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 .

Senior Human Resources Generalist

Cocodelivery · LA

Job Title: Senior HR Generalist

Location: Venice, California


Coco is a fast-growing robotics company transforming last-mile delivery. We’re seeking a Senior HR Generalist to join our team in Venice, CA. This is a fully on-site role for a hands-on HR professional who thrives in fast-paced environments, excels at multitasking, and is eager to help build and scale the HR function from the ground up.

This role is ideal for someone who brings both startup adaptability and corporate discipline, and who is comfortable owning HR execution while creating the policies, processes, and infrastructure needed to support a growing organization.

Responsibilities

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle

  • Own the employee lifecycle end-to-end, including onboarding, offboarding, employee records, and HR administration

  • Serve as a day-to-day HR partner for employees and managers, providing guidance on policies, benefits, and people practices

  • Maintain accurate employee data and workflows in Rippling HRIS, ensuring data integrity and compliance

  • Support payroll, benefits administration, leaves of absence, and employee changes in coordination with internal and external partners

Policy, Process & Foundation Building

  • Build, document, and implement HR policies, procedures, and playbooks that scale with the business

  • Establish consistent, compliant HR processes while balancing flexibility needed in a startup environment

  • Help create structure around performance management, employee documentation, and internal HR workflows

  • Continuously evaluate and improve HR processes to support growth and operational efficiency

Employee Relations & Compliance

  • Act as a trusted first point of contact for employee relations matters, handling issues with sound judgment, discretion, and empathy

  • Support performance feedback, corrective actions, and documentation as needed

  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws across a multi-state workforce

  • Assist with audits, investigations, and internal reviews as required

Recruiting & Onboarding Support

  • Support recruiting operations using Ashby, including job postings, interview coordination, and candidate communications

  • Partner with hiring managers to ensure a smooth, efficient, and positive candidate experience

  • Own and continuously improve the new-hire onboarding experience

Experience

  • 5–8+ years of progressive HR experience, including time in both startup and corporate environments

  • Strong HR generalist background with hands-on experience across operations, employee relations, and compliance

  • Proven ability to build HR foundations, including policies, procedures, and scalable processes

  • Experience with Rippling HRIS (strongly preferred)

  • Experience using Ashby or a comparable ATS

  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving, on-site environment

  • Strong knowledge of multi-state employment laws and HR best practices

  • Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy

  • Professional, approachable, and confident communicator with excellent judgment