# Resumes and what OpenATS reads from them

> How OpenATS reads resumes, including scanned ones, and fills in a candidate’s profile from them.

OpenATS reads the text of every resume, including scanned PDFs and photos of a resume, so they’re searchable. Where resume reading is on, it also fills in a candidate’s empty profile fields (headline, location, phone, links) and tags the skills listed. It never overwrites what someone typed or imported.

*Candidates · Last updated 2026-11-11*

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## Every resume is searchable

However a resume arrives (the careers page, an ATS import, Add candidate, a referral, the [OpenATS Extension](https://openats.ai/docs/openats-extension/add-from-linkedin), or attached to an email they sent to a connected inbox), OpenATS extracts its text so search, Ask and evaluations can read it. Scanned PDFs and image resumes are read too: the profile says **Reading this scanned resume…** while it works, then marks the text **Read from a scan — may contain errors.**

A resume attached to an email a candidate sent you, from the address OpenATS knows them by, is saved as theirs only when they don’t have one yet. A resume someone on your team added always stays.

## Filling in the profile

Where resume reading is on, OpenATS also reads each resume in the background and:

- fills in an empty headline and location,
- adds a phone number and profile links if there are none,
- tags up to 12 skills the resume lists,
- keeps a structured profile of their experience, education and skills.

Nothing anyone typed or imported is overwritten. Admins can see whether it’s on, and its progress, in **Settings → Integrations → Resume parsing**.

## Questions about resumes and what OpenATS reads from them

### Which file types does the careers page accept?

PDF, Word, ODT, RTF and plain text, up to 5 MB.

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Still need help? Write to the OpenATS team at https://openats.ai/support (or support@b150.ai). We reply by email.

Source: https://openats.ai/docs/candidates/resumes
OpenATS help center: https://openats.ai/docs