Frequently Asked Questions

DAIVAD (pronounced like David) is a desktop software application that acts as your personal job search coach and research assistant. It searches for jobs across multiple sources, scores them against your skills, researches companies, flags suspicious listings, and generates tailored resumes and cover letters, all from your computer, with your data staying on your machine.

Dedicated Artificial Intelligence Virtual Assistant Debriefer.

No. DAIVAD is a one-time purchase. You buy it once and use it forever. No monthly fees for the software itself. The only ongoing costs are the small API fees for the AI and search providers you choose to connect, and even those have generous free tiers.

DAIVAD runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux as a desktop software application. It runs locally on your computer. There is no web version.

No. DAIVAD is currently available in the United States and US territories only. Job search, scoring, and all related features are designed for the US job market. International availability is not planned at this time.

No, and that's by design. Auto-applying gets accounts flagged and banned on job boards. DAIVAD does the research, analysis, and document preparation. You make the decisions and submit applications yourself.

No. DAIVAD runs entirely on your computer. Your skills profile, resumes, job search history, and API keys never leave your machine. There are no accounts, no cloud sync, no analytics, and no tracking. The only network calls are to the AI and search providers you choose to connect, and those go directly from your computer, not through our servers.

Your API keys are encrypted at rest using your operating system's built-in credential store: Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, or Linux Secret Service. Keys are only decrypted into memory while the software is running. They are never stored in plain text and never transmitted to our servers.

DAIVAD automatically detects and blocks personally identifiable information before it reaches any AI provider. Names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and other sensitive data are stripped from all outbound AI requests by default. This means the AI never sees your real contact details when analyzing job listings or generating documents. If you need to include specific personal information in an AI-powered task (for example, when generating a resume that requires your name and contact info), you can override the PII filter on a per-request basis. The override is always your choice and never happens automatically.

The only call to our servers is a license validation check once every 30 days, a simple yes/no confirmation that your license is still valid. This exists for one reason: to reduce piracy and theft of service so we can keep our prices affordable for everyone. No usage data, no analytics, no personal information is sent. If you're offline, a 60-day grace period lets you keep working.

Job listings can contain hidden instructions that try to manipulate AI. DAIVAD defends against this with input sanitization (strips suspicious content before the AI sees it), role separation (system prompts isolated from job content), output validation (checks AI responses for anomalies), and a "View Raw Page" button so you can always see exactly what the AI analyzed. We're transparent: no AI system is immune to manipulation, which is why we give you the tools to verify.

No, and that's intentional. DAIVAD is focused exclusively on job search. A three-layer guardrail system (pre-filter, system prompt enforcement, and output validation) keeps it on topic. Off-topic requests get a friendly redirect with suggestions for what DAIVAD can actually help with. This keeps your API costs down and the tool focused.

DAIVAD ships with core features purpose-built for job searching: Smart Job Discovery, Skills-Based Scoring with Automatic Skill Synonyms, Trust Score - Coming Soon!, Resume Tailoring, Cover Letter Generation, Salary Analysis, Application Tracking, Skills Interview, Job Description Comparison, Manual URL Analysis, and a 3-Source Skills Builder. No generic chatbot features. Every feature is designed to save you time and surface better opportunities.

Trust Score is currently in development and will be available in a future update. Every job listing will receive a Trust Score from 0 to 100 across four tiers: Verified, Likely Legit, Caution, and High Risk. The score will be calculated from 7 checks: company website verification, company age and size, contact information, listing quality, positive signals, salary outlier detection, and job description consistency. Separately, 8 warning flags will scan for potential ghost jobs (filled, closed, expired, 404, old deadline) and potential scams (suspicious contact method, upfront payment request, too-good-to-be-true). This will help you avoid wasting time on dead listings and protect your data from potential bad actors.

DAIVAD compares the job description against your skills profile and generates an ATS (Application Tracking System) optimized resume with your real experience. It uses STAR-format bullets from your Skills Interview, actual achievements from your career, not generic AI filler. Before finalizing, DAIVAD presents a side-by-side review screen where you can accept, reject, or edit each AI-suggested change. AI-generated content is flagged and defaults to rejected until you explicitly approve it. The final resume only includes changes you approved. DAIVAD also scans for words and patterns commonly flagged as AI-generated, helping your resume read like you wrote it, not a machine.

