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 .

HR Officer

Avnet · Shanghai, Shanghai, China


Job Summary:

Delivers proactive support of HR Service Center (HRSC) and may provide services spanning payroll, benefits, staffing/onboarding, recognition, payroll, employee relations, and other transactions. Ensures efficiency of service center operations, technology and transaction processes. Coordinates services with the human resource information systems, human resource program managers and technology specialists. Applies working knowledge and understanding of HR principles to assist team members, managers and customers.


Principal Responsibilities:

  • Supports one or more human resource functional areas in the HR Service Center (HRSC).
  • Provides first level response support to managers, team members, employees and other customers.
  • Receives inquiries and responds to requests following appropriate policies and practices; provides basic interpretation of policies.
  • Participates on and provides coordinative support to project teams and collaborates with other team members to achieve deliverables.
  • May prepare correspondence and reports.
  • Inputs or maintains data relevant to processing employee data changes.
  • Maintains documentation or records within appropriate systems.
  • Determines best method(s) to resolve issues ensuring customer satisfaction and adherence to company policies and practices as well as legal regulations.
  • Works cross-functionally with in the HRSC (as required) to coordinate customer resolution.
  • Other duties as assigned.


Job Level Specifications:

  • Extensive knowledge of the organization, job, practices and procedures, enabling a high level of contribution.
  • Completes complex assignments requiring significant judgment, initiative and problem solving skills.
  • Work is performed under minimal guidance and assigned in the form of desired expectations. Independent judgment is used to determine best approach and creativity is expected to achieve maximum results and handle new situations.
  • Collaboration with internal or external contacts. May participate on teams for special assignments. Responds to requests from senior management, internal and/or external contacts.
  • Actions may have significant impact to department as well as others. Errors may be difficult to detect and remedy and potentially result in loss of customer business, materials, money and/or time.


Work Experience:

  • Typically requires a minimum of five years of related experience.


Education and Certification(s):

  • High School Diploma or equivalent


Distinguishing Characteristics:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills.

View full listing