iReformat Blog
Expert insights on resume formatting, recruiter productivity, and staffing technology. Written by the team behind 1M+ formatted resumes.
Comprehensive Guides
In-depth guides covering everything you need to know
ATS Resume Formatting: What Recruiters Must Know
ATS systems parse resume content into structured fields — name, experience, skills, education. Formatting that confuses parsers means candidates get lost in databases. The biggest culprits: multi-column layouts, text boxes, image-based content, and non-standard section headers. This guide covers how 50+ ATS platforms handle formatting and how to ensure your submissions always parse correctly.
Read articleHow to Automate Resume Formatting (Save 90%)
Automated resume formatting replaces the 30-60 minute manual process with under-60-second AI-powered formatting. The implementation takes less than a day: choose a tool, upload your template, test with real resumes, and deploy to your team. Agencies that automate save 90% of formatting time and see 10-40x ROI in the first month.
Read articleResume Branding for Recruiters: Complete Guide
Resume branding turns every client submission into a reinforcement of your agency's quality and professionalism. Agencies with consistent branded resumes report higher client retention, faster feedback on submissions, and stronger brand recognition. The key is subtle, professional branding that enhances the candidate — not agency advertising that overshadows them.
Read articleResume Formatting for Staffing Agencies (2026)
Resume formatting is one of the largest hidden costs in staffing agencies — averaging $25-75 per resume in recruiter time. This guide covers everything from template design and branding to automation and ROI, based on data from 600+ agencies that have formatted over 1 million resumes through iReformat.
Read articleTool Comparisons
Side-by-side comparisons of resume formatting tools
5 Best Resume Formatting Tools for Agencies (2026)
The five leading resume formatting tools for staffing agencies in 2026 are iReformat, Allsorter, Daxtra Styler, Textkernel, and Kyloe. Each serves a different niche: iReformat leads in AI-powered formatting speed, Allsorter in enterprise workflows, Daxtra in parsing depth, Textkernel in labor market intelligence, and Kyloe in Bullhorn-native integration.
Read articleiReformat vs Allsorter: Honest Comparison (2026)
Both iReformat and Allsorter help staffing agencies format resumes, but they serve different needs. iReformat focuses on AI-powered formatting with deep Bullhorn integration and flexible templates, while Allsorter offers solid formatting with a focus on the Australian and UK markets. Here's what matters for your agency.
Read articleiReformat vs Daxtra Styler: Which Is Better?
Daxtra is a full-suite parsing and search platform built for enterprise staffing firms. iReformat focuses purely on resume formatting with AI-powered templates. Daxtra wins on parsing depth and CRM integration breadth. iReformat wins on formatting speed, template customization, and affordability for small-to-mid agencies.
Read articleiReformat vs Textkernel: Formatting Compared
Textkernel is an AI-powered HR technology platform focused on resume parsing, matching, and labor market intelligence. iReformat is a focused resume formatting tool built for staffing agencies. Textkernel excels at data extraction and talent intelligence. iReformat excels at turning resumes into branded, client-ready documents fast.
Read articleHow-To Guides
Step-by-step tutorials for common formatting tasks
Best Resume Format: Data from 600+ Agencies
The reverse-chronological format is the clear winner. 87% of hiring managers in our data prefer it, and it's the most ATS-compatible format. Functional formats hide career progression and raise red flags. Hybrid formats work for career changers. The best format is the one that makes it easiest for hiring managers to find relevant experience in 6-7 seconds.
Read articleBlind Resume Formatting: GDPR-Compliant Guide
Blind resume formatting removes identifying information (name, photo, age, gender indicators) from resumes before client submission. It serves two purposes: reducing unconscious bias in hiring and ensuring GDPR/data privacy compliance. Manually anonymizing resumes takes 15-20 minutes each. Automated tools do it in seconds while maintaining formatting quality.
Read articleSet Up Branded Resume Templates in 10 Minutes
Branded resume templates turn your agency's submissions into professional, recognizable documents that reinforce your brand with every placement. The setup takes 10 minutes: choose your layout, add your logo, set your colors and fonts, define section structure, and deploy to your team. Every resume your agency sends should look like it came from a professional organization — because it did.
Read articleBulk Resume Formatting: Step-by-Step Workflow
High-volume staffing agencies need a bulk formatting workflow that processes 50-500+ resumes per day without sacrificing quality. The key is batch processing with automated tools, spot-check quality reviews (not line-by-line), and a clear handoff between formatting and submission. Agencies using bulk workflows report 90% time savings compared to one-at-a-time manual formatting.
Read article10 Resume Formatting Mistakes Agencies See Daily
After processing over 1 million resumes, we've identified the 10 formatting mistakes that cause the most problems for staffing agencies. These aren't content issues — they're formatting issues that make good candidates look unprofessional and break ATS parsing. The good news: every single one is fixable in the formatting stage, and automated tools catch them all.
Read articleExecutive Resume Formatting: Agency Best Practices
Executive resumes play by different rules. Two to three pages are expected (not one), achievement metrics matter more than job descriptions, and design should convey authority without being flashy. Staffing agencies handling executive placements need formatting that matches the caliber of the candidates.
Read articleHow Long Should a Resume Be? Recruiter Answer
The right resume length depends on the candidate's experience level and the role. Entry-level (0-5 years): one page. Mid-career (5-15 years): one to two pages. Senior/executive (15+ years): two to three pages. The one-page rule is outdated — 77% of hiring managers in our data prefer two pages for experienced candidates over a cramped one-page resume.
