Key Takeaways

  • 75% of U.S. employers use automated applicant tracking systems to screen resumes before a human reviews them (Harvard Business School & Accenture, 2021)
  • The most common ATS failures are missing keywords, incompatible formatting, and incorrect file types
  • ResumeGeni scores your resume across 8 parsing layers — modeled on the same steps enterprise ATS platforms like Workday, Greenhouse, and Taleo use to evaluate candidates

How ATS Resume Scoring Works

Applicant tracking systems parse your resume into structured data — extracting your name, contact info, work history, skills, and education — then score how well that data matches the job requirements. Many ATS rejections happen because the parser couldn't extract critical fields, not because the candidate wasn't qualified.

LayerWhat It ChecksWhy It Matters
Document extractionFile format, encoding, readabilityCorrupted or image-only PDFs fail immediately
Layout analysisTables, columns, headers, footersMulti-column layouts break field extraction
Section detectionExperience, education, skills headingsNon-standard headings cause sections to be missed
Field mappingName, email, phone, dates, titlesMissing contact info is a common cause of immediate rejection
Keyword matchingJob-specific terms, skills, certificationsKeyword overlap affects recruiter search visibility and ATS scoring
Chronology checkDate ordering, gap detectionReverse-chronological order is expected by most ATS
QuantificationMetrics, numbers, measurable outcomesQuantified achievements help human reviewers and some scoring models
Confidence scoringOverall parse quality and completenessLow-confidence parses get deprioritized in results

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ResumeGeni free?
Yes. ResumeGeni is currently in beta — ATS analysis, scoring, and initial improvement suggestions are free with no signup required. Full guidance and saved reports may require a free account.
What file formats are supported?
PDF, DOCX, DOC, TXT, RTF, ODT, and Apple Pages. PDF and DOCX are recommended for best ATS compatibility.
How is the ATS score calculated?
Your resume is processed through an 8-layer parsing pipeline that extracts structured data the same way enterprise ATS platforms do. The score reflects how completely and accurately your resume can be parsed, plus how well your content matches common ATS ranking criteria.
Can ATS read PDF resumes?
Yes, but not all PDFs are equal. Text-based PDFs parse well. Image-only PDFs (scanned documents) and PDFs with complex tables or multi-column layouts often fail ATS parsing. Our analyzer will flag these issues.
How do I improve my ATS score?
Focus on three areas: use a clean single-column format, include keywords from the job description naturally in your experience bullets, and ensure all sections (contact, experience, education, skills) use standard headings.

ATS Guides & Resources

Built by engineers with 12 years of experience building enterprise hiring technology at ZipRecruiter. Last updated .

privacy statement

AES Brasil · United States

Privacy

Privacy notice for job applicants

AES collects and processes your personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In case you are based in the EU or applying for a job position in the EU, see the Privacy Notice below for further details, or click here to access the Bulgarian version.

 

This Privacy Notice for Job Applicants (“Notice”) describes how The AES Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“AES”, “we” or “us”) use and process Personal Data in connection with the recruiting process at AES.  This Notice applies to anyone who is applying to work for us, whether as an employee, contractor, consultant, or director (together referred to as ‘Job Applicant’ or ‘you’). It is important that you read this Notice carefully, together with any other similar or additional information that we might give you from time to time about how we collect and use your Personal Data. 

What is Personal Data?

Personal Data means any information relating to a living individual who can be identified (directly or indirectly) in particular by reference to an identifier (e.g. name, national identification number, employee number, email address, physical features).

What type of Personal Data do we process about you?

This Privacy Notice covers any Personal Data we may collect in connection with the recruiting process at AES. This may include:

 

  • Information contained in your application form and/or CV, including — but not limited to — your name, title, contact details (telephone number, physical address, email address and user name), photograph, employment history, previous work experience, education, language and other skills;
  • Date of birth, social security number, social insurance number, national ID number;
  • Professional and other work-related licenses, permits and certifications;
  • Awards and professional memberships;
  • Pre-employment check information, including references and verification of qualifications; and Selection information, including correspondence, interview notes, internal notes, the results of any written or online selection tests;
  • Right to work checks and related documents
Why do we process your Personal Data?

We hold and use your Personal Data so that we can:

  • Process your job application;
  • Evaluate your job qualifications; training and experience;
  • Verify information provided by you;
  • Communicate with you regarding your inquiries, requests, applications, and/or send important notices;
  • Check and demonstrate that you have the legal right to work in the country where the role is based, where applicable;
  • Conduct criminal history, background, and employment checks, where applicable;
  • Make informed recruitment decisions;
  • Keep appropriate records of our recruitment process and decisions; and
  • Comply with applicable law and contractual obligations.
What are our legal grounds for using your Personal Data?

We rely on one or more of the following legal grounds when we process your Personal Data:

  • We need it to take steps at your request in order to enter into a contract with you, because by applying for a job with us you are effectively asking us to enter into a contract with you.
  • We need it to comply with a legal obligation, e.g. the obligation not to discriminate during our recruitment process, or the obligation not to employ someone who does not have the legal right to work in the country where the position is based.
  • It is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. For example, it is in our legitimate interests to review and consider your Personal Data so that we can select the most appropriate candidate for the position.
What type of special category of Personal Data do we process about you?

During the recruiting process, AES may process limited types of special category of Personal Data, including medical and health conditions, racial or ethnic origin, disability, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership and/or criminal convictions (together referred to as Sensitive Personal Data). Express consent may be required for the collection and use of certain Sensitive Personal Data. AES will obtain this consent as required by applicable law. Exceptions to express consent requirements may apply where the processing of Sensitive Personal Data is necessary for AES to carry out its employment law obligations and/or for other permitted reasons such as:

  • Adjusting the recruitment process as a result of an underlying medical condition or disability;
  • Assessing whether a Job Applicant is fit to do the job;
  • Complying with health and safety requirements; and
  • Monitoring of equal opportunities in the public interest.
How do we collect your Personal Data?

In addition to collecting your Personal Data directly from you (including your written application, by completing any assessments and during any interviews), AES may collect it from other third parties (i.e., recruiters, former employers, and government agencies) or through your interaction with the Workday environment and other sources. Some of the Personal Data we hold and use about you is generated from internal sources during the recruitment process, such as opinions about your suitability for the position of persons interviewing you.

Who do we share your Personal Data with?

Your Personal Data will be reviewed by AES human resources personnel, recruiters and hiring managers. AES will share your Personal Data with other AES employees or agents who have a business need to access such Personal Data and may include technical services personnel, managers or their designees. AES will share your Personal Data, where appropriate and relevant, with other companies within the AES group. This is done to enable them to input into the recruitment process and approve final recruitment decisions, when required by our internal policies. We consider this to be necessary for entry into a contract, and it is in our legitimate interest to obtain internal approval of our recruitment decisions and comply with the procedures applicable within our corporate group. AES may provide your Personal Data to other third parties. When doing so, AES will take steps to help ensure appropriate protections are in place before we share or disclose Personal Data with any third-party service provider. AES may provide your Personal Data to third parties:

  • To provide services to support the recruitment process at AES as well as to facilitate post-offer processes and certain steps involved in initiating the employment relationship. These third parties are authorized to use your Personal Data about only as necessary to provide these services.
  • As required by applicable law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process.
  • To protect our rights or property, protect your health and safety, or the health and safety of others.</