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 .

General Application

Appliedvr · Remote

About AppliedVR

AppliedVR is unleashing the power of Immersive Therapeutics (ITx), a new category of medical devices that harness the unique properties of virtual reality (VR) to treat some of the most debilitating chronic conditions. AppliedVR creates non-pharmacologic, non-invasive VR medical devices for in-home therapeutic use. AppliedVR’s flagship product, RelieVRx®, is the first FDA-authorized VR device for chronic lower back pain, earning unique CMS recognition and commercial payer coverage. We believe in the power of people. We honor our differences and elevate each other’s voices. As a fully remote/work-from-home company, we may not be under the same roof, but we‘re connected every step of the way via our: 1) core values—we are empathetic, evidence-based, and entrepreneurial; 2) shared mission—solving pain through immersive therapeutics; and 3) our vision—a virtual-reality pharmacy in every home.

Learn more about AppliedVR, headquartered in Los Angeles, at appliedvr.io.

 

 

If you don't currently see a role that aligns with your skillset and career goals, please feel free to still send us your resume and a cover letter sharing more! 

If / when we have an opportunity that may be more appropriate, we will be sure to reach out. 

 

 

 

Our Thoughts on Inclusion and Belonging

AVR believes that inclusion and belonging among our teammates is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.  

To comply with the American with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, reasonable accommodations are made for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability unless such accommodations create an undue hardship on our company.

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