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 .

Software Developer

Anavation · Huntsville, AL

Be Challenged and Make a Difference 

In a world of technology, people make the difference. We believe if we invest in great people, then great things will happen. At AnaVation, we provide unmatched value to our customers and employees through innovative solutions and an engaging culture. 

Description of Task to be Performed:

AnaVation seeking a highly skilled Software Developer to join a team developing a secure, Qualified candidates will work independently on a technical team and will be coding in C# and must demonstrate strong Typescript front-end framework experience, preferably in Angular but also accepted are Vue or React. This role is 100% on-site in Huntsville, AL supporting a mission customer. You work within an Agile/Scrum environment alongside other contractors and and collaborate daily with geographically dispersed teammates. 

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

  • Design, develop, test, secure, and deploy enterprise applications.
  • Serve as the last line of defense for troubleshooting; perform deep diagnostics and root-cause analysis for production and integration issues.
  • Lead solution architecture discussions (including microservices), code reviews, and technical decision-making.
  • Implement and refine CI/CD pipelines and branching strategies; enforce coding standards and quality gates.
  • Optimize performance at app, service, and database layers; design resilient integrations and rigorous error-handling.
  • Mentor team members; model Agile/Scrum best practices and iterative delivery.
  • Collaborate effectively with a distributed team and cross-functional partners.
  • Produce clear technical documentation and contribute to security/compliance artifacts.

This position requires a Top-Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and the ability to obtain a CI Poly.

This position is on-site in Huntsville, AL with no remote option.

Description of Task to be Performed:

AnaVation seeking a highly skilled Software Developer to join a team developing a secure, Qualified candidates will work independently on a technical team and will be coding in C# and must demonstrate strong Typescript front-end framework experience, preferably in Angular but also accepted are Vue or React. This role is 100% on-site in Huntsville, AL supporting a mission customer. You work within an Agile/Scrum environment alongside other contractors and and collaborate daily with geographically dispersed teammates. 

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

  • Design, develop, test, secure, and deploy enterprise applications.
  • Serve as the last line of defense for troubleshooting; perform deep diagnostics and root-cause analysis for production and integration issues.
  • Lead solution architecture discussions (including microservices), code reviews, and technical decision-making.
  • Implement and refine CI/CD pipelines and branching strategies; enforce coding standards and quality gates.
  • Optimize performance at app, service, and database layers; design resilient integrations and rigorous error-handling.
  • Mentor team members; model Agile/Scrum best practices and iterative delivery.
  • Collaborate effectively with a distributed team and cross-functional partners.
  • Produce clear technical documentation and contribute to security/compliance artifacts.

This position requires a Top-Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and the ability to obtain a CI Poly.

This position is on-site in Huntsville, AL with no remote option.

Benefits 
·        Generous cost sharing for medical insurance for the employee and dependents 
·        100% company paid dental insurance for employees and dependents 
·        100% company paid long-term and short term disability insurance 
·        100% company paid vision insurance for employees and dependents 
·        401k plan with generous match and 100% immediate vesting 
·        Competitive Pay 
·        Generous paid leave and holiday package 
·        Tuition and training reimbursement 
·        Life and AD&D Insurance

About AnaVation 
AnaVation is the leader in solving the most complex technical challenges for collection and processing in the U.S. Federal Intelligence Community. We are a US owned company headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. We deliver groundbreaking research with advanced software and systems engineering that provides an information advantage to contribute to the mission and operational success of our customers. We offer complex challenges, a top-notch work environment, and a world-class, collaborative team.  

If you want to grow your career and make a difference while doing it, AnaVation is the perfect fit for you! 

AnaVation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Software Development, Computer Science, or related field and 5+ years of software development experience; or in lieu of degree: 10+ years of software development experience at or above the senior level described.
  • Experience leading all phases of software development, including system design, analysis, architecture, engineering, programming, coding, implementation, documentation, and testing.
  • Experience working on Agile teams and applying Agile methodologies, including developing project work estimates and supporting iterative delivery.
  • Experience implementing technical solutions and identifying operational, technical, or management issue affecting system performance and delivery.
  • Experience with systems design, policy development, database development and management, and user interface development.
  • Experience utilizing Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software to the maximum extent practicable when designing software applications, avoiding unnecessary proprietary system development.
  • Knowledge of the current Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) and its application to secure system development and compliance.
  • Experience with the following technical stack:
  • Languages/Frameworks: C#, Typescript front-end framework such as Angular, VUE or React
  • Data: Microsoft SQL Server (schema design, queries, indexing, performance tuning)
  • Architectures: Microservices Architecture
  • Tools/DevOps: Jira, Git, Git-based CI/CD (build/release pipelines, automated testing)
  • Scripting/Automation: PowerShell (build, deployment, admin automation)
  • Proven expertise diagnosing complex production issues end-to-end (client, API, data, infra).
  • Demonstrated leadership traits: initiative, ownership, calm under pressure, and high-level critical thinking.
  • Strong communication skills for cross-site coordination and stakeholder updates.
  • Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with Azure
  • Performance profiling and memory/CPU diagnostics for .NET and SQL Server.
  • Experience with message brokers/queues, RESTful API design, and contract testing.
  • Experience with engineering the teams versioning control, setting up CI/CD, creating build servers, debugging and troubleshooting in production (IOW, without development tools).
  • Experience with using Jira, Visual Studio Enterprise or Visual Studio Code, browser DevTools, IIS, Active Directory, latest version of Windows Workstations and Windows Servers
  • Cloud certification