Measured extraction and predicted risks
Resume parsing evidence and template risks
Compare measured text from 40 fictional PDF and Word files, then inspect an earlier six-document check of Guul’s extraction pipeline. The separate tables for our 36 templates predict risk from layout capabilities and configured ATS-family profiles. Those predictions do not measure an uploaded file or a vendor’s live system.
Configuration-derived predictions — not live vendor systems, and not competitors’ templates. Method: /ats-score-methodology.
Current Guul scorer: 2.21.6. Read the scoring release notes. The extraction study has its own version, library versions and execution date below. A scorer update does not mean this study was rerun. Neither a parsing result nor a score predicts an interview.
Open research · Version 1
What survives résumé text extraction?
We created 40 fictional documents from 10 English-language profiles, each in a single-column and a sidebar layout, in PDF and Word. Three libraries read the 20 PDFs. One library read the 20 Word files. That produced 80 extractions.
The same PDF can yield different text. In this run, PDF.js returned substituted characters in some phone numbers and dates. Poppler interleaved parts of the two columns. PyMuPDF recovered all tested fields, as did Mammoth for the Word files. These observations apply to these generated files and the settings below.
| Library / version | Files tested | Whole fields recovered | Declared order matched |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF.js 5.4.149 | 20 PDF files | 178 / 220 fields | 20 / 20 files |
| Poppler 26.07.0 | 20 PDF files | 210 / 220 fields | 10 / 20 files |
| PyMuPDF 1.27.2 | 20 PDF files | 220 / 220 fields | 20 / 20 files |
| Mammoth 1.11.0 | 20 DOCX files | 220 / 220 fields | 20 / 20 files |
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What counts as a recovered field?
Eleven whole phrases per document, including name, contact details, job dates and qualifications. Case, dash variants and whitespace are normalized. A phrase interrupted by another column fails the check even if its individual words are still present. This measures text recovery, not correct interpretation.
What counts as the right order?
Summary, work experience, education, then skills. For the sidebar fixtures, that means main column first, then sidebar. This is our declared test convention. It does not prove every sentence stays with its heading, and a person could follow a different path.
Methods and limits
This is one controlled fixture set, not a representative sample of applicants. It contains no customer documents, scans, multilingual prose or tests against an employer’s ATS. There are no interview or rejection outcomes.
PDFs use one vendored Inter font and Chromium 141.0.7390.37. Word files use Arial and a different generator. The font, export method and library settings matter. These results do not establish that one format or library is always better. A field marked missing may be split or contain substituted characters rather than be absent entirely.
- PDF.js: getTextContent; item order; explicit line endings; spaces between items.
- Poppler: pdftotext with default reading-order options, UTF-8 output.
- PyMuPDF: page.get_text("text", sort=False).
- Mammoth: extractRawText from document XML; no visual page rendering.
The browser diagnostic also restores visible gaps between PDF text runs. It uses a different text-joining adapter from this study. The older six-fixture experiment below measures Guul’s import pipeline separately.
Inspect all 40 files and their extracted text
Profile 01 · single column · PDF
Profile 01 · single column · DOCX
Profile 01 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 01 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 02 · single column · PDF
Profile 02 · single column · DOCX
Profile 02 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 02 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 03 · single column · PDF
Profile 03 · single column · DOCX
Profile 03 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 03 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 04 · single column · PDF
Profile 04 · single column · DOCX
Profile 04 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 04 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 05 · single column · PDF
Profile 05 · single column · DOCX
Profile 05 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 05 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 06 · single column · PDF
Profile 06 · single column · DOCX
Profile 06 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 06 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 07 · single column · PDF
Profile 07 · single column · DOCX
Profile 07 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 07 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 08 · single column · PDF
Profile 08 · single column · DOCX
Profile 08 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 08 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 09 · single column · PDF
Profile 09 · single column · DOCX
Profile 09 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 09 · sidebar · DOCX
Profile 10 · single column · PDF
Profile 10 · single column · DOCX
Profile 10 · sidebar · PDF
Profile 10 · sidebar · DOCX
Cite Guul, “What survives résumé text extraction?”, version 1, with the run timestamp above. Original fixture data and tables are available under CC BY 4.0. Third-party libraries and fonts retain their own licenses.
Inspect your own PDF’s textExecuted checks with downloadable evidence
One run of 6 fictional documents, generated 2026-09-22 17:24 UTC. These are controlled layout fixtures, not customer resumes or a representative sample of applications. They do not test any employer’s ATS or certify every Guul template.
