Greenhouse application guide

Resume preparation for Greenhouse applications

Prepare your resume and review your Greenhouse application fields. This independent guide does not reproduce Greenhouse parsing or employer screening rules.

Independent guidance
Review application fields
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Find the keywords in any job description

Runs in your browser

0 words

Nothing is uploaded or stored - the analysis runs entirely in your browser. For a deeper ATS score and rewrite help, upload your resume to the full analyzer.

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Paste a job description to begin

Review possible keywords grouped by type, with text-overlap results if you add your resume. Confirm requirements in the original posting.

Check the form beside the file

Greenhouse job pages commonly combine a resume upload with fields for contact details, links and custom questions. What you type there is read alongside the file, so keep the two consistent.

Know what a failed parse looks like

Greenhouse publishes guidance on resumes that do not parse, which usually involves unusual layouts or files with no selectable text. A plain, text-based file avoids most of those problems.

Answer the custom questions on their own merits

Questions set by the employer, such as work authorisation or a short written answer, are part of the application. Prepare these answers separately from the resume.

Related Resume Pages

Use these pages to keep moving through the same topic cluster instead of bouncing back into generic advice.

Who This Page Helps Most

Applicants answering short custom questions

If an employer asks about motivation or experience in the form, draft those answers in advance so they are specific to the role.

Recommended Workflow

Step 1

Find the employer's Greenhouse job page

Apply from the posting on the employer's site or board, and read the whole form before you start.

Step 2

Prepare a text-based resume file

Export from your editor so the text can be selected, and avoid scans, images of text and heavy design.

Step 3

Fill the fields to match your resume

Use the same name, email and links as the file, and write out any portfolio address in full.

Step 4

Answer the custom questions, then review

Reread your answers for accuracy before you submit, and keep a copy of what you sent.

What A Better Result Usually Looks Like

The file opens as selectable text

Open the PDF and try selecting a line. If you cannot, the file is probably an image.

Links are written out

A link shown only as an icon is missing from the extracted text. Add the address in plain text.

Names match across form and file

A different spelling of your name in the form and the file makes later searches harder.

Common Mistakes This Page Can Help You Catch

Uploading a scanned resume

A scan is a picture of text. Use a file exported from your editor.

Leaving custom questions generic

A copied answer stands out less than one tied to the role and your own work.

Forgetting the cover letter field

If the form offers a cover letter, check whether it is optional before leaving it blank.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Step

Turn Resume Advice Into A Better Application

Use the free analyzer to get your ATS score, then move into job match, rewrite, and cover letter workflows when you are ready to tailor applications faster.