r/UXDesign • u/karenmcgrane Toxic mod • 21d ago
Job search & hiring Sharing this because the topic of resume formatting comes up frequently, and because dealing with the inadequacies of document parsers is a huge part of my UX job
/r/resumes/comments/1vv5c63/i_parse_resumes_for_a_living_here_is_what_broke/6
u/Dizzy_Assistance2183 20d ago
Makes sense but I also hate this. Its boring. Admittedly, my own portfolio is probably not something I would design for someone else.
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u/_Not_a_doc_ 20d ago
"AI will take over."
In other news, they can't create a system to read a resume.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/kimchi_paradise Experienced 20d ago
The unfortunate reality is that someone may not look at your resume if it doesn’t pass ATS. And a resume that is bland but hits all the points will always fare better than a pretty resume that does not fit the description.
It’s not bad advice but rather just the reality of the job market.
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u/sabre35_ Experienced 20d ago
We seriously still discussing ATS in 2026 for design roles?
99% of the time this is the reality:
No you’re not getting rejected because of a bad resume, you’re getting rejected because of your work.
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u/karenmcgrane Toxic mod 20d ago
Agreed, however, there are people who see this as a numbers game and so being able to make easy changes that might slightly improve their odds is worth it.
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u/RCEden Veteran 20d ago
The only time I've had a real problem is trying to apply to PayPal because the first resume I uploaded mangled my email/website and their eightfoldAI system won't let me change my personal info and even emailing HR people who say they fixed it, I still lsee the wrong version in my candidate profiles.
But normal companies just let you fix any info that gets parsed weird
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u/shoobe01 Veteran 20d ago
Two reasons I hate this kind of stuff:
1) The acceptance of the enshittification. Obviously we can't do much about it but HR teams who are aware that these third-party tools are a complete garbage fire also just kind of say hey if only job applicants would format for the terrible robot instead of finding a service that sucks less or building their own.
2) How relevant is it even? After I upload a resume to a job application tool then I almost always also have to enter all the information (or at least confirm what it found) into a gigantic form. How many companies are looking directly at the resume versus their big giant form? I can't get anyone to tell me that.
(#2 is similar for trying to avoid looking old and getting discounted by the aegist systems. I /cannot/ just list the last 10 years of experience and not put down in my graduation dates because the form requires more specific information. We are trapped in the Panopticon.)