Format Resumes for Greenhouse ATS Clients

When you submit a candidate resume to a Greenhouse client, the system extracts structured data like names, contact information, work history, education, and skills into searchable database fields. Greenhouse then stores both the parsed fields and the original resume document, making the entire resume text searchable while preserving the original layout for hiring managers to review. However, Greenhouse cannot parse image-only resumes and strongly recommends Word or PDF files for optimal parsing compatibility. The co-founder notes that images will not be parsed correctly, potentially leaving your candidate's profile incomplete in the client's database.

Greenhouse accepts specific file formats for resume uploads, and understanding these requirements helps ensure successful candidate submissions. Standard resume uploads on job posts accept .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .txt files. For custom attachment questions (often used for additional documents like portfolios), Greenhouse also accepts .pdf files alongside the standard formats. All files must be under 100 MB, and larger files require hosting on third-party services like Google Drive with shared links instead of direct uploads.

Several formatting issues cause candidate submissions to fail in Greenhouse systems. Image-based resumes or PDFs that are scanned images cannot be parsed, leaving candidate profiles incomplete. Multi-column layouts, tables, and text boxes scramble data because ATS engines read left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Creative section headings like 'Professional Journey' instead of 'Work Experience' cause parsing engines to misclassify or miss sections entirely. Contact details, job titles, or dates embedded in tables or images may not be captured correctly, and unusual fonts or special characters can render incorrectly in ATS views.