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 .

Head of Media Strategy

Dept · London, Manchester

United Kingdom London, Manchester Indefinite True

Head of Media Strategy

London, Manchester - hybrid

 

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

 

JOB PURPOSE

As a Head of Media Strategy at DEPT®, you will be the connecting link between our client's business objectives and our agency's comprehensive service portfolio. You will work closely with our Client Service team to create and implement strategic plans, performance and media tactics for a well-known brand in our client portfolio and help them navigate through the ever-evolving digital landscape.

 

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Create influential and powerful strategies for our clients (current and prospective new business), ensuring that we continue to push them to be the most advanced, efficient and effective brands in the fields they operate within;
  • Collaborate with client in house teams to understand their business goals, target audience, and industry landscape;
  • Translate business priorities into actionable briefs for media teams;
  • Translate insights derived from data into a clear story to convince the client;
  • Develop innovative and data-driven digital marketing strategies that align with client objectives;
  • Work closely together with our specialists (like SEA, SEO, CRM, Data and Social Advertising Consultants);
  • Leverage a deep understanding of marketing, technology, and innovation to create comprehensive plans that drive measurable results;
  • Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure optimal execution of campaigns and projects;
  • Be the driving force of projects, starting and finishing them;
  • Drive our internal knowledge and be on the forefront of creating new propositions and best practices;
  • Analyze campaign performance, providing insights and recommendations for optimization;
  • Stay ahead of industry trends and best practices to ensure our strategies remain cutting-edge;
  • Represent DEPT® at industry roundtables and events, actively networking and identifying potential new business opportunities.

 

WHAT YOU BRING

  • At least 6 years of experience in a role of a Media Strategist with substantial experience in new business development and pitching, preferably at an agency;
  • Deep understanding of Digital Media Planning and Execution as a background required, broader media experience would also be beneficial;
  • Strong digital marketing knowledge (SEO, SEA, Social, CRM, Content Marketing, Data etc.);
  • See yourself as a digital generalist, linking the strategic needs of clients to DEPT®'s service portfolio;
  • Can help our clients to go from business strategy to marketing strategy and implement this by giving advice, creating roadmaps and propose concepts;
  • International or global experience is a strong plus;
  • Pro-active, energetic, curious and inspiring;
  • A driver of innovation;
  • An accomplished presenter, comfortable and confident in delivering pitches and presentations to senior stakeholders;
  • A strong networker, able to build relationships and identify opportunities at industry roundtables and events. Because of this you are also able to bring together our different disciplines and specialists internally;
  • Can explain complex data and information in an easy and understandable manner to Internal & external stakeholders;
  • Approach new tasks proactively and pragmatically;
  • Located and directly available to start working in either our offices from London or Manchester;
  • Full working proficiency in English.

 

WE OFFER

  • A flexible, hybrid working policy (2 days from the office, depending on location);
  • An excellent salary based on experience and equal pay policies;
  • Pension, free private healthcare, mental health support, and company sick pay scheme;
  • 26 days paid holiday (plus UK Bank Holidays);
  • Refreshments are provided in the office all week, as well as drinks at 4 pm on a Thursday;
  • Help getting you to work with a season ticket loan and cycle to work scheme;
  • Enhanced family friendly policies to support new parents;
  • Social and Cultural Events, plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues through organised activities and celebrations;
  • Inspirational Talks, bringing the outside in with regular guest speakers and events;
  • Learning and Development, supporting your growth with continuous opportunities to learn and advance;
  • Buddy Programme: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT®;
  • A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards;
  • Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get.

 

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION 

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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