# Dayforce ATS Resume Format & Limits > Dayforce takes DOC, DOCX, PDF and RTF resumes up to 5 MB. Import Resume parses the file into your candidate profile, and uploading again overwrites what the last one filled in. | | | | --- | --- | | System | Dayforce | | Vendor | Dayforce (formerly Ceridian) | | Also known as | Ceridian Dayforce, Dayforce Recruiting, Powered by Dayforce | | Rendered page | https://atsprep.com/ats/dayforce | | This document | https://atsprep.com/ats/dayforce.md | Dayforce, the HR and payroll suite formerly sold under the Ceridian name, publishes its candidate rules in its Recruiting Guide. Two details matter most. Resumes are capped at 5 MB, a quarter of what other documents get. And when you import a resume, it is parsed into a profile you can then correct yourself, which few systems in this guide document. ## Taking the file in | | | | --- | --- | | Accepted file types | DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF | | Maximum upload size | 5 MB | Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## Autofill Candidates can click Import Resume and the information is automatically parsed and added to the matching fields of their career profile. Dayforce then uses the profile to fill in fields when they apply for jobs. The candidate can update the parsed details in their profile and in the application. Uploading a resume again overwrites what is in the profile with the newer resume's information. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What Dayforce does differently ### Resumes get 5 MB, other documents get 20 Dayforce sets a maximum of 5 MB for resumes and cover letters and 20 MB for additional documents. A heavy designed PDF that would pass as a portfolio can still be refused as a resume. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Four formats for a resume, and images are not among them Resumes and cover letters can be DOC, DOCX, PDF or RTF. JPG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, XLS and XLSX are allowed only for additional documents. Plain text is not on either list. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### You can fix the parse yourself Import Resume parses your file into your profile, and you can then update the details. That profile fills in fields when you apply. It is one of the few systems here where the applicant, not the recruiter, gets the chance to correct a bad parse. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### A second upload overwrites the first If you upload a resume again, the information from the newer resume overwrites what is in your profile. Any corrections you typed by hand after the first import can be lost, so check the profile after every import. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### One login across employers Dayforce ID lets candidates use the same credentials on any career site powered by Dayforce, for any employer. Those sites carry a “Powered by Dayforce” symbol on their sign-in page, which is also how you can tell an employer uses it. Source: [Dayforce Help, Recruiting Guide, candidate profiles](https://help.dayforce.com/r/documents/Recruiting-Guide/Candidate-Profiles) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What to do about it ### Keep the resume under 5 MB That is the resume limit. A text-based export is a fraction of it; anything close usually means embedded images or fonts. ### Send PDF, DOCX, DOC or RTF Those are the only resume formats. A plain text file or an image of your resume will not be accepted in the resume slot. ### Review the profile after Import Resume Read every field the parser filled in and correct it. These fields are reused when you apply, so a mistake carries into every application. ### Re-check after you upload a new version A new import overwrites the profile. If you had fixed fields by hand, look again and redo anything the new parse got wrong. ## Questions ### What is Dayforce? Dayforce is an HR, payroll and workforce management suite, formerly known as Ceridian Dayforce, with a recruiting module that runs employers' career sites. If the sign-in page shows “Powered by Dayforce”, your resume goes through the process on this page. ### Does Dayforce read PDF resumes? Yes. PDF is one of the four resume formats Dayforce accepts, alongside DOC, DOCX and RTF, and Import Resume parses the file into your candidate profile. ### What file types does Dayforce accept for a resume? DOC, DOCX, PDF and RTF. Dayforce lists these as the formats candidates can use for resumes and cover letters. Image and spreadsheet formats are allowed only for additional documents. ### What is the Dayforce resume size limit? 5 MB. Dayforce sets a maximum of 5 MB for resumes and cover letters, and 20 MB for additional documents. ### Why did my resume fail to upload in Dayforce? The two limits Dayforce documents are size and format: a resume must be 5 MB or less, and in DOC, DOCX, PDF or RTF. A TXT file, an image, or a PDF heavier than 5 MB falls outside them. ### Can I correct what Dayforce parsed from my resume? Yes. After Import Resume fills your profile, you can update the details yourself, and you can change the fields it fills in when you apply. Uploading the resume again overwrites the profile with the newer resume's information. ### How can I tell if an employer uses Dayforce? Look at the sign-in page of the career site. Sites powered by Dayforce show a “Powered by Dayforce” symbol there, and the same Dayforce ID login works across all of them. ## Exporting from ATSPrep to Dayforce ATSPrep exports a linear, single-column, parser-safe document. Against Dayforce's published list of accepted types: - **PDF** — on Dayforce's accepted list - **DOCX** — on Dayforce's accepted list ## The other guides - [Greenhouse](https://atsprep.com/ats/greenhouse) — Greenhouse takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF and TXT, and will not parse a resume larger than 2.5 MB. Its own support docs name what makes a parse fail: columns, contact details in a header, abbreviated job titles and more. - [Oracle Taleo](https://atsprep.com/ats/taleo) — Oracle ships Taleo with a 1 MB default attachment limit and no resume parser of its own. Parsing only works if the employer has enabled a third-party partner integration, so behaviour differs from one Taleo site to the next. - [SmartRecruiters](https://atsprep.com/ats/smartrecruiters) — SmartRecruiters accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, JPG and PNG at 2 MB per file, and its CEO named Textkernel as the parsing engine, whose own documentation warns about PDFs more bluntly than any resume blog does. - [Ashby](https://atsprep.com/ats/ashby) — Ashby accepts PDF, DOC and DOCX up to 50 MB but does not support Markdown. Its docs name the two reasons a resume fails to parse, and its better parser is an opt-in feature some employers never switch on. - [Workable](https://atsprep.com/ats/workable) — Workable accepts PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML and ODT for a resume, with a 5 MB ceiling, while other attachments on the same form are allowed four times that size. - [Manatal](https://atsprep.com/ats/manatal) — Manatal takes PDF, DOC, DOCX and RTF, parses every resume the moment it lands with a parser it built rather than licensed, and keeps the original file where recruiters can open it. - [SAP SuccessFactors](https://atsprep.com/ats/successfactors) — SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting parses resumes with Textkernel in 15 languages, takes resumes up to 5 MB, and says plainly that parsing is not always accurate. What SAP's own documentation says, with links. - [BambooHR](https://atsprep.com/ats/bamboohr) — BambooHR takes uploads up to 20 MB in common formats including PDF, DOC and DOCX. Its help center does not describe resume parsing: recruiters open your resume as a document, and the application form is filled in by you. - [Jobvite](https://atsprep.com/ats/jobvite) — Jobvite accepts twelve file types for a resume, from PDF and DOCX to images and spreadsheets, but its own help centre says scanned or locked PDFs cannot be added and image files are not parsed. - [Recruitee](https://atsprep.com/ats/recruitee) — Recruitee takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF and TXT, plus JPG and PNG images of a CV. Its help centre says the parser needs a readable email address, which is usually missed in a header or footer, and that highly visual CVs are the most common reason a file cannot be read. - [Workday](https://atsprep.com/ats/workday) — Workday's own careers site takes DOC, DOCX, HTML, PDF or TXT resumes up to 5 MB. Its documentation says parsing results vary with format and word order, and that images and image-based styles get in the way. - [Lever](https://atsprep.com/ats/lever) — Lever takes resume files up to 10 MB and parses Word, PDF, RTF, WordPerfect, HTML and OpenDocument files, but not images. Its help centre is specific about when a parse fails, and most of the reasons are about how the file arrived rather than how it looks. - [iCIMS](https://atsprep.com/ats/icims) — iCIMS extracts text from PDF, Word, RTF, plain text, HTML and OpenDocument resumes by default and fills profile fields from the file you upload. It does not publish a resume size limit. - [JazzHR](https://atsprep.com/ats/jazzhr) — JazzHR takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT and TXT resumes up to 5 MB. Its own support docs say a scanned resume is treated as an image: no name, no email, nothing searchable. - [Breezy HR](https://atsprep.com/ats/breezy-hr) — Breezy HR takes DOC, DOCX, Pages, PDF, RTF and TXT resumes. Its docs say a scanned resume, or one in an unsupported language, is not parsed, and its AI review tools skip any resume that wasn't. - [Personio](https://atsprep.com/ats/personio) — Personio parses PDF and DOCX CVs with Textkernel, if the employer has opted in. Its own help centre lists ten reasons a parse fails, from headers and tables to 8 pt text and skill bar charts. - [Pinpoint](https://atsprep.com/ats/pinpoint) — Pinpoint takes a CV as PDF or DOCX, and nothing else. Its software reads the CV on upload to write the candidate summary recruiters see first. - [Comeet](https://atsprep.com/ats/comeet) — Comeet, now Spark Hire Recruit, takes PDF, DOC and DOCX resumes and parses them in 39 listed languages. Arabic and Korean are not among them, and a file that is not a true PDF may not even open. ## About ATSPrep ATSPrep (https://atsprep.com) is a free resume and application workspace. Match experience to a posting, strengthen claims with evidence, and track the next action. Its PDF check shows text recovered by ATSPrep's extractor, not an employer's proprietary ATS or hiring decision. - **Price:** free. Checking, importing, editing and downloading cost nothing, and downloads carry no watermark. Everything listed here is free. - **Account:** none needed to check, import or edit a resume. A free sign-in is needed to download after the first file, to sync, and for more checks or more than 5 AI edits. - **Your file:** parsed and exported inside the browser. The resume file itself is never uploaded. - **Optional:** text leaves the browser only when you press a button: semantic match and AI edits (the lines involved), a job link (the link) and Pip voice calls (your speech). Never your contact details, and none of it is stored. - **Connection:** some tools load on first use and need a connection to download. Local storage is not a cloud backup. - **Accepts:** PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or pasted plain text. Start here: https://atsprep.com/studio