Ashby resume tips. A resume field recruiters can turn off.
Ashby's application form can include a Resume Upload question that, where the employer keeps it, maps straight to your candidate profile. Ashby's own documentation sets limits on that upload and lets employers make it optional or run resumes through an AI reviewer. Here's what that means for your file.
LaunchCV isn't affiliated with Ashby. Behavior varies with each employer's settings. Updated · Sources
/ What we checked
What the Ashby docs say. Each point links to its source.
One resume field, used once
Ashby's application-forms documentation describes the Resume Upload question as a single-file upload that sets the candidate's resume field, and says this question type can only be added once to a form.1
Resumes can be optional
Ashby's product updates say admins can make the Resume field on an application form optional, or remove it entirely, but Ashby notes this is only supported on newly created forms.2
Two different size limits
Ashby's application-forms documentation lists 50 MB as the maximum file size for a resume upload, but says a resume needs to be 16 MB or smaller for Ashby to process it for full-text search and for autofilling application fields.1
File types accepted
Ashby's docs say file-upload questions take standard document, image and video formats, such as PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG and common video formats; a later product update added plain-text (.txt) and Markdown (.md), so those no longer need converting to PDF first.13
Application resume vs. profile resume
Ashby's release notes on resume display say the resume on an application and the resume on your overall candidate profile are tracked separately: updating the application's resume updates both, but deleting it leaves the candidate profile's resume in place and in use for that application.4
AI-Assisted Application Review
Where an employer turns it on, Ashby's AI-Assisted Application Review checks an applicant's resume against criteria the employer defines and returns a per-criterion result, with citations recruiters can check. Ashby says the tool doesn't make the hiring decision.56
/ What trips it up
Four things to fix before you upload.
General guidance for resume parsers in most applicant tracking systems, not specific to one vendor.
Tables and text boxes
Many parsers skip or merge text inside them, so job details can end up in the wrong field or go missing.
Headers and footers
Contact details placed there may not reach the application form. Put them in the body, under your name.
Creative section names
“My Journey” instead of “Experience” makes job history harder to split into entries.
Mixed date formats
Start and end dates can land in the wrong fields. Pick one format, month and year, and use it everywhere.
/ Applying through Ashby
Tips for Ashby applications.
Keep the file under 16 MB
Ashby's upload cap is higher, but a file over 16 MB may miss out on full-text search and autofill. A text-based resume is almost always far smaller than that anyway.
Don't rely on the resume field alone
Some employers make Ashby's resume field optional. If the form also asks for a LinkedIn URL or portfolio link, fill those in too, so there's more than one way to confirm your background.
Write to specific criteria
Where AI-Assisted Application Review is on, it checks a resume against criteria the employer wrote, not a general impression. Name the skills and results from the job post directly, in similar words.
Stick to plain formats
PDF, DOC or DOCX parse the most predictably. If you only have a .txt or .md file, Ashby's file-upload fields can now take those directly.
/ Checklist
Before you hit Upload.
Not sure your file passes? Run the free ATS check or look up keywords for your job.
- PDF, DOC or DOCX, not a photo or scan
- File under 16 MB, well under the 50 MB cap
- Resume uploaded even where the field is marked optional
- LinkedIn URL or portfolio added if the form asks for one
- Skills and results worded to match the post's own language
- Right resume showing on the application after upload
Other systems
All ATS guides/ Questions
Ashby, answered.
Something else? support@launch-cv.com
Do I have to upload a resume on Ashby?
It depends on the employer. Ashby lets companies make the resume field optional or remove it on newly created application forms, so some job posts may not require one. Where a resume field is shown, Ashby's docs describe it as a single-file upload.
What's the biggest file I can upload to an Ashby application?
Ashby's documentation lists 50 MB as the hard cap, but says files need to be 16 MB or smaller for Ashby to run full-text search on them and use them to autofill the application. Keep it well under 16 MB if you can.
Does Ashby use AI to screen resumes?
Only where the employer turns it on. Ashby's AI-Assisted Application Review checks resumes against criteria the employer sets and gives recruiters a per-criterion result with citations; Ashby says people still make the decision.
Why does my application show an old resume?
Ashby keeps the resume on your overall candidate profile separate from the one on a specific application. Ashby's release notes say deleting an application's resume leaves the candidate profile's resume in place and in use for that application, so check which one is attached before you submit.
/ Sources (checked Nov 2026)
Where this comes from.
Only Ashby's own public help pages, documentation and announcements. Each employer configures its own system, so what you see may differ.
- 1.Application FormsAshby Help Center · Checked
- 2.Make Resume Optional for ApplicantsAshby Product Updates · Checked
- 3.Accept .txt and .md Files in Application Form File FieldsAshby Product Updates · Checked
- 4.Resume Display on Applications and Candidate ProfilesAshby Product Updates · Checked
- 5.AI-Assisted Application ReviewAshby Help Center · Checked
- 6.AI-Assisted Application ReviewAshby Blog, Product · Checked
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