The formatted resume in Zoho Recruit generates a document by merging Recruit fields into a Writer template. If merge placeholders come out blank, the template or the source data is not matching the fields Writer can pull from Recruit[1][6].
What it means
The Recruit "Formatted Resume" flow uses a Zoho Writer mail-merge: Recruit sends record field values to a Writer template and Writer replaces merge tags with those values[6]. Blank merge fields mean Writer did not receive a usable value for that tag from Recruit — either because the tag is incorrect, the field type is unsupported, or the record field is empty or overwritten[1][8][5].
Common causes
- Wrong tag or module mismatch: the template uses a merge tag that doesn’t match the Candidate vs Application fields or the tag syntax in Writer[1][2].
- Unsupported field type: custom lookup fields, checkbox fields and some other field types don’t merge into Writer templates[8].
- Empty or overwritten data in Recruit: the candidate/application field is blank or got overwritten during an import/sync, so the merge receives no value[5][3].
- Template uploaded to the wrong module or saved with stale tags: using a template created for another module (or older interface) can leave tags that no longer map to current field names[2][1].
How to fix it
- Open the candidate (or application) record in Recruit and confirm the specific fields you expect to merge contain data. If you imported records recently, check import settings and the "skip empty fields" toggle to avoid overwrites[3][5].
- Edit the Writer template from Recruit’s formatted resume UI or Writer and insert merge tags from the merge-tag dropdown rather than pasting text. That ensures exact syntax and the correct module context[1][6].
- Replace unsupported fields: if the source field is a custom lookup, checkbox, image, or other unsupported type, create a text/formula field that formats the value you need and use that field in the template[8].
- Ensure the template targets the correct module (Candidates vs Applications). If you need application-level fields, create or use a template explicitly for Applications[2].
- Run a test merge and open Writer’s Automation Panel > View Log to inspect errors or warnings from the merge process; capture the log if you need support[6].
- If a field still comes through empty, export or copy the record into a test account, rerun the merge, and confirm whether the issue replicates. This isolates template vs record problems.
When to escalate
Contact Zoho Support if a verified, populated field and a properly inserted merge tag still produce blanks after checking the Writer merge log; include the template (.docx), a sample record URL or ID, the Writer merge log, and steps to reproduce so support can trace the API merge call[6][1].