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 .

Working at Descartes

Descartes Systems Group Inc.

Working At Descartes

TEAMWORK

We believe that great things happen when we work together, both locally or globally. We grow organically and through acquisition, each time strengthening our team and capacity to win.

Exploring Work Culture at DescartesPro tip: It’s pronounced Day-Cart (like a shopping cart on a sunny day ☀️🛒).

We are one team. Geographically dispersed and striving towards the same goals, but live in different countries and have different needs.

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What’s in it for you?

Challenging and purposeful work

We’re the winning team because we deliver the most value. We retain that position by challenging ourselves and the status quo every day.

challenge
voice

A voice

At Descartes, everyone has a voice and the best idea wins, regardless of where it originates.

Opportunity

Opportunity lives here: for our customers, our growth, and for our people.

job openings
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Professional Success Stories at Descartes

Getting the best from our people is our priority. Your life at Descartes is a part of your whole life and we want what is best for you.

Work Life Balance & Hybrid Work Arrangements

work life

At Descartes, we know work doesn’t have to be uncomfortable; asking for accommodations shouldn’t be hard. Supporting our innovative, dedicated employees by providing them with multiple, flexible work models is the least we can do as an organization. People need to feel appreciated as humans and respected as professionals. If creating policies and space that enable choice helps our employees do their best work in balance with their whole life, that’s a freedom we are happy to provide.

As a globally-dispersed organization with international clients, we offer a work-from-anywhere and flexible hours model. We empower our teams to own and manage deliverables not tied to other individuals and their own life responsibilities. By creating an environment that allows remote or hybrid work, we’ve built a culture that accepts that people can do their job – and do it well – away from the office.

Compensation & Benefits

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