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 .

Associate Controller

Cape · New York, NY

The Company

Cape was founded in early 2022 by Palantir and Anduril alums with deep expertise in privacy and national security. While running Palantir’s US national security business, our CEO became passionate about privacy and security on mobile devices. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless.

At Cape, we are not just another cellular service provider; we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that starts with the devices in your pocket. We are building a cellular network that helps citizens, including those responsible for our nation’s security, regain control of their own data.

We believe that where we are, where we go, and whom we are with are among our most personal information and should be kept private. Privacy is not something you achieve by limiting yourself or by doing less, it is a set of features to be built so you can do more. We have raised money from Andreessen Horowitz and other top-tier VCs, and are excited to grow the team.

The Team

We are relentless builders, constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible and bringing to life ideas that have never before existed. Innovation is at the core of everything we do. At Cape, we trust our team to deliver greatness and empower them to make a profound impact. As a member of our team, you will collaborate seamlessly with our diverse group of talented engineers and other team members, enjoying dynamic interactions with colleagues from across the organization.

The Role

We are looking for an Associate Controller who can flex up and down operationally. You will be a true partner and make an immediate impact through your accounting expertise, meticulous organization, ability to design and automate processes. The ideal candidate has strong accounting/finance chops, but wants to be a generalist interested in working across all aspects of the financial operations of a startup. This role reports to our Head of Finance.

Here are some ways you’ll make an impact

  • Maintain audit ready books: Ensure accuracy of financials, at first in partnership with our 3rd party accounting firm and later in house

  • AR / AP: Own the weekly bill pay / collection processes

  • Reporting:

    • Oversee the preparation and review of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements

    • Perform flux analyses over financial results to ensure completeness and accuracy of financial statements

    • Partner with Head of Finance to implement systems / automations to speed up month end close process

    • Keep procurement documentation up to date across our supply chain

  • Compliance: Assist in ensuring we remain in good standing with all 50 states, PUCs, and the FCC

  • Tax: Oversee Avalara in calculating and remitting state sales taxes monthly

Bring accounting in house: Help transition the above from our outsourced accounting function to in house staff (not yet hired)

Are you the candidate we are looking for? (Requirements for the role) You have:

  • CPA certification and understanding of ASC 606 revenue recognition standards

  • 7+ years of progressive accounting experience. At least 2 years of big 4 experience and 2 years corporate experience. Operational accounting within a fast-paced, high-growth start up is a plus

  • Comfortable creating and editing journal entries yourself in QBO, as well as implementing departmental accounting practices across our systems

  • Demonstrated ability to excel in dynamic environments, adeptly managing multiple tasks, priorities, and deadlines. A self-starter with a history of identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance accuracy and timeliness of close

  • Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with Finance Data, Telco team, Product teams, and external vendors

  • Meticulous organization skills, with a proven track record managing large projects end to end and owning recurring processes

  • Experience with NetSuite is a plus

Our Culture 

  • We are builders, and we choose to spend our time building things that matter. Many of our people have backgrounds in Defense Tech as well as the defense and intelligence community. We build to win.

  • We hire excellent people, give them outsized responsibility, and trust them to execute at a high level. Everyone here has a track record of solving hard problems throughout their careers.

  • We believe that personal privacy and national security interests are not inherently at odds, and can be reconciled via strong technology.

  • We believe that companies exist to build awesome things and take care of their people. Our benefits reflect that– top-tier health care, 401(k) matching, and a generous vacation policy (that we actually use).

  • We hire candidates of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, Veteran status, and any other status. Achieving diversity across these categories will serve to make our company stronger and our product better.

How to apply

Click the link below to apply.

We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.