Fix a document that parses badly
When the check screen shows jumbled jobs or missing dates, the cause is usually the layout of your original file. Six fixes, in order.
"Parse" means how software reads your resume and splits it into parts, like jobs, dates and skills. A bad parse is a real problem, not just a looks problem. Every score, every tailored resume and every filled-in form is built from it. And an employer's hiring software will struggle with the same layout.
First, fix what is on screen
Open Resume, then Check what was read, and fix things there. It takes about two minutes, and everything after it works right away.
Check these, in this order:
- Your name is on its own line, and we read it as a name.
- There is an email address. Hiring software files every application under it.
- There is a phone number or a link, so someone can contact you.
- Every job has an employer and dates.
- Each bullet point is under the right job.
- Your education and languages are there.
Then fix your original file
| What you see | What causes it in the file | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Skills text inside a job title | A sidebar, which is a second column | Use one column, from top to bottom |
| Whole sections missing | They are in a text box or a table | Use normal paragraphs and normal bullet lists |
| Dates missing | They are in a header, a footer or a picture | Put the dates on the same line as the job |
| No text read at all | The file is a scan or a picture | Save a PDF with real text from your original document |
| Strange characters inside words | Tabs, hidden characters or decorative symbols | Type the line again, plainly |
| Headings ignored | A heading the software does not know | Use normal words: Experience, Education, Skills |
Why the layout matters more than the file type
PDF and Word files are both read well when the layout is simple, and badly when it is not. What causes problems is the structure: columns, tables, text boxes, headers and pictures. A resume that looks great can be almost unreadable to the software that reads it first.
We check the resumes we make against the same list of problems before we create the file. If you choose a two-column design, we flag it as a design we offered you, not as your mistake.
What to do about the design you liked
Keep it for the copy you hand to a person, and send the plain one through the online form. Many people do this, and it is completely honest: the content is the same.
The country also matters. Rules about length, photos and headings are different across European countries. The country and design screen uses the rules of the country you are applying in, not one style for everyone.
After fixing it
Upload the fixed file again and check what we read. Then use Fix weak bullets once, so the fixes are in your main resume and not just in one tailored copy.
What the checkers do explains the three checks and what each one reads.
Questions about this
Why does a two-column resume parse badly?
A sidebar is a second column, and in Word it is usually a table cell. The software reads one cell before the one next to it, so your skills can end up in the middle of a job title.
Should I send a PDF or a Word file?
Either can be read well or badly. What matters is the layout inside the file, not the file type.
The parse is wrong. Do I have to fix the original file?
Not to use Involve. Fix it on the check screen. Fixing the original file matters for applications you send outside Involve.
My name came out as my job title.
The software takes the first strong line as your name. Put your name on its own line at the very top.
Fix what we read, then fix your file
Fixing what we read takes two minutes and lets you carry on here. Fixing your original file is worth doing once, for every application you send elsewhere.
Open Involve Resume