How Sovren Parsing Works

The Sovren Resume/CV Parser is the most accurate, most scalable, most configurable and most comprehensive parser available.

What we refer to as the Sovren Resume/CV Parser (the “Parser”) really consists of two components:

• the Sovren Document Converter component, and
  
• the Sovren Resume/CV Parser component.

There are many different system types and application types that can use the Parser, but regardless of the integration details, the process works like this:

Step one:

Give the source resume to the Sovren Document Converter. The Converter takes source resumes in native formats such as Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, HTML, Adobe PDF, Open Office, Rich Text Format, etc., and converts them into plain ASCII text. This step takes a fraction of a second.

Note: The Converter supports every commercial format used for recruitment documents, over 50 different formats.

Step two:

Give the converted text from the Converter to the Parser. The Sovren Resume/CV Parser then processes the plain text and extracts all of the applicant details. This step typically takes about 2 seconds.

Step three:

Retrieve the results from the Parser. In most cases, you will receive an XML string containing all of the parsed results written in an HR-XML Resume schema format. The HR-XML Resume schema is an open standard format that ensures that you are not locked into a single vendor’s proprietary output. Sovren provides true, completely valid HR-XML. [Vendors such as Burning Glass and Daxtra and HireAbility which claim to output HR-XML are making false claims, as their output is actually proprietary and does not validate with the HR-XML Resume schema.]

Alternately, if you are using the Parser directly in a Windows programming environment and not through a web service, you could access the properties of the Parser just like any other component, thereby eliminating the need to use XML. For example, you might access the first name like this: Parser.Resume.StructuredXMLResume.ContactInfo.PersonName.GivenName.

Step four:

At this point, the Converter has converted the resume or CV to text and the Parser has parsed the text and provided the answers. What you do with that information is completely up to you – you control every aspect of what happens next. Unlike closed-box systems such as Daxtra, you can store the data where you want, how you want, when you want, or you can display it on a screen for editing, or… whatever you want.

Next: Accuracy