Guide · Screening software · Draft
Screening software
Before a person reads your resume, software usually pulls the text out of the file, stores it, searches it and often ranks it against the job post.
Three kinds of software#
| Software | What it does with your resume |
|---|---|
| Parser | Pulls the text out of your file and splits it into parts, such as jobs, dates and skills. |
| Applicant tracking system | Stores applications so recruiters can search and sort them. |
| AI screener | Reads applications and ranks or sorts them before a person does. |
Where automatic rejections come from#
Recruiters report that automatic rejection usually comes from screening questions, such as work authorization or location. Formatting and keyword scores are rarely the cause.
Software does read, search and rank your resume, so it still matters that the text comes out cleanly and uses the job's own words where they are true for you.
What we do so your file reads correctly#
- The resume uses one column, with no tables, images or page headers, which parsers can misread.
- Dates use one format throughout.
- Where your resume supports it, a line uses the post's own term for the work.
- Before you download, we copy the text back out of the PDF and confirm each line came through in order.
You can do the last step yourself. Open your PDF, copy all the text and paste it into a plain text editor. If lines come out in the wrong order, software sees the same thing.
This page is a draft. Screening software changes often, and employers set it up in different ways.