator. For negotiation: UK Pay Rise Calculator. The Featured tool above is calibrated for the largest UK candidate cohort.