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, Vulnerability Assessment

Coalfire · United States

About Coalfire
 
Coalfire is on a mission to make the world a safer place by solving our clients’ hardest cybersecurity challenges. We work at the cutting edge of technology to advise, assess, automate, and ultimately help companies navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. We are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices across the U.S. and U.K., and we support clients around the world.
 
But that’s not who we are – that’s just what we do.
 
We are thought leaders, consultants, and cybersecurity experts, but above all else, we are a team of passionate problem-solvers who are hungry to learn, grow, and make a difference.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Vulnerability Assessment Associate is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and reporting security vulnerabilities across systems, networks, and applications. This role supports the organization’s cybersecurity posture by conducting regular assessments, prioritizing risks, and collaborating with technical teams to remediate identified issues or determine mitigating controls to reduce security risk severities.
POSITION SUMMARY: The Vulnerability Assessment Associate is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and reporting security vulnerabilities across systems, networks, and applications. This role supports the organization’s cybersecurity posture by conducting regular assessments, prioritizing risks, and collaborating with technical teams to remediate identified issues or determine mitigating controls to reduce security risk severities.
Why You’ll Want to Join Us
 
At Coalfire, you’ll find the support you need to thrive personally and professionally. In many cases, we provide a flexible work model that empowers you to choose when and where you’ll work most effectively – whether you’re at home or an office.
 
Regardless of location, you’ll experience a company that prioritizes connection and wellbeing and be part of a team where people care about each other and our communities. You’ll have opportunities to join employee resource groups, participate in in-person and virtual events, and more. And you’ll enjoy competitive perks and benefits to support you and your family, like paid parental leave, flexible time off, certification and training reimbursement, digital mental health and wellbeing support membership, and comprehensive insurance options.
 
At Coalfire, equal opportunity and pay equity is integral to the way we do business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Coalfire is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact our Human Resources team at [email protected].

What You'll Do

  • Operate, review, or assess implementations of vulnerability scanning tools (Tenable, Qualys, Nexpose, Prisma Cloud, Burp, etc.).
  • Provide recommendations on remediating host-based and web application vulnerabilities.
  • Conduct manual validation to confirm vulnerability closure. 
  • Analyze raw scan data to provide reports detailing credential success, inventory validation, and open vulnerabilities.
  • Perform analysis to validate justifications provided by clients for vendor dependencies, false positives, operational requirements, and risk adjustments.
  • Collaborate with other Coalfire personnel to drive customer satisfaction and ensure timely delivery of vulnerability scan findings, analysis results, and validated justifications. 

    • What You'll Bring

  • Less than 2 years of vulnerability assessment experience.
  • Past experience with a leading vulnerability scan tool (Tenable, Qualys, Nexpose, Prisma Cloud, Burp, etc.).
  • Bachelor’s degree in related Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Understanding of policies, procedures, development, and implementation of vulnerability identification, scanning, analysis, remediation tactics, and reporting within an organization. 
  • In depth knowledge and experience of industry best practices for vulnerability management. 
    • REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS:
  • Certification in Security+, CCSK, AWS Cloud Practitioner or something comparable
  • Expertise in Security Frameworks (ISO, NIST, COBIT, HIPAA/HITECH, etc.) and regulatory requirements.

    • Bonus Points

  • Familiarity with 3 or more frameworks such as FedRAMP, FISMA, SOC, ISO, HIPAA, HITRUST, etc.
  • Experience creating system inventories, boundary diagrams, and/or plans of actions and milestones (POA&M). 
  • Familiarity with Cloud services such as AWS, GCP, & Azure. 
  • Familiarity with configuration baseline standards such as CIS & STIG.
  • Experience with scripting such as Python, Bash, PowerShell.
    • View full listing