Transparency is a core CME principle. This page explains exactly how trust scores are calculated, what affects them, and how to appeal any decision.
Your trust score is a number from 0 to 100 that reflects your reliability and participation on CME. It is not a judgement of your character or qualifications — it measures platform behaviour only.
All users start at 50 (neutral). Your score increases through positive actions and decreases when commitments are broken.
Trust scores are never based on race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
Trusted
Excellent standing. Eligible for Trusted Employer/Professional badge.
Verified
Good standing. Full platform access and visibility.
Establishing
Building history. Continue positive participation to grow your score.
Reliability Warning
Pattern of unreliable behaviour detected. May affect visibility and feature access.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Complete your profile (all fields + CME Clip) | +20 |
| Verify your identity | +5 |
| Upload a video reference | +5 |
| Attend a scheduled interview | +3 |
| Attend 3 interviews without missing any | +5 |
| Accept and start a job through CME | +10 |
| Stay employed for 90 days (retention) | +10 |
| Respond to candidates promptly (employers) | +5 |
| Close jobs with KindHire messages to all applicants | +2 |
| Write a personal note to candidates | +3 |
| Participate in community activities | +3 |
| Upgrade to a paid subscription | +5 |
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| No-show to a scheduled interview | -10 |
| Three interview no-shows | -20 |
| Late cancellation (< 24 hours) | -5 |
| Fail to respond to applications within SLA (employers) | -3 |
| Fail to respond to boost within 21 hours (employers) | -3 |
| Three missed boost responses (employers) | -20 |
| Ghost a candidate after interview (employers) | -5 |
| Close a job without notifying candidates (employers) | -5 |
| Repeated candidate ghosting (job seekers) | -10 |
Penalties are applied automatically when the system detects the behaviour, or during periodic review sweeps. You are always notified when a penalty is applied.
Trust scores are based exclusively on platform behaviour (showing up, responding, following through). They never factor in race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under Canadian or provincial human rights law.
A low trust score is not permanent. Every positive action you take improves your score. There is no "point of no return" — consistent good behaviour will always restore your standing.
Trust scores inform but never replace human decision-making. Employers see your score as one signal among many. No one is automatically rejected or hired based on a score alone.
Job seekers can see an employer's trust score and response rate before applying. This creates accountability on both sides of the hiring process.
If you believe a trust score penalty was applied in error, you have the right to appeal. Here's how:
Appeal contact: trust@cmejobs.com
Average response time: 3-5 business days. All appeals are reviewed by a human — never by an automated system.