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 .

Manager

Alphafmcroles · Frankfurt, Munich

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Alpha) is a leading global consultancy to the financial services industry. Founded in 2003, we have worked for over 20 years to bring together specialist, sector-focused strategy, management consulting and technology expertise to support the entire client transformation lifecycle. Having partnered with more than 1,200 clients worldwide across the asset and wealth management, alternatives and insurance industries, Alpha is truly a trusted advisor for complex change programmes. We now have over 1,180 consultants working with clients across North America, the UK, Europe, Middle East and APAC.

 

In 2024, in recognition of our successful track record and strong growth prospects, Alpha was acquired by Bridgepoint, one of the world's leading quoted private asset growth investors. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are delighted that many of our team have built long and fulfilling careers with us, many staying over a decade. We believe this is because Alpha offers a genuinely rewarding place to work: a meritocratic environment where your career can flourish, and a welcoming culture where you can be yourself, connect with others and thrive. As we look to the future, we’re excited to be looking for new Alpha colleagues - individuals who are collaborative, innovative and ambitious. We hope you will join us and help shape the next chapter of our growth journey.

 

We are currently looking for team members specifically for our German location (work from anywhere in Germany - or in our office in Frankfurt am Main).

 

 

Who we are:

  • Our global team consists of more than 1100 consultants across multiple locations worldwide
  • We support 95% of the top 20 global Asset and Wealth managers
  • Our team is uniquely high calibre and with a focus on the investment management value chain, we build deep knowledge and experience within our industry

 

 

What we offer:

Allowing our people to share our growth journey is a highly valued component of the business and here are a few ways that we do this:

  • Key role in pioneering our German location's establishment and growth
  • Competitive base salary
  • Annual profit share derived from a percentage of AWM Europe's EBITDA, relative to your base salary
  • Comprehensive benefits: Lunch allowances, corporate pension, travel insurance and mobile phone
  • Supportive, social and collaborative environment
  • Comprehensive training and development programmes (CAPM, CFA, CAIA and more)
  • An opportunity to make a significant contribution to Alpha value propositions, and to build and grow your own network within the asset and wealth management industry

 

 

Key Responsibilities:

Based in Germany (with potential travel within Europe), you will carry out consulting engagements or manage projects for prestigious clients, leaders in asset management (Asset Managers, Private Banks, Investor Services Providers) in areas including:

  • Investments and Portfolio Management
  • Operations & Outsourcing
  • Client & Digital Transformation
  • Regulatory, Compliance & Risk
  • Data and Artificial Intelligence
  • ESG & Responsible Investment
  • Operational Benchmarking
  • M&A Pre-Deal & Integration

 

We offer you the opportunity to embark on an exciting career:

  • Planning and implementation of national and international consulting projects around asset and wealth management
  • Developing strategies and driving high-quality work products within expected timeframes and on budget
  • Monitoring progress, managing risks and ensuring key stakeholders are kept informed about progress of the project and expected outcomes to ensure client efficiency
  • Developing and maintaining long-term client relationships and networks
  • Developing know-how recognised by the major players in the financial industry and participation in the growth of the leader in asset management consulting
  • Active participation in the setup and development of the German location
  • Proactive involvement / support or management of one or more internal business areas
  • Keeping up with current business and industry trends relevant to the client's business
  • Participating in the development of the firm's practices and commercial development

 

 

Role Requirements (Skills, Experience and Qualifications):

  • 5+ years of consulting experience, ideally gained at top financial institutions or consultancy firms
  • An understanding of market trends, drivers and outlook of the asset and wealth management market
  • First-class communication, presentation and problem-solving skills with an excellent command of Microsoft Office
  • Proven track record in client relationship development. This should include examples of client account support/ management and preferably geared towards supporting business development/ sales initiatives
  • Stakeholder management and influencing skills with clients, colleagues, and junior team members
  • A strong ability to work in a team, professional motivation and initiative to be able to take on a lot of responsibility right from the start
  • Strong academic background
  • Fluency in English and German is required, other languages are a plus
  • Willingness to travel within Germany as well as internationally
  • Bonus: Continuing education in the form of relevant certifications (e.g. PMP, CAPM, CAIA, CFA, Prince2, Lean Six Sigma)

 

 

Our Commitment to Inclusion

At Alpha, diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to our success. Our priorities show a focus on fostering an inclusive, equitable workplace where individuals are treated fairly regardless of gender or background. We welcome applications from disabled people and are committed to making our recruitment process and workplace accessible and inclusive for everyone.

 

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Please be aware that we may hold information for up to 3 years from the close of the recruitment process to allow us to review your suitability for current and future job opportunities with Alpha, your data may also be shared with relevant third party providers as and when required as part of the assessment process. Full details around what data we hold, why we hold it and for how long are available in our recruitment privacy statement (https://alphafmc.com/privacy-policy/). If you have any questions, or would like us to delete your data, please contact us by email at [email protected].