# SAP SuccessFactors ATS Resume Format & Limits > 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. | | | | --- | --- | | System | SAP SuccessFactors | | Vendor | SAP | | Also known as | SuccessFactors, SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SuccessFactors Recruiting | | Rendered page | https://atsprep.com/ats/successfactors | | This document | https://atsprep.com/ats/successfactors.md | SAP's own documentation names the parser behind SuccessFactors Recruiting: Textkernel. Parsing is a setting each employer turns on, it covers 15 languages, and SAP states that it is not always 100% accurate. The candidate can check the parsed fields and correct them before applying, and can skip the upload and type everything in by hand. ## Taking the file in | | | | --- | --- | | Accepted file types | DOCX, PDF, TXT, TIFF, JPG, BMP, GIF | | Maximum upload size | 5 MB | Source: [SAP Help Portal, uploading multiple candidate resumes in batches](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/uploading-multiple-candidate-resumes-in-batches) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## Parsing engine SAP SuccessFactors uses **Textkernel**. Named in SAP's own resume parsing documentation as the third-party software that parses resume data. Parsing only happens where the employer has enabled it. Source: [SAP Help Portal, working with resume parsing](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/working-with-resume-parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) Other systems in this guide running the same engine: [SmartRecruiters](https://atsprep.com/ats/smartrecruiters), [Personio](https://atsprep.com/ats/personio). Formatting fixed for one of them holds for the rest. ## Autofill In the candidate profile, the applicant uploads a resume and sees an acceptance message once it has been parsed. The parsed data fills the designated profile fields. SAP's test script then has the candidate check the parsed fields, fill in the required ones and pay attention to Country/Region. It also says every profile field can be filled in manually without uploading a CV. Source: [SAP Help Portal, Recruiting test script: complete candidate profile and submit application](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/recruiting-in-sap-successfactors-test-script/complete-candidate-profile-and-submit-application-9b6624101ff745aa9f17a4c52478f76a) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What SAP SuccessFactors does differently ### A resume with no country parses badly SAP's batch upload page says the system can't parse resumes correctly when they are missing country or region information. Its test script tells candidates to pay attention to the Country/Region field after parsing. A resume that gives a city but no country is the one SAP itself warns about. Source: [SAP Help Portal, uploading multiple candidate resumes in batches](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/uploading-multiple-candidate-resumes-in-batches) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Parsing is switched on per employer Resume parsing is enabled in Provisioning under Company Settings, so not every SuccessFactors site parses. SAP also says candidates created through the API are not parsed, and that parsing isn't always 100% accurate, which it calls a known limitation. Source: [SAP Help Portal, configuring resume parsing](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/configuring-resume-parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Only 15 languages are parsed SAP lists Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Italian, Slovak, Czech, Russian, Portuguese and Chinese. A resume in any other language is outside what SAP documents as supported. Source: [SAP Help Portal, configuring resume parsing](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/configuring-resume-parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### SAP's two format lists disagree The batch upload page lists DOCX, PDF, TXT, TIFF, JPG, BMP and GIF. The candidate profile parsing page lists DOCX, PPT and TXT, plus TIFF, JPG, BMP and GIF images, and leaves PDF out. DOCX and TXT are the text formats on both lists. DOC and RTF are on neither. Source: [SAP Help Portal, working with resume parsing](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/working-with-resume-parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### The 5 MB limit is a setting SAP's resume batch upload page says resumes must be no larger than 5 MB. Across the platform, the maximum attachment size defaults to 5 MB and an administrator can raise it to 10 MB. A file over the limit gets an error and is not stored. Source: [SAP Help Portal, configuring document attachment settings](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-platform/implementing-document-management-and-attachment-storage/configuring-document-attachment-settings) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### The career site may be on the employer's own domain SAP lets an employer choose a standard URL on an SAP domain, such as jobs.hr.cloud.sap.com or jobs.hr.sapcloud.cn with the employer's own subdomain, or a custom URL on its own domain, such as jobs.example.com. Only the standard URL shows that SuccessFactors is behind the page. Source: [SAP Help Portal, configuring the site URL for a career site](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/configuring-site-url-for-career-site) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ### Uploading again can overwrite your profile If a candidate uploads a newer resume, SuccessFactors asks whether to keep the current profile or overwrite it with the newly parsed data. Overwriting replaces fields you may already have corrected by hand. Source: [SAP Help Portal, working with resume parsing](https://help.sap.com/docs/successfactors-recruiting/setting-up-and-maintaining-sap-successfactors-recruiting/working-with-resume-parsing) (checked Oct 19, 2026) ## What to do about it ### Send DOCX if you can It is the one text format on both of SAP's lists. If the upload refuses it, use the format the form offers rather than guessing. ### Put the country in your contact line City and country together, in plain text, near your name. SAP names missing country information as a cause of bad parses. ### Keep it under 5 MB That is the figure SAP publishes for resumes and the platform default for attachments. A text-based export is far below it. ### Check every field before you submit SAP says parsing is not always accurate and asks candidates to review the parsed fields. Fix them there. Think twice before re-uploading, as that can overwrite your corrections. ## Questions ### What is SAP SuccessFactors? SAP SuccessFactors is SAP's cloud HR suite. Its Recruiting module runs career sites and job applications for many large employers, so applicants meet it when they create a candidate profile and apply on a company's careers page. ### Does SAP SuccessFactors read PDF resumes? SAP's batch upload page lists PDF among the resume formats. Its candidate profile parsing page lists DOCX, PPT and TXT plus image types, and does not mention PDF. If you want the format both pages agree on, send DOCX. ### What file types does SAP SuccessFactors accept for a resume? SAP's batch upload page lists DOCX, PDF, TXT, TIFF, JPG, BMP and GIF. The candidate profile page lists DOCX, PPT and TXT, plus TIFF, JPG, BMP and GIF images. ### What is the SAP SuccessFactors resume size limit? SAP says resumes must be no larger than 5 MB. The platform's maximum attachment size defaults to 5 MB and an administrator can raise it to 10 MB, so 5 MB is the safe number. ### Why did my resume fail to parse in SAP SuccessFactors? SAP documents a few causes. Parsing must be enabled by the employer. Resumes missing country or region information don't parse correctly. Only 15 languages are supported. And SAP says parsing isn't always 100% accurate. Check the parsed fields and correct them by hand. ### Does SAP SuccessFactors parse resumes in languages other than English? Yes, 15 in total: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Italian, Slovak, Czech, Russian, Portuguese and Chinese. ### Does a failed parse mean SAP SuccessFactors rejected my application? SAP's documentation does not describe it that way. Its test script says a candidate can fill in every profile field manually without uploading a CV at all. What matters is that the fields are right when you submit. ### How do I know if an employer uses SAP SuccessFactors? Look at the career site address. SAP documents two options: a standard URL on an SAP domain, such as jobs.hr.cloud.sap.com or jobs.hr.sapcloud.cn with the employer's subdomain in front, or a custom URL on the employer's own domain, such as jobs.example.com. A custom URL will not show SAP's name. ## Exporting from ATSPrep to SAP SuccessFactors ATSPrep exports a linear, single-column, parser-safe document. Against SAP SuccessFactors's published list of accepted types: - **PDF** — on SAP SuccessFactors's accepted list - **DOCX** — on SAP SuccessFactors'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. - [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. - [Dayforce](https://atsprep.com/ats/dayforce) — 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. - [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