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 Role

Cherre · New York, New York

Cherre is the real estate industry's leading data management platform, powering more than $3 trillion AUM globally. Our end-to-end platform helps clients connect, transform, analyze, and act on trusted data to increase efficiencies, reduce risks, gain visibility into market trends, and make strategic moves in response to changing market conditions.

About This Posting

Cherre welcomes expressions of interest from motivated professionals across all disciplines. If you believe you would be a strong addition to our team, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Look For

We value people who bring a combination of strong character, professional capability, and a genuine desire to contribute. Across all roles and departments, we look for integrity, accountability, collaboration, and adaptability in fast-paced and evolving environments. We see value in a resourceful problem-solving mindset, and a genuine drive for continuous learning and growth.

What You Can Expect From Us

You can expect a supportive and inclusive workplace where your contributions are recognized, along with opportunities for professional development and career growth. We offer a collaborative team culture built on trust and mutual respect, competitive compensation and benefits, and meaningful work that makes a real impact.

How to Express Interest

If you are excited about the possibility of joining our team, we encourage you to submit your resume and a brief note about yourself — including the type of work you do, what you're looking for, and why you're interested in our organization. We review all submissions and will reach out if a suitable opportunity arises.

About This Posting

Cherre welcomes expressions of interest from motivated professionals across all disciplines. If you believe you would be a strong addition to our team, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Look For

We value people who bring a combination of strong character, professional capability, and a genuine desire to contribute. Across all roles and departments, we look for integrity, accountability, collaboration, and adaptability in fast-paced and evolving environments. We see value in a resourceful problem-solving mindset, and a genuine drive for continuous learning and growth.

What You Can Expect From Us

You can expect a supportive and inclusive workplace where your contributions are recognized, along with opportunities for professional development and career growth. We offer a collaborative team culture built on trust and mutual respect, competitive compensation and benefits, and meaningful work that makes a real impact.

How to Express Interest

If you are excited about the possibility of joining our team, we encourage you to submit your resume and a brief note about yourself — including the type of work you do, what you're looking for, and why you're interested in our organization. We review all submissions and will reach out if a suitable opportunity arises.

If this opportunity sounds interesting, apply or reach out to our internal talent team. We are happy to tell you more about Cherre: the technology we work with, the problems we solve, the team we are assembling, and the culture we all contribute to. We are excited you are considering working with us and look forward to hearing from you!

“At the top of the mountain we are all snow leopards.” - Hunter S. Thompson

Cherre is an equal opportunity employer. We pride ourselves on hiring the best people for the job no matter their race, sex, orientation, nationality, religion, disability, or age.
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