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 .

Part-Time Ambassador

Everlane · Boston, MA

At Everlane, we want the right choice to be as easy as putting on a great T-shirt. That’s why we partner with ethical factories around the world. Work with high-quality and more sustainably sourced materials. And share the true cost of every product we make. But there's a lot more work to be done, and we're excited to be growing a team of motivated humans that are up for the challenge.

The Ambassador role is responsible for bringing Everlane to life for our customers. You foster a positive environment while delivering a best-in-class store experience. You are customer-focused, enjoy serving others, and are passionate about our product. Your goal is to have a positive impact on someone’s time in our store as you will be the face of our brand and a champion of our mission and values. You inspire others through connection and education. You love styling our customers and are focused on exceeding individual goals.  You thrive in a fast-paced environment and have the ability to work in various aspects of the business.  Your team can count on you to be a team player and show up with optimism and enthusiasm that influence others positively. 

You must be 16 years of age or older to apply for this role.

As an Ambassador, you:

  • Use curiosity to gain strong customer understanding to deliver customer-centric solutions that exceed expectations
  • Take on opportunities and challenges with a sense of urgency and high energy. Show pride in your work and take ownership of your own performance 
  • Foster emotional and social connection within the store environment and community, while recognizing the value that different perspectives bring 
  • Take accountability for how you present yourself and manage your emotions in order to create a positive environment for yourself and others 

Your day to day:

  • Leverage product knowledge to actively sell and style our products and offer fit advice
  • Introduce and educate our customer about our Brand’s mission, values, and ethos 
  • Have a customer-first mindset when working with customers 
  • Show up to shifts on time with a can-do attitude
  • Be flexible through shift to work in multiple zones while effectively communicating with your team
  • Process purchases, returns and exchanges
  • Keep your store clean and tidy and maintain store presentation
  • Process, organize, and prepare inventory
  • Restock sales floor throughout the day

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

  • Experience in retail, sales or the service industry
  • A passion for helping others and enjoy being a part of a team
  • The ability to multi-task and pivot quickly while working in a fast paced and ever changing environment
  • Have exceptional communication skills and are comfortable receiving feedback
  • Ambition to learn and grow from others
  • A fan of Everlane, our product, and our values

What is expected of you

  • Must bend, reach, and stretch for product, as well as lift, carry and move at least 40 pounds
  • Have a minimum of 12 hours of availability that supports the needs of the business, including: nights, weekends, and holidays
  • Must regularly stand and move around all areas of the store and be accessible to customers

The Fine Print:

At Everlane, we carefully consider a wide range of compensation factors, including your background and experience. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary. The hourly pay range for this role is $18. 

Everlane is reacting to what retail will look like post COVID-19 so flexibility and resilience is key. Keeping a clean and organized space for everyone's health and safety will be a top priority in this role.  This job summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work leaders assigned to this job perform. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities but provide a baseline summary.  Full details of expectations and responsibilities will be provided upon hire.

Everlane is deeply committed to respecting and protecting your data privacy. For information on our privacy practices, please review our Privacy Policy.