Compress an image for a job application

Recruitment systems enforce their own ceilings

Large applicant tracking systems typically cap attachments somewhere between 2MB and 5MB, and some older ones are stricter. The problem is that the limit is often not stated on the form — you discover it when the progress bar stalls and an error appears.

The files that blow past the limit are almost never the CV itself. They are scanned certificates, degree transcripts, portfolio spreads and photographs of documents.

Do not crush a scanned certificate into illegibility

A certificate is judged by whether a human can read the text, not by whether it fits. Compressing a 300dpi scan down to 50KB can make small print and official seals unreadable, which defeats the purpose of attaching it.

A better balance: keep the longest edge around 1500 to 2000 pixels and target 200KB to 500KB. That keeps text crisp on screen and in print, while landing comfortably under most limits.

Batch the whole application in one pass

Most applications want several documents at once. Drop them all in, set a single target, and every file is held to it — no repeated rounds of guess-export-check.

Why not a generic compressor

Generic tools give you a quality slider and let you guess. You export, check the size, adjust, export again. This tool inverts it: you state the ceiling and it searches for the highest quality that fits underneath, reducing dimensions only when quality alone is not enough.