ATS Guides

Talos360 ATS Guide for UK Recruitment Agencies

Learn how to format CVs for Talos360 to avoid parsing errors and speed up uploads. Improve CV quality and streamline your recruitment process. Get the guide.

By Xabi Errotabehere, founder, Distill · Updated 18 July 2026

Talos360 is built for UK recruitment agencies but still struggles with common CV quirks that block parsing and slow down your workflow. Understanding what causes these issues will save you time and headaches.

TL;DR: Talos360 parses CVs best when they're simple, clear, and free of complex formatting like tables or multiple columns. Avoid graphics and unusual fonts. Parsing errors often come from layout problems or inconsistent contact details. Upload failures usually stem from file size, format, or corrupted files. Distill can reformat your CVs automatically to Talos360's specs, cutting manual fixes.

What you need to know about CVs in Talos360

Talos360 is designed for UK recruitment but still relies on standard parsing logic. It struggles most with:

  • Tables and multi-column layouts that break the text flow.
  • Embedded images, logos, or icons inside the CV.
  • Inconsistent or missing contact details (phone, email).
  • Non-standard fonts or embedded objects.
  • Overly long CVs with large file sizes.

Talos360 reads Word .docx or PDF files but prefers native Word docs. PDF parsing is less reliable, especially if the PDF is scanned or image-based. If you submit scanned PDFs, expect parsing failures.

Talos360's parsing rules are fixed; it doesn't learn from corrections. That means input quality is key. Clean, simple CVs get parsed fastest and most accurately.

Formatting guide

To get the best results from Talos360, format CVs with these points in mind:

  • Use a single-column layout. Avoid tables or side-by-side columns.
  • Keep fonts standard and system-installed (Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman).
  • Place contact details clearly at the top. Include phone, email, and location.
  • Avoid images, logos, or icons anywhere in the CV.
  • Use simple bullet points, not custom symbols or images.
  • Use bold or italics sparingly, not for headings only.
  • Save as a Word .docx file. PDF files are accepted but less predictable.
  • Keep file size under 5MB to avoid upload rejections.

Talos360 doesn't handle tables well. The fix — remove the table and convert it to plain text or bullet points. Multi-column CVs cause fields to jumble or disappear.

If a CV has embedded objects (charts, icons), these often cause parsing errors or crashes.

Parsing errors

Talos360 parsing fails most often because of:

  • Tables and columns: Data inside tables or two-column layouts gets scrambled or dropped.
  • Contact info split across headers or footers: Talos360 ignores headers/footers, so phone numbers placed there vanish.
  • PDFs saved as images: If the PDF is a scan or image, Talos360 can't extract text.
  • Non-standard fonts or embedded objects: These confuse the parser or cause data loss.
  • Unusual date formats: Talos360 expects UK date formats (dd/mm/yyyy). US formats or text dates may fail.
  • Large file size: Overly long CVs slow parsing or time out.

You'll see these errors reflected in missing fields, misaligned data, or empty candidate records.

Check your parsing results carefully before submitting. If Talos360 scrambles a CV, the quickest fix is to strip tables and images, then resubmit.

Upload issues

Uploading CVs to Talos360 is usually straightforward but watch out for:

  • File format: Talos360 accepts .doc, .docx, and PDF. Older .doc files sometimes cause issues.
  • File size limits: Files over 5MB are rejected.
  • Corrupted files: Occasionally, a CV saved badly or with embedded macros won't upload.
  • Naming conventions: Talos360 doesn't require strict file names but avoid special characters.
  • Batch uploads: When uploading multiple CVs, one bad file can cause the whole batch to fail.

If you hit upload errors, try re-saving the CV in Word as a fresh .docx without macros or embedded objects.

For batch uploads, isolate problem files by uploading one CV at a time or smaller batches.

Distill + Talos360

Distill fits into Talos360 workflows by automatically cleaning and reformatting CVs before you upload. It removes tables, embedded images, photos, and graduation years that commonly cause parsing errors. Distill also anonymises contact details to comply with blind hiring policies if needed.

If you send 20+ CVs weekly to Talos360 clients, Distill saves time by preparing every CV to Talos360's format automatically. This cuts manual fixes and upload retries.

Try Distill free to see how it makes Talos360 CV uploads faster and smoother.