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 .

Principal Software Engineer

Akoya · Boston, Raleigh, NYC

Meet the future

Akoya is an API-based network backed by major financial institutions that creates a safer and more transparent way for people to safely send their personal financial data to third-party financial apps. If you are inspired and fascinated by innovative technology that solves complex, real-world problems, then join us as we transform how financial data is accessed and shared. Akoya offers a highly collaborative, fast-paced, and fun working environment and our team is comprised of diverse, creative, and driven professionals with expertise in the banking, securities, fintech, and data aggregation industries. We are an equal opportunity employer. Come join us and be part of this exciting journey – check out www.akoya.com for more information!

The Role

Akoya is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (Frontend) to lead the next generation of our user experiences and frontend architecture. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who brings a high bar for design quality, a deep mastery of modern JavaScript and React, and the ability to drive technical strategy across complex products. You combine impeccable attention to detail with strong communication skills and a passion for building elegant, scalable, and intuitive user interfaces that directly empower our customers.

As a Principal Engineer, you will:

  • Lead the design and implementation of Akoya’s core frontend architecture, setting standards for code quality, performance, accessibility, and maintainability.
  • Drive the evolution and modernization of existing frontend systems, ensuring legacy components remain reliable while guiding their transition toward more scalable, performant, and maintainable patterns.
  • Write clean, well-structured, and well-documented code in React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and modern frontend tooling.
  • Partner closely with product managers, designers, and backend teams to define requirements, shape features, and deliver polished, high-quality user experiences.
  • Debug and resolve complex production issues across the frontend stack, delivering reliable and resilient interfaces.
  • Elevate the engineering organization via mentorship, architectural guidance, and code review, enabling teams to deliver at a high level.
  • Champion frontend best practices—including performance optimization, component system design, and UX consistency—across the organization.
Qualifications

Not all applicants will have skills that match a job description exactly. Akoya values diverse experiences in other industries, and we encourage everyone who meets the required qualifications to apply. While having “desired” qualifications make for a strong candidate, we encourage applicants with alternative experiences to also apply. If your career is just starting or has not followed a traditional path, do not let that stop you from considering Akoya. We are always looking for people who will bring something new to the table!

Required Experience/skills
  • 10+ years of professional frontend engineering experience, building and maintaining production web applications at scale.
  • Expert-level proficiency in React and modern JavaScript/TypeScript, including state management patterns, hooks, component architecture, and performance tuning.
  • Demonstrated experience designing large-scale, modular frontend systems (design systems, component libraries, multi-app architectures, microfrontends, etc.).
  • Strong understanding of HTML5, CSS3, responsive design, accessibility standards (WCAG), and web performance best practices.
  • Proven ability to lead technical projects autonomously, drive architectural decisions, and communicate complex concepts clearly.
  • A strong sense of customer empathy and a track record of delivering intuitive, high-quality user experiences.
  • Experience collaborating deeply with product, design, and backend teams to define and deliver cross-functional initiatives.
Preferred Experience/skills
  • Experience with frontend build and performance tooling (Webpack, Vite, Babel).
  • Background working with design systems or UI component libraries (e.g., Material UI), and partnering with design teams on UX strategy.
  • Experience with testing frameworks (Jest, Testing Library, Cypress, Playwright).
  • Familiarity with cloud-based environments, CI/CD pipelines, and production observability tools.
  • Understanding of backend API design and integration patterns (REST, GraphQL).
  • Experience operating within AWS or similar cloud environments.
  • Experience with state management in React, such as React Context, custom hooks, or Redux/Redux Toolkit.

Akoya is an equal-opportunity employer.

This remote position is only available to individuals living in the greater Boston, MA, New York City, NY and Raleigh, NC areas. Candidates who do not live within these areas will not be considered for this role.

 

The actual base pay offered may take into account the candidate's work location, relevant education, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors.
Hiring Range:
$140,000$180,000 USD