Does Greenhouse read PDF resumes?

Yes, Greenhouse reads text-based PDFs (the kind exported from Word, Google Docs, or LaTeX). What fails is a scanned or image-based PDF where the text is stored as a picture. When in doubt, a .docx is the lowest-risk choice.

What resume format works best for Greenhouse?

A single-column, reverse-chronological resume with standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills), contact info in the body, no tables or graphics, saved as a text-based .docx or PDF.

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ATS guide · Greenhouse

Greenhouse resume parsing: how it reads your resume, and how to pass

Greenhouse is the canonical 'structured hiring' ATS, popular with venture-backed tech companies and startups.

Greenhouse is unusually transparent: it publishes its own list of formatting that breaks resume parsing. Just as important, it does not score or auto-reject your resume on keywords — recruiters search the parsed text and grade you on a scorecard by hand. So your job is to (1) parse cleanly and (2) match the language a human reviewer is looking for.

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How Greenhouse parses a resume

What the parser does well, and what trips it up, so you format for how it actually reads.

Greenhouse's own documentation lists what breaks parsing: spaces between individual letters, graphics/photos/word-art, image-uploaded resumes, complex layouts with tables, headers/footers, contact info in a header/footer/text box, multi-column layouts, missing section headings, and files over 2.5MB.

It does not keyword-score or auto-reject resumes. The only automatic rejection comes from knockout application-question rules, not from your resume text.

Non-standard section labels (e.g. 'Professional Journey' instead of 'Experience') can cause the parsed employment section to come back empty.

Will Greenhouse auto-reject you?

Confirmed by Greenhouse: resumes are not auto-rejected on content. Automatic rejection only happens through knockout-question rules you answer in the application form.

How to format a resume for Greenhouse

Three concrete fixes that make the biggest difference in this system.

Single column, standard headings, contact info in the body, and keep the file under 2.5MB with no graphics.

Mirror the exact words in the job description — a human reviewer's scorecard usually tracks those terms.

Submit a text-based PDF or .docx, never an exported image of a resume.

Who uses Greenhouse

Employers widely reported to run Greenhouse for recruiting. (Vendors change over time. Treat this as a guide, not a live roster.)

AirbnbStripeDoorDashThe New York TimesWayfair

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Write a resume that passes Greenhouse, for your role

Role-specific writing guides: the keywords recruiters filter on, the strongest action verbs, and before/after bullet examples.

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