Product · September 22, 2026
More scanned and WhatsApp resumes reach your candidate list
Scanned PDFs can be read, and candidates can be added without inventing an email address.
Keep the original file and capture the candidate
When a connected mailbox receives a PDF that contains only page images, Talent Inbox reads up to its first three pages with OCR before deciding whether it is a resume. The original PDF stays attached to the candidate; extracted text supports intake and search. Clearly unrelated documents can still be skipped. Files that remain unreadable may need another attempt or a clearer source.
Updated October 5, 2026: Talent Inbox gives hard-to-read PDFs, photos, and screenshots an additional AI reading pass when ordinary text extraction and OCR cannot recover enough readable text. It runs automatically for supported Gmail and Outlook attachments when AI resume reading is enabled. Files that already read clearly keep their usual path.
The additional reader transcribes visible text and leaves unclear or missing details absent. Recovered text still goes through the existing resume validation and candidate identity checks. The AI pass accepts source files up to 25 MB and PDFs of up to three pages; it does not silently omit extra pages. A temporary reading failure can be retried. Recovery is not guaranteed, and a clearer or text-based file may still be needed.
When someone sends a Word resume through WhatsApp, RecruitIQ now keeps the original DOC or DOCX file for the candidate preview and download. Headings, bullets, and layout stay in the source document; the file is not replaced with a simplified PDF. Photos and screenshots still become searchable PDFs. This applies to new WhatsApp arrivals; previously converted files are not automatically restored.
When a resume has no email address, WhatsApp and Talent Inbox can add the candidate with that field empty. The Add New Candidate drawer also lets recruiters leave email blank when they have a name and phone number. No made-up address appears on the candidate profile.
RecruitIQ still checks available phone, resume, and intake identity evidence before creating a candidate. Uncertain matches go to identity review. Recruiters can edit other profile details while email is blank and add a real address later. Email-dependent actions remain unavailable until they do.
New arrivals use these improvements automatically. A manual Talent Inbox scan over the relevant mailbox and date range can retry eligible older single-PDF failures. Processed messages and other terminal skips remain protected. Contact support if a historical file still needs review. This update does not automatically replay historical messages or rewrite existing candidate profiles.