Renderer: Chromium 141.0.7390.37. Extraction pipeline: pdf-parse 1.1.1 with pdfjs-dist 5.4.530. Playwright 1.56.1; Node v24.10.0.
Recall counts the expected tokens recovered after case and Unicode normalization. The contact check counts separately delimited fields. Reading order checks only the listed markers; the table fixture has no order assertion, so its field-association hypothesis is unassessed. “Not reproduced” applies only to the stated check in this run.
| Fixture | Expected tokens recovered | Contact fields | Hypothesis outcome | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline single column | 11/11 | 3/3 | control passed | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
| contact run tight | 6/6 | 1/3 | reproduced | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
| synthetic bold type3 | 6/6 | Not applicable | not reproduced | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
| two column sidebar | 12/12 | 3/3 | not reproduced | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
| table layout | 6/6 | Not applicable | not assessed | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
| typographic substitution | 4/4 | Not applicable | not reproduced | PDF · Extracted text · Input HTML |
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Download expected values, observations and source hashes · Read the full report · Download reproduction bundle
The bundle includes the local runner, synthetic inputs, fonts, version pins and instructions. It makes no network calls during extraction. Installing the pinned dependencies and Chromium requires a download. PDF byte hashes can differ between runs because the renderer includes document metadata.
Configured family profiles
These are heuristic settings used by Guul, not measured vendor capabilities:
| Family | Bullet limit | Strict dates | Column merging | PDF reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workday-family | ~500 chars | yes | risk | medium |
| Greenhouse-family | ~1000 chars | no | risk | high |
| Lever-family | ~800 chars | no | handled | high |
| Taleo-family | ~400 chars | yes | risk | low |
| iCIMS-family | ~600 chars | no | risk | low |
| SuccessFactors-family | ~500 chars | yes | risk | low |
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Per-template risk predictions
Layout decides most of the risk. Single-column templates give a parser one reading order; multi-column layouts trade visual density for merge risk in the stricter families.
Aspect
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Atlas
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Axiom
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Brief
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Campus
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Cascade
Two column · declared layout score 85/100- Workday-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Catalyst
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Charter
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Cornerstone
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Crisp
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Ember
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Folio
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Frost
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Harbor
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Impact
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Keystone
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Lemma
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Lucid
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Maven
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Meridian
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: real template layout, certification-backed (renders through an independent layout engine before we claim it)
Nova
Two column · declared layout score 85/100- Workday-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Onyx
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Orbit
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Prism
Two column · declared layout score 85/100- Workday-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: columns can be flattened into one reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Regent
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: real template layout, certification-backed (renders through an independent layout engine before we claim it)
Ridge
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Scholar
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Slate
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Studio
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Summit
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Tenure
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Thesis
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Valor
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Vector
Sidebar · declared layout score 80/100- Workday-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: sidebar text can merge into the main reading order; non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Verso
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
Zenith
Single column · declared layout score 90/100- Workday-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters
- Greenhouse-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Lever-family: no layout-specific risks simulated
- Taleo-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 400 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- iCIMS-family: PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
- SuccessFactors-family: non-standard date formats may not be recognized; bullets truncate near 500 characters; PDF text extraction is the least reliable in this family
Word export: ATS-safe single-column layout (deliberate — full-fidelity Word export is only claimed where certified)
What we don’t test — yet
We have not run other builders’ templates through this simulation, so we make no claims about them. The industry’s parse behavior deserves the same transparency: if you build resume templates and want yours run through the same engine with the same published limits, we’re open to it.
Turn feedback into a specific document check
A parsing result, a keyword match and a hiring decision are different things. Inspect missing fields before changing accurate content to chase a score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these live tests against real ATS vendors?
No. The 40-file study uses named text-extraction libraries. The older six-document experiment uses Guul’s extraction pipeline. Neither connects to vendor systems. The template tables below are predictions derived from layout capabilities and Guul’s family profiles, not verified descriptions of vendor internals. Employer configurations vary.
Why do sidebar templates carry more warnings?
Guul’s configured family profiles treat sidebar layouts as a potential reading-order risk. This is a prediction, not proof that a specific file fails. Compare the extracted text with your document, and consider a single-column alternative if fields are mixed.
Did you test other builders’ templates?
No. The executed checks use synthetic layout fixtures. The template tables describe Guul’s own layout capabilities and configured risk rules. Neither section establishes a comparison with other builders.
What does the declared score mean?
Each template declares a layout parse score (90 single-column, 85 balanced two-column, 80 sidebar) that rates the layout’s structural parsing risk — not your content, and not your odds of an interview. The full scoring model is published on our methodology page.