This article is specific to using CLARA with an ATS integration. If you are using CLARA as a standalone solution, please navigate here for processing error support: Troubleshooting Candidate Upload and Processing Errors (CLARA Standalone) | CLARA Help Center
When uploading candidates to a job synced from your ATS, you might see errors like:
“Document appears to contain no usable text”
“0 KB file”
General processing failures
These errors mean CLARA couldn’t process the candidate’s file, usually due to issues with file content, formatting, or corruption.
Why This Happens
CLARA relies on readable, structured data from resumes to evaluate candidates. When CLARA is connected to your ATS (like Greenhouse, Lever, Teamtailor, etc.), candidate files are imported automatically. If a resume file:
Contains only images (e.g., scanned or photographed)
Is empty (0 KB)
Is password-protected or corrupted
Is in an unsupported or invalid format
…it will fail to upload or process correctly.
Where You’ll See These Errors
If there is an error, you will see an Errors Processing warning appear.
You will have the option to:
Open in ATS – View the candidate profile in your ATS
Re-Process – Retry after you’ve fixed the file
Remove Candidate – Dismiss the error from your view
You'll also see a red banner if multiple files failed at once.
How to Resolve Upload Errors (ATS-Connected Roles Only)
Because the role was imported from your ATS, all edits must be made there.
Here’s what to do:
Open the candidate's profile in your ATS.
Fix the issue based on the error message:
Replace scanned/image-only resumes with machine-readable text (PDF/DOCX)
Re-upload missing or empty files
Remove password protection
Reformat or re-save the file as needed
Return to CLARA and click Re-Process next to the candidate.
Tips to Prevent Future Upload Errors
Ensure resumes are text-based, not image scans
Avoid submitting resumes with 0 KB file size
Use standard formats: PDF or DOCX (TXT is not recommended)
Refrain from uploading password-protected or corrupted files
Need Help?
If you’ve made the fix in your ATS and the error still appears in CLARA, reach out to our team with:
Candidate name
Job title
A short note about what you tried
We’ll help troubleshoot and get you back on track so you can screen faster.