Firefish parsing errors usually show up as scrambled text, missing sections, or data landing in the wrong field. If you're cleaning up candidate records by hand after every upload, this guide helps you fix the cause instead.
TL;DR: Firefish parsing errors trace back to tables and columns, hidden text in headers/footers, field truncation, and non-ASCII characters. Clean the CV first: single column, no hidden formatting, simple characters, and reasonable section length. If you fix the same errors weekly, Distill automates it.
Quick diagnosis: why Firefish parsing fails
| Symptom | Likely cause | Quick check |
|---|---|---|
| Scrambled text | Tables or columns | Use Show/Hide — any tables or columns? |
| Missing sections | Hidden text, headers, or footers | Is content in a header/footer or hidden? |
| Phone/email in notes or summary | Incorrect field mapping | Are contact details in plain text up top? |
| Section cut off | Field length truncation | Is the section unusually long? |
| Garbled characters | Non-ASCII or accented symbols | Any unusual symbols or accents? |
What causes Firefish parsing errors most often
Tables and columns Firefish reads linearly, so tables and columns rearrange text and the parser scrambles the order. This is the most common error.
Hidden text, headers, and footers Content tucked into headers, footers, or hidden text is regularly skipped, so whole sections go missing.
Incorrect field mapping When contact details aren't in clean plain text at the top, Firefish can drop the phone or email into notes or summary fields.
Field truncation Firefish caps the length of some fields, so long sections get cut off mid-sentence.
Non-ASCII characters Unusual symbols or accented letters can break extraction and produce garbled output.
Image-based PDFs Firefish can't reliably pull text from scanned PDFs or images, so fields come back empty.
Step-by-step fix for Firefish parsing errors
- Use Show/Hide in Word to reveal tables, hidden text, and stray formatting, then remove them.
- Flatten tables and columns into single-column bullet points.
- Move everything out of headers and footers into the body.
- Put contact details in plain text at the top so they map to the right fields.
- Shorten over-long sections to avoid truncation.
- Replace non-ASCII characters with standard equivalents.
- Use a text-based DOCX, not a scanned PDF.
- Re-upload to a test record and confirm each field mapped correctly.
How to prevent Firefish parsing errors
- Use one parser-friendly DOCX template across the team.
- Train recruiters to run Show/Hide and clear tracked changes before upload.
- Batch-clean high volumes with Distill rather than editing records by hand.
- Keep a 30-second pre-upload check: tables, hidden text, contact block, length, characters.
When to escalate to Distill
Use Distill when the same Firefish errors keep recurring:
- You submit 20+ CVs weekly to Firefish.
- Sections go missing or contact details land in the wrong field.
- You also need to anonymise candidate data before submission.
Distill removes tables, columns, and hidden formatting, relocates contact details, and outputs a clean single-column DOCX tuned for Firefish — before you upload.
FAQ
Q: Why is my candidate's text scrambled? A: Tables or columns. Firefish reads them out of order. Convert to single-column bullets.
Q: A whole section is missing. Why? A: It's likely in a header, footer, or hidden text. Move it into the body.
Q: The phone number ended up in notes. How do I fix it? A: Put contact details in plain text at the top so Firefish maps them correctly.
Q: Why is a section cut off? A: Firefish truncates some fields. Shorten the section.
Q: Can Firefish parse a scanned PDF? A: No. Use a text-based DOCX so the parser has selectable text.
If Firefish parsing errors keep reaching your records, Distill cleans each CV to spec automatically. Try Distill free and stop fixing records by hand.