Original research · 12 min read
We generated 108 resume PDFs to find what breaks text extraction
Original research on ATS resume format: 12 formatting patterns tested across 108 resume PDFs, measuring what survives text extraction and what does not.
Resume advice that shows its work.
What resume software can actually read, what formatting quietly breaks it, and how to make a claim stronger without gaming a score nobody will show you.
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Original research · 9 min read
Arabic and Hebrew resumes: what ATS text extraction gets back
We exported Arabic and Hebrew resume lines to PDF and DOCX and read them back. Word order, dates, phone numbers and lam-alef broke in PDF. DOCX did not.
Original research · 8 min read
Dashes, ligatures and smart quotes: why resume text comes out garbled
We tested en dashes, curly quotes, fi ligatures and more in resume PDFs. With a font's text map they survived; without it every line came out garbled.
Original research · 4 min read
ATS file types and size limits, system by system
Which resume file types each ATS accepts, and how large the file can be, in one table. Every limit is taken from the vendor's own documentation.
Original research · 7 min read
Bullet characters and Unicode symbols in PDF resumes
We built resumes with •, ▪, ➢, Symbol and Wingdings bullets and read them with pdf.js, pdftotext and our checker. Here is the exact text that came back.
Original research · 8 min read
Resume PDF reading order: columns, sidebars and text boxes
A single-column resume read the same in pdf.js, pdftotext and our checker. Columns, sidebars and text boxes came back in different orders.
Original research · 7 min read
Tables in resumes: what PDF and DOCX text extraction returns
We put a resume's experience and skills in tables, saved PDF and DOCX versions and read each with three extractors. The DOCX read cleanly; the PDFs didn't.
Original research · 6 min read
Resume PDF spacing, line breaks and paragraphs in text extraction
Letter-spaced headings, typed spaces, justified text and hard line breaks, read back by pdf.js, pdftotext and our checker. Only letter spacing did damage.
Original research · 6 min read
Resume headers and footers in PDF and DOCX text extraction
We put a resume's contact details in a header and page numbers in a footer, then read the PDF and DOCX with three extractors. Here's where they landed.
Job search · 6 min read
Application status tracker: every job, the resume you sent and your next step
A free application status tracker that keeps each job's stage, the resume you sent, days waiting and your next step together, saved in your browser.
ATS basics · 7 min read
Resume scanner: what it reads in your file, and how to check it yourself
How a resume scanner pulls text from your file, sorts it into fields and matches it to a job, and a free way to see what it reads before you apply.
Resume writing · 8 min read
Resume review: a five-pass process you can repeat for every job
Review your resume in five passes: target, bullets, keywords, ATS readability and a final scan by eye. With free tools that check each pass.
Job search · 7 min read
Application tracker: how to set one up and actually keep it current
Five steps to a job application tracker you'll keep up: what to record, clear stages, a follow-up routine, a weekly review, and moving off a spreadsheet.
Resume writing · 6 min read
Resume tailoring: five steps to fit your resume to each job
Five steps to resume tailoring: read the posting for priorities, match its wording honestly, rewrite bullets, check the file and track each version.
Resume writing · 14 min read
Cover letter templates: 10 you can copy and tailor in minutes
Ten cover letter templates to copy, from classic and career change to referral and email notes, plus how to tailor each one to the job in three steps.
Resume tips · 8 min read
Resume proofreading: a checklist for the words, the facts and the file
A resume proofreading checklist: catch wrong dates and broken links, tighten each bullet, match the job's keywords and check what your PDF gives back.
Original research · 11 min read
What happens when a PDF reader hits a two-column resume
Are two-column resumes ATS safe? We tested 9 profiles: words survived at 97.9%, but 30.5% of lines fused. Reading order is the risk, not word loss.
Resume formatting · 10 min read
Resume tables under extraction: same problem, milder form
Table grids welded 24.1% of lines versus 30.5% for two columns, and the welds joined related cells rather than unrelated content.
Resume formatting · 10 min read
Contact details in page margins: nothing lost, everything moved
Margin contact details scored 100% recovery but 93.7% order. Phone and email landed at the end of the extracted resume text.
Original research · 11 min read
Letter-spacing shreds resume headings
Our extraction study shows letter-spaced headings break into single characters, destroying the section labels ATS software needs most.
Resume formatting · 10 min read
Resume bullet characters and ATS parsing
We tested symbol-font bullets against plain text extraction. Decorative bullets caused zero measurable damage, contradicting common advice.
ATS basics · 13 min read
How PDF text extraction actually works
A resume PDF stores positioned glyph runs, not sentences. ATS text extraction rebuilds words and lines from geometry. Here is how that process works.
ATS basics · 11 min read
Why a scanned resume returns nothing at all
A scanned resume PDF has no text layer. Our extraction test recovered zero words, zero contact details and zero structure from one.
Resume formatting · 10 min read
Resume line spacing: what to use, and does ATS care?
Use single (1.0) to 1.15 line spacing on a resume, with a bit more space between sections. We tested tight spacing on a PDF parser: it changed nothing.
Original research · 13 min read
Resume formatting myths, measured
We tested common ATS resume format advice in a controlled extraction study. Some fears were justified; several were not. See what we measured.
ATS basics · 7 min read
How to see what an ATS reads in your resume
Check what an ATS reads in your resume: inspect the text layer, reading order and missing fields, or run a free ATS resume scan before you apply.
Resume formatting · 8 min read
Why columns and text boxes can scramble resume extraction
Learn why visual reading order and machine extraction order can diverge in resumes built with columns, tables, and floating text boxes.
Resume writing · 9 min read
How to write evidence-based resume bullets without inventing metrics
Turn responsibilities into specific, defensible resume evidence using scope, frequency, outcomes, and honest estimates.
Resume formatting · 8 min read
PDF vs DOCX resume: which one to send
A careful comparison of PDF and DOCX resume files, when to use each format, and how to test the final document.
Resume tips · 10 min read
12 resume tips that improve almost every application
Use these 12 practical tips for creating a good resume, from choosing relevant evidence and writing stronger bullets to checking the final PDF.
Interview tips · 11 min read
Interview preparation checklist: before, during and after
A repeatable interview preparation plan for researching the role, choosing examples, practicing answers, asking questions, and following up.
Read your own resume the way a parser does.
The X-Ray pulls the text out of your PDF right in your browser and shows it in reading order, so you can spot a lost heading or a scrambled column before you apply. The file is never uploaded.
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