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 .

Associate Director (Transmission)

Ethree · San Francisco, CA

Why You Should Join the E3 Team    When you join the E3 team, you will be working on some of the most important energy issues with some of the top minds in the electricity industry. We help shape energy and climate policy, play vital roles in regulatory proceedings, advise executives, and inform investment and planning selections. At E3, you will be challenged and inspired.     Who We Are    Founded in 1989, Energy + Environmental Economics (E3) is a fast-growing energy consulting firm that helps utilities, regulators, policy makers, developers, and investors make the most educated strategic decisions possible as they implement new public policies, deploy and develop new technologies, and address customers’ shifting expectations. We have offices in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Denver, and Calgary.      Because E3 works with customers from all sectors of the electricity industry, we provide a 360-degree knowledge of markets, planning, policy, regulation, and environmental factors. Just as important, we are driven to deliver clear, unbiased evaluations that help customers make informed decisions.      E3 works on high-profile, high-impact projects in jurisdictions that spearhead the implementation of clean energy policy. In California, Hawaii, and New York, we are advising state agencies and regulators about how to implement clean energy policies with an emphasis on customer incentives and markets. About You    We look for people who combine strong analytical dexterity and/or policy experience with integrity and a passion for energy. Our Associate Directors take the reins on project work to drive creative solutions to some of the most elaborate and important energy issues of the day. For this specific role, we are looking for someone who brings subject matter depth in electric transmission (e.g., ISO/RTO transmission planning processes, interconnection and deliverability concepts, corridor/ROW and permitting basics, capital planning).  You’re fluent with management consulting skills: structuring ambiguous problems, choosing a path and level of detail to answer questions in the time/budget available, anticipating challenges and creating plans to mitigate risks, coaching your team in how to answer questions, and checking results and storyline based on your experience in the industry. You have executive presence to navigate client/stakeholder dynamics, align senior leaders, and drive decisions in high stakes settings.      Our Associate Directors take on a pivotal role to help manage, shape, and continue to develop an E3 Practice Area.  In this position, you will help to drive the continued growth of E3’s business through strategic project and thought leadership, developing our next generation of leaders and further advancing our reputation for best-in-class solutions to our broad case of clients.  You bring curiosity, thrive in a rigorous and quantitative solution-finding environment, take a collaborative approach to project work, are comfortable coaching and providing feedback to others, and are practiced at working closely with clients and stakeholders while supporting the execution of our business and mission.  We seek those that are inquisitive and look at all sides of an issue to make informed recommendations with confidence and clarity.  You pride yourself in your technical aptitude and deep subject matter expertise.  You bring a strong attention to detail and your project management and leadership techniques help you independently create and actualize work plans that are efficient while delivering an elevated level of guidance to our customers..   The Role  The Associate Director (Transmission) will lead strategy engagements for utilities and their transmission businesses. You’ll structure the problem, own day-to-day client leadership, and coordinate internal and external cross-functional teams (transmission planning, engineering, regulatory, finance, delivery).  Focus areas include business case development, portfolio prioritization, KPI tracking, partnership strategy, and organization structure and governance.          Work Environment  E3 has adopted a hybrid and flexible work environment that adapts to changing needs of projects and safety requirements. Because E3 thrives in a strong collaborative office-based working environment, we encourage our E3 employees to work from the office at least 2-3 days per week, usually including Tuesdays and Thursdays. Must be able to work for extended hours in front of a computer screen and conduct meetings on the telephone and virtually.      Role Details Hours: Full Time Travel: Occasional (up to 10%) Office Location: Hybrid work schedule from our San Francisco office or client's site in the Bay Area, as needed