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 .

Senior Field Scientist

Alembic · San Francisco HQ

About Alembic

Alembic is solving marketing's hardest problem: proving what actually works. If you're looking for hypergrowth opportunity at a B2B platform working with the world's best enterprises like NVIDA and Delta, this is the place.

We're decoding the chaos of modern marketing. Join Alembic to build trusted systems that Fortune 100 companies use to make multimillion dollar decisions. We're backed by leading tech luminaries including WndrCo (founded by DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg), Jensen Huang, Joe Montana, and many more.

About the Role - Senior Field Scientist

We're hiring a Senior Field Scientist to lead research implementations that prove the value of our data, cloud, and AI solutions for marketers. You will design and execute field studies using customer data, apply rigorous analytical methodologies, and present research findings that validate transformational marketing insights. As a senior member of the team, you will also mentor junior field scientists and drive the evolution of our research methodology. This role is based in San Francisco (Onsite).

What You'll Do

Research & Analysis:

  • Design and execute complex field studies that test hypotheses about marketing effectiveness, validating Alembic's transformational value

  • Lead data collection and requirements gathering with senior customer stakeholders, treating each engagement as a scientific research opportunity

  • Apply rigorous analytical methodologies to prepare and process customer data, ensuring scientific validity for enterprise-scale research implementations

  • Develop and test hypotheses about marketing performance, using experimental design principles to structure customer engagements

Research Communication & Collaboration:

  • Present compelling research findings to C-level and senior customer stakeholders, translating complex analytical insights into business impact

  • Collaborate with Enterprise AEs and Product teams to align research methodologies with strategic objectives and ensure scientific rigor supports the sales process

  • Drive scalable research processes and best practices across the field science team

  • Mentor and develop junior field scientists in proper experimental design and analytical methodologies

Product & Process Innovation:

  • Contribute to product roadmap discussions based on customer technical feedback and research outcomes

  • Establish frameworks for replicable field studies that can be systematically applied across customer engagements

What Will Help You Succeed

Core Research & Technical Skills:

  • 5-8+ years in Sales Engineering, Data Science, or similar pre-sales technical roles in B2B SaaS, data, cloud, or AI

  • Proven track record leading successful research implementations that validated complex enterprise solutions and progressed deals to close

  • Strong data analysis skills with scientific rigor, including ability to design experiments and process large-scale enterprise data sets

  • Advanced proficiency in Python and/or other scripting languages for data preparation, quality-testing, and statistical analysis

Domain Expertise:

  • Deep experience with data platforms, cloud infrastructure, or AI solutions

  • Excellent communication and presentation skills for sharing research findings with C-level executives

  • Strong problem-solving mindset and scientific thinking ability

  • Collaborative and proactive approach with team leadership experience

  • Ability to travel occasionally

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience conducting field studies or research implementations for data, cloud, or AI in marketing contexts

  • Background as a senior data analyst, business analyst, or technical consultant with experimental design experience

  • Deep familiarity with enterprise procurement and security review processes

  • Startup or high-growth environment experience with scaling research methodologies

  • Advanced technical certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect or GCP Professional

  • Ability to create and manage scalable research frameworks and reusable analytical assets

  • Experience working with marketing customers and understanding their technical landscape

  • Previous startup or founder experience

  • Expert-level technical training or certifications in AI/ML

  • Experience contributing to product strategy and roadmap decisions based on research outcomes

  • Advanced exposure to value engineering, ROI modeling, and business case development through scientific analysis

The role is right for you if:

You're a seasoned field scientist ready to lead research implementations of cutting-edge AI technology. This role offers the opportunity to prove transformational value to Fortune 500 marketing teams through rigorous scientific methodology while building and leading technical research processes that directly impact the sales cycle.

You want to build something that is both scientifically challenging and solves a real customer need. You want a role with major upside that tackles a massive market opportunity while mentoring the next generation of analytical talent through proper research methodologies.

Why You Might Be Excited About Alembic

  • High-impact research with elite clients: You'll conduct breakthrough research implementations with Fortune 100 companies making multimillion-dollar marketing decisions - field studies that matter and clients that move the industry

  • Product that validates itself: You're not pushing features - you're conducting rigorous analysis that demonstrates 10-100x performance improvements, making prospects say "how is this scientifically possible?"

  • First-mover advantage: You'll be researching and proving something that's never existed before, giving you a massive competitive edge in every analytical conversation

  • Significant upside: Early-stage equity opportunity with proven product-market fit and enterprise traction

Why You Might Not Be Excited

  • You prefer demonstrating established, commoditized products with well-defined playbooks over breakthrough technology that requires consultative scientific research and rigorous analytical validation

  • You want fully built-out research processes rather than helping define and refine our field study methodology through scientific experimentation

  • You prefer static technical demonstrations over dynamic research opportunities that adapt to market feedback and leverage your analytical strengths

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