Managing hiring processes often involves a significant amount of data entry. Your team receives countless resumes, and manually sifting through each one to pull out key details like contact information, work experience, and educational background can be a tedious and time-consuming task. You may need to extract data from files on monday.com.

Imagine your HR or recruitment team is actively hiring for multiple roles. Candidates submit their resumes, which are then uploaded to a monday.com board. Before the interviews can begin, someone has to open each resume, read through it, and then manually copy relevant information into specific columns on the board.

Problem with data extraction:

This manual extraction process is not only inefficient but also prone to human error. Critical candidate data might be missed, incorrectly entered, or take hours to process, slowing down your recruitment pipeline. This friction delays the screening process and prevents your team from focusing on more strategic tasks like candidate engagement and interview scheduling.

Solution Overview for data extraction from files

The Extract AI app streamlines this entire workflow by automating the extraction of specific data from files directly within your monday.com boards. By connecting Extract AI to a file column and a trigger, you can automatically parse resumes, invoices, contracts, or any other document, and populate relevant columns on your board, saving your team valuable time and ensuring data accuracy.

Step-by-Step Setup to extract data from files on monday.com with Extract AI:

Follow these steps to configure Extract AI for file extraction:

1. Add the Extract AI App:

• On your monday.com board, click the + Add View icon.
• Navigate to Apps and search for “Extract AI”.
• If not already installed, install it from the monday.com Marketplace.
• Once added, select the Extract AI view.

2. Start a New Extraction Setup:

• Click Get Started within the Extract AI view.
• Give your setup a descriptive name, such as “Resumes.”

Configure the Source:

• Under “Source Options,” select Files.
• Choose File Upload as the file option.

Map Board Elements:

• Map Group: Select the group containing the items that will trigger the extraction. For example, if you track hiring in a group called “Active Processes,” select that.
• Item or Sub-item: Choose whether the files are attached to an item or a sub-item. For resumes, typically, you’ll select “Items.”
• File Column: Select the monday.com File column where the documents (e.g., resumes) will be uploaded. For instance, you might have a column named “Resume File.”
• Trigger Column: Specify a monday.com Status column that will initiate the extraction.
• Trigger Status: Select a specific status value in that column that will kick off the process (e.g., “Screening”).

3. Define Fields for Extraction:

• Click Next.
• Default Fields: You’ll see common values. Select “Phone Number” and map it to a “Phone Number” column on your board.
• Custom Fields (for specific data points):
  • Click Add custom field.
  • Field Name: Enter “About.”
  • Map to Column: Select a Text column on your board, like “About Candidate.”
  • Prompt: Provide a clear prompt, such as “Extract about me information of the candidate.”
  • Click Add Field.
  • Repeat this process for other custom fields:
    • Field Name: “Education”
    • Map to Column: A Text column (e.g., “Education Qualification”)
    • Prompt: “Extract the education qualification of the candidate.”
    • Field Name: “Email”
    • Map to Column: An Email column (e.g., “Candidate Email”)
    • Prompt: “Extract email address.”

4. Test the Setup:

• Before saving, click the Test button.
• Upload a sample file (e.g., a resume) from your computer.
• The app will run the extraction based on your configured fields and display the results, allowing you to verify accuracy.

Save and Activate:

• If the test results are accurate, click Save and Close. Your AI extraction block is now active.

5. Trigger in Real-time:

• Return to your main board.
• Upload a resume file into the designated File column for an item.
• Change the status in your trigger column to the value you set (e.g., “Screening”).
• Extract AI will process the file, and the mapped columns on your board will automatically populate with the extracted data.

Tips, Caveats, and Best Practices:

• Column Types: Ensure your monday.com columns match the data type you’re extracting (e.g., a “Phone” column for phone numbers, an “Email” column for emails, and a “Text” column for longer descriptive fields like “About” or “Education”).
• Clear Prompts: When using custom fields, be as specific as possible in your prompts to guide the AI effectively. Clear instructions yield better extraction results.
• Test Thoroughly: Always use the “Test” feature before saving to confirm your setup extracts the correct information from sample files.
• Versatile Use: This method isn’t just for resumes. You can adapt it to extract data from various documents like invoices (invoice number, total amount), contracts (parties, dates), or price quotes (item details, pricing).
• File Consistency: The more consistent the format of your input files, the more accurate the extraction will generally be.

What the User Can Now Do

With Extract AI configured, your team can say goodbye to the manual, error-prone task of data entry from documents. As new resumes or other files are uploaded and their status changed, the relevant information will automatically appear in your monday.com columns.

This automation frees up your team’s time, speeds up critical processes like candidate screening or invoice processing, and ensures that your data is consistent and accurate, allowing you to focus on higher-value activities.