Any recruitment agency or in-house talent team receiving resumes in volume needs resume parsing software. Recruiters who manually copy candidate details from resume into a database lose hours each week to data entry. Parsing software removes that step, so agencies and in-house teams handling dozens or hundreds of applications a day rely on it to keep their candidate database current and searchable.
What is resume parsing?
Resume parsing is the automated process of storing, categorizing, and analyzing job resumes. Resume parsing software helps recruiters easily search and filter through large quantities of candidate resumes to streamline the hiring process and find the best applicants in just a few clicks.
Resume parsing tools are included in most Applicant Tracking System (ATS) platforms. Specific candidate information – name, email, address, phone number – is imported from the resume file into fields within your ATS, allowing you to access that specific information about a candidate.
How do resume parsers work?
Most resume parsers operate by the user uploading the resume file into the parsing tool (some even feature a drag-and-drop interface) and confirming which fields or data should be imported. Once these steps are complete, the candidate now exists as a record in the ATS.
Where are CV Parsers Used?
Resume parsers sit inside applicant tracking systems (ATS), resume databases, job boards, and career sites. Recruitment agencies use them to pull candidates from job board applications, email attachments, and referrals straight into their ATS. Job boards and career portals also run parsing on the front end, so a candidate can upload a resume and have the application form fill in automatically instead of typing every field by hand.
What Formatting Can Resume Parsers Read?
Most resume parsers read the file formats candidates commonly send: PDF, Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx), and plain text. Some also handle rich text format (.rtf) and resumes pasted in from a webpage as HTML. Accuracy usually drops for scanned or image-based CVs, since those need optical character recognition (OCR) rather than straightforward text extraction.
Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Parsing
Resume parsing software removes manual data entry, so recruiters spend less time retyping candidate details and more time on calls and interviews. It standardises how candidate information sits in the ATS, which makes searching, filtering, and matching resumes to open roles faster and more consistent. It also cuts down on the transcription errors that creep in when someone manually keys in a phone number or email address from a resume.
Look for resume parsing software built into your ATS rather than sold as a separate tool, since a native integration keeps candidate records in one place instead of syncing between systems. Check how accurately it reads the resume formats your candidates actually send, and how easily recruiters can review and correct parsed fields before they save. Bullhorn’s ATS and CRM includes resume parsing as a core feature, so candidate records build automatically as resumes come in, without a separate integration to manage.
Not exactly, though the terms are used interchangeably in recruitment technology. ‘CV’ is the standard term in the UK, Ireland, and most of Europe, while ‘resume’ is the US equivalent. Both describe a candidate’s document listing work history, skills, and education, so CV parsing and resume parsing refer to the same process: extracting that information into an ATS.
