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 .

Country Manager, Nigeria

Ajua · Lagos, ng

Ajua is a Silicon Valley backed start-up and Africa’s first Integrated Customer Experience (#IntergratedCX) company driving business growth and giving consumers options on the continent.

We are looking for an ambitious, experienced, energetic and highly talented Country Manager to take up the exciting role of pioneering growth and penetration in the Nigeria market. The Country Manager will have a unique and challenging opportunity to grow the Ajua business in a vast market.

Key Responsibilities:

● Developing a growth strategy for the market;

● Driving achievement of local revenue targets;

● Establishing and building strong relationships with partners, clients and prospective talent;

● Managing local contract negotiation processes;

● Identifying areas of business opportunity and growth and leading the grasping and closure of these opportunities;

● Increasing Ajua’s exposure and visibility within the Nigeria’s business community;

● Driving the marketing and sales of Ajua’s products;

● Leading business pitches for new customers and partners

● Defining market opportunity with deep analysis of the market;

● Managing P&L that rolls up to the COO’s offices;

● Leading top-to-top client relationship development initiatives and facilitating access for other mSurvey business leaders to develop relationships with the clients.

● Master’s Degree or MBA;

● Strong sales and business development acumen with a record of outstanding delivery;

● Experience working in financial services, telecommunication, tech industries;

● Grasp of the use of data within business and Customer Experience concepts; ● Relationship with mobile operators is a plus;

● Excellent influencing and relationship building skills;

● Strong networking skills;

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

● Exceptional project management experience and will have to demonstrate;

● Exposure to a multicultural work environment;

● 10 years or more experience in management in an international business setting;

● At least 10+ years experience in a Commercial management position;

● Significant experience in the finance and marketing fields strongly preferred;

● Fluent in the language of the country;

● Experience living overseas for an extended period of time;

● Exceptionally well organized and driven by success;

● Ability to thrive in high-pressure situations;

● Outstanding negotiating skills;

● Analytical thinker with superior problem-solving skills;

● Solid history of data-driven strategic development;

● Decisive and committed;

● A natural leader who inspires and motivates those around them;

Working Conditions:

  • Building impactful products at Ajua that shape businesses and consumers in Africa and the world at large

  • Great and fun work environment; you get an opportunity to work with brilliant minds at Ajua

  • Competitive salary.

  • Growth stage startup grind! Working in a dynamic startup environment

  • Competitive salary and benefits

 Ajua  is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.