A guided 4-phase drill-down for each of your skills: Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR format). It builds resume-ready bullets from your real experience. It covers all your skills, catches things you undersell, and redirects if you ramble. The result is a rich skills profile that powers everything else in DAIVAD.

Yes. Manual URL Analysis lets you paste any job listing URL for full analysis: trust scoring (BETA), skills matching, company research, resume tailoring, the works. It bypasses the search step entirely and works even if all search APIs are down.

When you add a skill to your profile, DAIVAD automatically generates up to 10 alternate terms, abbreviations, and industry variations for that skill. For example, if you list "Microsoft Office," DAIVAD also knows to look for "MS Office," "Office 365," "MS365," "Microsoft 365," and more. This means when a job description uses different terminology than your resume, DAIVAD still catches the match. The system includes a built-in dictionary of over 900 synonyms covering technology, management, operations, certifications, and more, and for niche skills not in the dictionary, it searches the web to find common alternate terms automatically.

Your skills come from three sources. First, DAIVAD extracts skills from your resume and any documents you upload. Second, it suggests skills that people in your industry and title range commonly list that are missing from your documents. You review and approve each one before it gets added. Third, the Skills Interview walks through each skill with a structured conversation to build STAR-format statements from your real experience. Once your skills are collected, each one is automatically enriched with up to 10 synonyms so the matching engine catches every variation a job description might use.

Exa (default, 1,000 free searches per month), Brave Search (free $5 monthly credit), and Tavily (1,000 free credits per month), plus the free USAJOBS board for federal listings and optional job board results via SerpApi (250 free searches per month). You pick one primary provider during setup and can change it anytime in settings.

No. A guided setup wizard walks you through everything step by step: creating your API keys, uploading your resume, building your skills profile, and setting your job search preferences. It's designed for non-technical users.

No. You talk to DAIVAD in plain English through a chat interface to ask questions about job listings, companies, and your search results. Behind the scenes, DAIVAD handles all the AI prompts, parameters, and model selection for you. You never need to understand how AI works, write prompts, or configure models.

Yes. If you have a computer with 16GB+ of RAM, you can install Ollama (free, open source) and run AI models locally at zero API cost. DAIVAD supports both cloud and local AI. Your choice.

DAIVAD requires a computer with at least 16GB of RAM running Windows 10 or later, macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later, or a modern Linux distribution (Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 38+, or equivalent). An internet connection is required for AI and job search features.

The initial installer targets 50–80MB. Additional components download on first run with a progress bar so you're not waiting on a huge upfront download.

DAIVAD itself has no recurring fees. To power the AI and job search features, you'll connect your own API keys for an AI provider (via OpenRouter) and a search provider (Exa is the default). Both offer free tiers that cover typical usage. Most users will spend $0–$5/month on API costs, and you control your own spending limits.

Yes. Exa gives you 1,000 free searches per month, and OpenRouter offers free AI models. If you stay within those free tiers, your only cost is the one-time purchase price.

OpenRouter is the default and supports dozens of models (Claude, GPT, Llama, Mistral, and more) through one API key. If you already have an API key with another provider, you can use it through OpenRouter's bring-your-own-key feature. Direct API connections to individual providers are planned for a future update.

We're accepting the first 500 to respond for a one-time payment of $35. You get a 12-month license, no strings attached. Submit 4 or more qualifying weekly feedback forms during the 6-week trial (2 minutes each) to earn a permanent license. Learn more about the Beta Program.

One purchase = one license = one device. Your license is tied to a hardware fingerprint of your computer. If you get a new computer, you can transfer your license yourself with one click: deactivate the old device, activate the new one. No support ticket needed.

DAIVAD validates your license once every 30 days. If you're offline, you have a 60-day grace period to keep using the software normally. After 60 days without a connection, it will prompt you to go online briefly to re-validate.

Each license is for one person on one device. The system detects unusual activation patterns, but we never auto-revoke. Edge cases are always reviewed by a human first.

All payments for DAIVAD are processed by Paddle, our Merchant of Record. For billing inquiries, payment issues, receipts, tax questions, or refund requests, contact Paddle's customer support directly. Paddle handles all payment processing, invoicing, sales tax, and refunds on our behalf.

Refunds are handled by Paddle, our payment processor, under their standard 14-day refund policy. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact Paddle's customer support within 14 days for a full refund.