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 .

Chile Based, Software Engineer

Blissway · Denver, Colorado


Work at Blissway: Opportunity for Impact Every Day 🚀✨

Blissway is a startup that simplifies toll collection and dramatically improves highway safety. We are multiple startups in one: Deep Tech, AI/ML, Hardware, SaaS, and IoT. For the past five years, we have built a nearly insurmountable technological lead in tolling—an under-the-radar industry that is bigger than American football. While our competitors have thousands of employees, we operate with a lean but growing team of less than 30. We’ve stayed under the radar, but our impact is visible on the massive Interstate Highway System connecting every major US metro (except Juneau, AK—sorry, Juneau).

You are a good fit if...

  • You love the grind: You take ownership and put in the time to meet deadlines. We are excited when we have a late night install because it means we have a new project launching.

  • You are detail obsessed: You have experience writing code that stands up to the unpredictability of the physical world, where the small details are the difference between success and failure.

  • You are "Fluid": We are a lean team and we flex across functional areas as needed. You will be challenged to learn quickly and figure out what you need to do to be productive.

  • You code really well: We mostly use Python and TypeScript, but we don’t care what you’re most proficient in today—as long as you learn fast.

The Role: Software Engineer

The Mission: Forget the "shadowing" and the "simulated projects." At Blissway, you will be given real ownership from Week 1. You are a high-level individual contributor who can navigate any part of the Blissway stack.

  • Ship Production Code: Contribute to the "Secret Sauce" that identifies millions of cars daily.

  • Drive 1-to-100 Scaling: Take proven prototypes and turn them into robust, high-volume systems.

  • Edge-to-Cloud Logic: Write software that lives on roadside hardware and the servers that process its data.

  • Rapid Prototyping: Work alongside brilliant engineers to integrate ML models that improve highway safety in real-time.

  • Total Fluidity: Thrive in an environment where you might move from ML models to hardware glitch detection in the same week.

Requirements:

  • Education: Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

  • Portfolio: A track record of building things—be it side projects, or open-source contributions.

  • Mindset: You are excited to work at a startup and be part of a core engineering team. You don't wait for a manual or a step-by-step guide; you figure out what you need to get stuff done and you do it with a professional, "owner" mentality. You understand that in a small team, feedback is the fastest way to level up and you welcome it.

  • Heart of the Rocky Mountains: Denver, Colorado is a high-altitude, sun-drenched city sitting at the foot of a massive, world-class mountain range. It’s the outdoor lifestyle but dropped into the center of the US tech industry. You get world-class trekking and skiing, but with the professional backing of a prosperous startup and a US engineering salary. While we have a hybrid work model, some roles are simply most effective when in the office or shop (with all the fun tools).

Our Technical Ecosystem: While we value problem-solving over specific syntax, skills that transfer well are:

  • Languages: Typescript, Python, C++,

  • Frameworks and Tools: Node.js, Express, NestJS, Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS.

  • Infrastructure: AWS, Docker, Linux, IoT Edge Devices.

  • Specialties: Computer Vision (OpenCV), ML Integration, Payment Processing.

The Essentials (Health & Wealth)

  • Relocation Support: We are excited for you to join the team at our engineering office in Denver. We value in-person collaboration and daily team lunches and we provide a relocation bonus to help you get here.

  • Personalized Health Coverage (ICHRA): We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all healthcare. We provide a monthly allowance for you and dependents so you can choose the individual plan that actually fits your life.

  • Investing in Your Future: 401(k) matching up to 4%.

  • Peace of Mind: Transparent compensation. Company-sponsored life & disability insurance.

  • Early Stage Equity: Competitive equity package with 24-month exercise window. Every year, we facilitate a tender process that gives you the opportunity to sell your vested shares at the same valuation as our investors.

Rest & Recharge 🌴

  • High-Trust Time Off: 4 weeks of untracked PTO. We don't micromanage your calendar; we focus on your impact. Take the time you need to stay sharp and inspired.

  • Family First: 12 weeks of paid parental leave for birth and adoptive parents. We want you present for the moments that matter most.

  • The Deep Breath (Sabbatical): Every 5 years, take 12 weeks of fully paid leave. Go travel, write a book, or master a new hobby—then come back and tell us all about it.

Fuel & Community 😀

  • The Blissway Kitchen: Whether it’s breakfast to start your day or our daily group lunches, we keep the team fueled.

  • Snacks Autonomy: Our kitchen is fully stocked and we mean it—if we’re missing your favorite fuel, just add it to the request list.

  • The "BlissTrip": An annual 3–4 day getaway for the team and significant others.

  • Monthly Beats: Game nights, escape rooms, and dinners to celebrate the grit we put in.

  • Continuous Learning: Tuition reimbursement for courses, programs, and conferences that sharpen your craft.