A CV hiring software can read
Before a recruiter reads your CV, software often reads it first. Here is what that software reads badly, and how to make your file easy to read.
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Contents
Step by step
Start from a text file, not a picture
Save your CV from Word, Google Docs or a CV tool as a PDF or DOCX. A scan or a photo of a CV holds no text to read.
Use one column
Put everything in one column, in reading order. Columns, tables and text boxes can come out mixed up or empty.
Keep your name and contact in the page itself
Write your name, email and phone at the top of the page, not in the page header or footer. Some systems skip those parts.
Use plain headings
Name your sections the usual way: Experience, Education, Skills, Languages. Use the same format for every job.
Write titles and dates in full
Write "Senior Account Executive", not "Sr. Account Exec". Give each job its dates as text, the same way each time.
Test what the file says
Copy all the text out of your PDF and paste it into a plain text editor. If it comes out jumbled, software may read it that way too.
What hiring software does with your file
Hiring software, often called an applicant tracking system or ATS, stores every application for a job in one place.
It reads your CV file and puts its parts into fields: name, contact details, education, work history and skills.
Recruiters can then search and filter by those fields.
If the system cannot read the file, someone has to type your details in by hand. Greenhouse's help pages say so for its own system.
What it reads badly
Greenhouse, one of these systems, lists what can stop its reader. Most of the list is about layout, not about you.
- A file over 2.5 MB, often because of large pictures.
- A picture of a CV instead of a document.
- Graphics, photos or word art.
- Tables, columns, and contact details in the page header, the footer or a text box.
- Spaces between letters, used as a design effect.
- Short or cut job titles, such as "Sr. Account Exec".
HR WORKS, a German maker of HR software, says the same. Text-based PDF and DOCX files read best; scans, tables and graphics cause trouble.
Every system is set up differently. These lists are a fair guide, not a rule for every employer.
Words the recruiter searches for
Once your file reads cleanly, the words matter. Recruiters search the fields for skills, tools and job titles.
Use the advert's word where your work matches it. "Spreadsheet reports" and "Excel" may mean the same work to you, but not to a search.
Do not add words you cannot back up. A list of keywords says nothing about where you used a skill.
Do not hide keywords in white text. It is a trick, a person who opens the file can see it, and it says nothing about your work.
A designed CV and a plain one
A designed CV can look good on paper and still read badly as text.
Keep a plain version for online forms and hiring software. Keep a designed one for email or for a meeting, if you like it.
A photo is your choice. If you add one, keep the file small and keep all text outside the picture.
Whatever you send, check the text once by copying it out of the file.
How cvscored helps
Upload a Word file, a PDF, a text file or a LaTeX file, or paste the text. You see what cvscored read, as lines: jobs, bullets, skills and facts.
If a job or a line lands in the wrong place there, look at how that part of your file is built.
The structure score checks the shape of your CV out of 100. It looks for a profile line, three to six lines per job, numbers, dates and headings.
When a line says the same as the advert in other words, you see both versions. One click switches it to the employer's words.
You build the CV as a PDF in one of five layouts. Copy the text out of it to check it, as you would with any file.
Lena Hoffmann makes her CV easy to read
Lena Hoffmann is the made-up person in our examples. Her first CV was a two-column design. Here is what she changed.
| In her old file | What could go wrong | What she changed |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email and phone in the page header | Some systems skip the header | Moved them to the top of the page |
| Skills in a side column | The two columns can come out mixed together | One column, with skills under each job and in a short list |
| "Sr. Eng." as her title at Ferrisberg Payments | A cut title may not be recognised | "Senior Engineer", in full |
| Dates drawn as a timeline graphic | A graphic holds no text | Dates as text, such as 2017 to 2021 |
| A scanned certificate as the last page | A picture has no text to read | Removed; the certificate is listed as a line of text |
An invented example.
Good points
- A plain file keeps your details in the right fields.
- The same file works for forms, email and print.
Not so good
- A plain layout looks less striking.
- Every employer's system is set up differently.
Checklist
- The file is a PDF or DOCX, not a scan or a photo.
- Everything sits in one column.
- Name and contact details are in the page itself.
- Headings use the usual names.
- Job titles and dates are written in full.
- The file is under 2.5 MB.
- Copied out as text, it reads in the right order.
One honest limit
A file that reads cleanly only makes sure your details arrive. It says nothing about your fit, and the employer still decides. We cannot see how each employer's system is set up.
Sources
Checked on .
- Greenhouse Support, help article on resumes the system cannot read: support.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/200989175-Unsuccessful-resume-parse
- HR WORKS, HR glossary: CV parsing (in German): hrworks.de/lexikon/cv-parsing/
Key takeaways
- Send real text, not a picture.
- One column; contact details in the page.
- Write titles and dates in full.
- Test the file by copying its text out.
Frequently asked questions
- Do all employers use hiring software?
- No. Many larger employers do, and smaller ones often work by email. We know of no sound figure for the share, so we give none.
- Is a PDF or a Word file better?
- Both work if the text is real text. A PDF keeps your layout. If the advert asks for one of them, send that one.
- Can I keep my photo?
- Yes, if you want one. Keep the file small and all text outside the picture. Some systems read graphics badly.
- Is a two-column CV rejected automatically?
- Not as a rule. Some systems mix up the columns, so the record a recruiter sees can be wrong. One column is the safer choice.
- Are there words that get a CV past the software?
- No. Use the advert's words where they are true for you. The software sorts and filters; a person usually decides.
- Does cvscored read my file the way an employer's system does?
- cvscored shows what it read from your file, line by line, and scores its structure. It cannot show how one employer's system reads it.