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 Legal Advisor

Democracyforward · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Position Summary:

Democracy Forward Foundation ("Democracy Forward") is hiring a Senior Legal Advisor to join our Legal team.

Senior Legal Advisors will develop their own matters, including being willing to perform at times, all aspects of DF's legal and regulatory work (matter development, outreach, drafting, strategy, and participation in all stages of litigation). They will also spend a substantial portion of their time supporting and/or supervising the development of matters by other members of the legal team. Senior Legal Advisors will utilize their expertise to assist in sophisticated matter development, legal work, and participation in the progressive legal sphere.

The Senior Legal Advisor will report to our Legal Directors and will work closely with the entire Legal team. This role will be based in the Washington, DC area and the individual should be available to work in Democracy Forward Foundation's Washington, DC offices multiple days a week.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Draw on extensive litigation and legal experience, legal networks, and strategic judgment to develop and support the execution of legal strategies to challenge abuses of power by government officials at the state, local, and federal level.
  • Draw on extensive litigation and legal experience, legal networks, and strategic judgment to develop and support the execution of legal strategies to empower the state, local, and federal government to address the needs of people and communities, including regulatory strategies and legal support strategies.
  • Support organizational leadership in cultivating a culture of excellence, including through (as needed) supervising litigation, regulatory work, legal advocacy, and providing real-time support and skills-development for attorneys.
  • Act as a thought-partner and provide needed support to the development of progressive jurisprudence strategies.
  • Facilitate creative case development, brainstorming, and other strategic advocacy strategies through providing support, enthusiasm, research, and real-time feedback and judgment.
  • Leverage deep relationships within the legal community to support the work of Democracy Forward and Democracy Forward's continued organizational growth and sphere of influence, including creating opportunities for Democracy Forward staff to build deeper professional relationships. 
  • Partner with teams throughout the organization in the development of strategic narratives and other written pieces to help educate the philanthropic community, legal community, and progressive communities on pressing issues.

Qualifications:

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet 100% of the qualifications listed. If you believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, we encourage you to apply.

  • JD Required.
  • 20+ years active legal experience.
  • Deep legal networks in your area of expertise.
  • Experience mentoring and supporting junior staff members.

 

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

  • This role may require occasional travel for team retreats, conferences, or organizational meetings.
  • This role may involve sitting for extended periods and working on a computer. Reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed.

The salary for this position is $230,000 plus excellent benefits. 

Democracy Forward Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage people of color; LGBTQIA+ people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. Please note that all lawyer positions require a law degree and active membership in the bar of a state or the District of Columbia. 

Not sure you meet all of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement.  If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to mission-based legal and policy work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or simply looking to transition or take the next step in your career path, we welcome the opportunity to have you on our radar.  Please include in your cover letter the nature of your interest in legal and policy work promoting democracy and progress and what you hope to bring to our team and the role for which you are applying. 

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