Numerous online application systems have you first upload a resume in .docx, .pdf, .txt, from which an attempt is then made to pre-fill out much of the online application. This doesn't work very well and basically requires one to complete the entire app. Anyone out there have experience creating these programs? How do they work and what's the best way to format a resume so that they work properly?
Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
1–10 of 36 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#2If I read this correctly, you're interested in formatting your resume in a way that (hopefully) gets the right data into the right place in the target systems. Many of the systems you reference use third-party software such as http://www.sovren.com/ that attempt to fill the void. You will end up optimizing your resume to fit certain categories. Implicit in all this is that the end user may only utilize a subset of all the possible categories of resume information. You might consider playing around with the Sovren api, or use a fairly well known format, such as the LinkedIn profile pdf.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#3Its tough to prepare a universal format for all ATS to parse and if there is one, they would have been promoting that format all along.
Some ATS keep first name, last name, email as the only mandatory fields and in that case a basic resume where you keep the name as the first thing on top would work. But most of the others ask for your visa status, ethnicity and various other things, so that has to be manual work again.
As far as i know most of the resumes made in simple LaTeX have had more chances of getting parsed.
PS : ATS refers to Applicant tracking systems which many companies use to post jobs and track applicants and manage the hiring process.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#4[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#5Its tough to prepare a universal format for all ATS to parse and if there is one, they would have been promoting that format all along. Some ATS keep first name, last name, email as the only mandatory fields and in that case a basic resume where you keep the name as the first thing on top would work. But most of the others ask for your visa status, ethnicity and various other things, so that has to be manual work aga…
FWIW: it is extraordinarily unlikely you will be asked your ethnicity during the job application process at any US employer. Universities, sure, all the time, because they intend to racially discriminate against disfavored groups. Employers who do that lose large lawsuits.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#6Don't spend too much time worrying about this. There's a reason why companies use ATS and that's to filter out a large volume of applicants.
Even if you formatted well, you'll need to have enough keywords, etc. to win against the crowd.
Your time is better spent working on networking. My current job came from a friend's referral and honestly, I'm sure many companies will take a referred candidate over a candidate whose resume got the green-light from a machine.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#7If I were building a tool that parses resumes, my tests would probably begin with resumes based on the default Microsoft Word templates.
I usually layout my resume in something like InDesign and render it as a PDF. Anecdotally, those parsers perform terribly on them.
For instance, a couple years ago Jobvite had a problem parsing tables in PDFs rendered with Adobe Quartz PDF print driver. They wouldn't allow you continue until the parser succeeded.
Their recommendation was that I rewrite my resume in Word.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#8I've read that .doc/.docx/Microsoft Word format is the most desired. I've had recruiters tell me this, and I've seen posts on reddit about this. It all comes down to metadata and formatting -- the automated resume parsers do a lot better with Microsoft Word, especially if you use the templates.
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#9Its tough to prepare a universal format for all ATS to parse and if there is one, they would have been promoting that format all along. Some ATS keep first name, last name, email as the only mandatory fields and in that case a basic resume where you keep the name as the first thing on top would work. But most of the others ask for your visa status, ethnicity and various other things, so that has to be manual work aga…
FWIW: it is extraordinarily unlikely you will be asked your ethnicity during the job application process at any US employer. Universities, sure, all the time, because they intend to racially discriminate against disfavored groups. Employers who do that lose large lawsuits.
In my experience a lot of US job applications ask you to volunteer your ethnicity.
One example: Stripe asks if you're Hispanic/Latino: https://stripe.com/jobs/positions/engineer/apply .
Re: Ask HN: Best resume format for auto-fill online job apps?
#10I would skip the entire step of sending in a resume that has to auto fill that type of information (if possible; not sure what industry you're in).
Almost every single time I've submitted a resume through whatever process a company has to do so (which almost always includes one of these systems) I RARELY hear back in any decent amount of time (if at all; the amount of technology companies that have never sent any type of response to me at all is absolutely staggering).
However, if you can find the recruiter's email address, the email address for the head of a group you want to work for or even a hiring post (like HN's Who's Hiring) where they give you a direct email address to send to, those are almost ALWAYS the best.
I'll never forget applying to one company a while back where I submitted through their online process then, later that day, saw their email address in the Who's Hiring on HN and directly emailed them. I went through two interviews as a result of my direct email then almost a month later got a call from whoever received my first application. The crazy thing is that one was FAST and actually responded to me; most are super slow or never respond to me.