How CV parsing works (and how to fix parse errors)
What CVViZ's AI parser extracts from a resume, and how to re-parse if a candidate's fields look wrong.
What the parser extracts
CVViZ uses two parsers β a legacy one and an OpenAI-backed parser (AdvanceParserNew) when your workspace has it enabled. The advanced parser's UI says: "Our AI extracts contact details, work history, and skills with high accuracy".
Concretely, the parser pulls:
- Name β first and last.
- Email.
- Phone (Contact Number).
- Work history β past job titles, employers, descriptions.
- Education (qualifications).
- Skills β surfaced as topskills on the candidate profile.
- Years of experience.
- Current company and job title.
- Social links β LinkedIn, GitHub, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Behance.
The original CV file is also stored β accessible from the candidate's Resume tab.
Reviewing parsed data
After upload, click into the candidate. The Profile tab shows parsed fields; the Resume tab shows the original document. Edit any parsed field inline if it looks wrong.
Re-parsing
If a CV parsed badly, you can re-parse it.
- Bulk β select multiple candidates from a list and click Re-Parse Resumes (with a sync icon) in the bulk actions bar. CVViZ asks for confirmation: "Are you sure you want to re-parse selected resumes?"
- Single candidate β re-parse from the candidate's actions menu when needed.
Re-parsing re-runs the AI extraction and updates the profile fields. Manual edits you made before re-parsing may be overwritten β make sure that's what you want.
Tips for cleaner parsing
- Selectable text PDFs only. Image-only scans (typed photos, screenshots) fail. Run them through OCR first if you can.
- Standard headings help. Sections labelled "Experience", "Education", "Skills" parse cleanly.
- One-column layouts keep work-history order intact.
- Avoid creative templates β sidebars, mixed icons, and design-heavy layouts confuse the parser.
- Common file formats β PDF and DOCX work best.
Replacing the CV file
Got a newer version of the candidate's CV? Upload it from the candidate's Resume tab. The new file is stored alongside the previous version.
What to fix manually vs re-parse
- If 1β2 fields are off, fix them inline. Faster than re-parsing.
- If most fields look wrong, re-parse first β sometimes a re-run resolves it.
- If even re-parsing produces poor results, the source CV is probably the culprit (image-only or unusual layout).
Advanced vs legacy parser
If your workspace has theflag on, the new AI-backed parser (AdvanceParserNew) handles uploads. Otherwise, the legacy parser (AdvanceParse) is used. The advanced parser is more tolerant of unusual layouts and tends to extract skills more accurately.
Still need help? Ask the team