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 .

Sr. Hardware Test Engineer

Echo · San Francisco

Company Overview

Echo Neurotechnologies is an exciting new startup in the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) space, driving innovation through advanced hardware engineering and AI solutions. Our mission is to deliver cutting-edge technologies that restore autonomy to people living with disabilities and improve their quality of life.

Team Culture

Join a small, dedicated team of knowledgeable and motivated professionals. Our early-stage environment offers the opportunity to take ownership of broad decisions with significant and long-lasting impact. We emphasize continuous learning and growth, fostering cross-functional collaboration where your contributions are vital to our success.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Hardware Test Engineer to verify the Echo hardware system. The candidate will be responsible for testing custom Echo hardware devices and subsystems. The candidate will also drive development and bring-up of custom test systems.

Primary Role and Responsibilities

  • Execute in-house design verification tests

  • Execute testing with external test labs

  • Work with engineering team to develop custom tests

  • Collaborate with design engineers to characterize custom hardware

  • Dry-running tests for transfer to vendors

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field

  • Minimum 5 years of industry experience in testing electro-mechanical hardware devices

  • Experience with executing verification testing and participating in the test design loop

  • Experience with writing test protocols and documenting results in formal test reports

  • Experience working within a quality system

  • Hands-on experience with electromechanical prototyping and building test setups

    and fixtures

  • Experience with MATLAB or Python for data analysis, algorithm development, test

    automation, or simulation

  • Strong problem-solving skills

Other Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field

  • Familiarity with medical device compliance and standards

  • Prior experience in a medical device startup or early-stage company environment

  • Strong collaboration mindset

  • Superior written and verbal communication skills

  • Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail

  • Occasional travel to vendors (<10%)

What We Offer

  • An opportunity to work on exciting, cutting-edge projects to transform patients’ lives in a highly collaborative work environment.

  • Competitive compensation, including stock options.

  • Comprehensive benefits package.

  • 401(k) program with matching contributions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Echo Neurotechnologies is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Confidentiality

All applications will be treated confidentially. Applicants may be asked to sign an NDA after the initial stages of the interview process.

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