Read articleResume Formatting in Microsoft Word (2026 Guide)
Microsoft Word is still the most common tool for resume formatting, but it's also the biggest source of formatting headaches. Inconsistent styles, broken layouts when copy-pasting, and version differences across machines cause hours of wasted time. This guide covers the essential Word formatting techniques for recruiters — and when it makes sense to switch to automation.
Read articleFormat Resumes in Bullhorn: Complete Guide
Bullhorn is the most popular ATS for staffing agencies, but its native resume formatting is limited. Recruiters either manually format in Word or use third-party tools that integrate with Bullhorn. This guide covers your options: Bullhorn's built-in capabilities, Kyloe (Bullhorn's own formatting add-on), and third-party tools like iReformat that connect via API.
Read articleSoftware Engineer Resume Format for Recruiters
Software engineer resumes need a different formatting approach than general business resumes. Technical skills grids, project portfolios, and certification sections require specific layouts that highlight engineering competence. Agencies placing software engineers who format resumes correctly see 40% higher interview rates because hiring managers can quickly assess technical fit.
Read articleProblem & Solution
Real formatting challenges and how to solve them
The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Resume Formatting
Inconsistent resume formatting damages your agency's brand, frustrates clients, and leads to lost placements. When every recruiter formats differently, clients question your professionalism. The fix is straightforward: standardized templates enforced by automated formatting tools, not manual style guides that nobody follows.
Read articleResume Formatting ROI: Calculate Your Savings
Automated resume formatting delivers 10-40x ROI for staffing agencies. A 20-person agency formatting 500 resumes monthly saves $150,000+ annually by switching from manual formatting. Most agencies see positive ROI within the first month.
Read articleResume Formatting Takes 45 Min? Here's the Fix
The average staffing agency recruiter spends 45 minutes formatting each resume. For a team of 10 recruiters processing 200 resumes per month, that's 150 hours of lost productivity. AI-powered tools cut formatting time to under 5 minutes per resume — a 90% reduction.
Read articleClient Resume Rejections? Fix Your Formatting
Formatting is the most fixable reason clients reject resume submissions. Cluttered layouts, inconsistent styling, missing branding, and poor readability cause hiring managers to skip qualified candidates. Agencies that standardize formatting see 30-50% improvements in interview-to-submission ratios.
Read articleDeep Dives
Focused explorations of specific topics
360 Recruitment: Complete Guide for Agencies
360 recruitment means one recruiter handles the entire hiring process — from winning client business to sourcing candidates to making the placement. It's the dominant model at small-to-mid staffing agencies. The model demands efficiency at every stage, and resume formatting is the most common bottleneck between sourcing and submission. Agencies that streamline the 360 workflow report 30% more placements per recruiter.
Read articleAI in Recruiting: What Staffing Agencies Need to Know
AI is reshaping staffing agencies across four areas: resume parsing, candidate matching, workflow automation, and client communication. The most impactful AI tools for agencies today are resume formatting automation (proven, 90% time savings), ATS-integrated parsing (mature), and candidate matching (improving rapidly). Chatbots and predictive analytics are still maturing.
Read articleDEI Recruiting: How Blind Resumes Reduce Bias
Blind resume formatting — removing names, photos, age indicators, and demographic information — is the most practical DEI initiative staffing agencies can implement immediately. Research shows blind resumes increase callbacks for underrepresented candidates by 25-40%. For agencies, it's also a business advantage: clients increasingly require or prefer anonymized submissions, and agencies that offer blind formatting win more DEI-focused job orders.
Read articleFull Cycle Recruiting: 7 Stages Explained
Full cycle recruiting covers all 7 stages of the hiring process: requisition, sourcing, screening, submission, interviewing, offer, and onboarding. For staffing agencies, the submission stage — where resumes are formatted and presented to clients — is the most controllable bottleneck. Agencies that optimize their full cycle workflow place candidates 35% faster than those with ad hoc processes.
Read articleRecruitment Database Management for Agencies
Your recruitment database is your agency's most valuable asset — but only if you can find the right candidates when you need them. The biggest database quality problem isn't missing records, it's unsearchable records: resumes with inconsistent formatting, non-standard headings, and unstructured skills data that your ATS can't parse or match. Agencies that standardize resume formatting before database entry see 60% faster candidate retrieval and 40% more successful re-placements.
Read articleResume Formatting Trends for Staffing in 2026
Resume formatting in 2026 is shaped by AI automation, skills-first hiring, accessibility requirements, and evolving client expectations. The biggest shift: agencies that still manually format resumes are falling behind competitors who use AI tools. Other trends include skills-based sections replacing lengthy experience descriptions and digital accessibility becoming a requirement, not a nice-to-have.
Read articlePDF vs Word Resume: What Recruiters Prefer
Most staffing agency clients prefer Word documents because they can be edited, reformatted, and imported into ATS systems easily. PDFs preserve formatting but limit client flexibility. The best approach: prepare Word for client submissions and PDF as a backup for formatting-sensitive situations.
Read articleBest Staffing Agency Software: Complete Guide
A staffing agency's tech stack typically includes 5-8 core tools: ATS/CRM (Bullhorn, JobAdder), resume formatting (iReformat), job boards (Indeed, LinkedIn), VMS integration, payroll, communication, and reporting. The key is choosing tools that integrate well together rather than buying the most features. This guide covers each category with recommendations by agency size.
Read articleReady to automate resume formatting?
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