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 .

Technology Director

Fantasy · Remote

This role is fully remote. Candidates must be based in the United States or Canada.
 

We are Fantasy.

For over two decades, we've partnered with the likes of Google, Microsoft, Nike, Spotify, and Peacock to build digital products used by billions of people every day. We're now entering our most ambitious chapter: designing and building the next generation of intelligent experiences, where AI isn’t a chatbox but the orchestrator of truly personal products and brand experiences.

 

Your Role.

As a Technology Director at Fantasy, you are part of the technology leadership team and serve as a senior client-facing leader who ensures Fantasy’s technical vision is realized across engagements. You’ll be responsible for leading client relationships, driving solution strategy, and ensuring that Fantasy’s work delivers both creative and technical excellence.

 

This is a hands-on role. At Fantasy, we don’t just direct — we produce. We lead by doing. The Technology Director works closely with engineers, designers, and strategists to prototype, architect, and build alongside their teams. You’ll set the example for quality, innovation, and collaboration, ensuring Fantasy’s technology is as inspiring in execution as it is in concept.

 

You will also play a pivotal role in representing technology externally by owning client partnerships, shaping proposals, scoping opportunities, and contributing to the pre-sales architecture of new business initiatives. Internally, you’ll help shape Fantasy’s technology approach and ensure our craft continues to evolve through collaboration and experimentation.

 

Key Responsibilities.

  • Lead technology strategy and delivery across client engagements, ensuring high-quality execution from discovery through launch.
  • Serve as a trusted technology partner to clients, translating business and creative goals into clear, actionable technical solutions.
  • Partner with design, strategy, and production teams to shape technical direction and ensure technology meaningfully supports the product vision.
  • Contribute hands-on through prototyping, architecture, and production work—leading by example and pushing creative and technical boundaries.
  • Define and evolve technical architectures that balance innovation, scalability, performance, and feasibility.
  • Support pre-sales and scoping efforts by estimating effort, defining technical approaches, and contributing to proposals and client presentations.
  • Evaluate and explore emerging technologies to inspire experimentation, inform future work, and advance Fantasy’s technical practice.
  • Represent the technology practice in workshops, pitches, and project reviews, providing clarity, insight, and strategic guidance.
  • Mentor and collaborate with fellow technologists to promote growth, consistency, and knowledge sharing across teams.
  • Partner with business development and leadership to identify new opportunities and articulate Fantasy’s technology value proposition.

 

Experience and Skills.

  • 10+ years of experience in technology-focused roles, ideally within digital product, innovation, or creative agency environments.
  • Proven experience leading technology strategy and delivery across multiple client or product engagements.
  • Strong background in pre-sales, including scoping, estimation, client collaboration, and proposal development.
  • Demonstrated ability to architect and scope modern web, application, or platform solutions.
  • Broad technical fluency across modern stacks (cloud, APIs, front-end frameworks, data systems), with deep hands-on expertise in either front-end or back-end engineering.
  • Hands-on builder mindset with the ability to contribute directly through prototyping, architecture, and implementation.
  • Clear and confident communicator who bridges technical, business, and creative perspectives.
  • Strong appreciation for design, craft, and high-quality user experiences.
  • Genuine curiosity about emerging technologies, with interest in exploring AI, machine learning, and intelligent systems.

 

Our Commitment

Fantasy has been building diverse, inclusive teams since 1999. We believe the range of perspectives in this building is inseparable from the quality of what we ship. Fantasy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This role is fully remote. Candidates must be based in the United States or Canada.
 

We are Fantasy.

For over two decades, we've partnered with the likes of Google, Microsoft, Nike, Spotify, and Peacock to build digital products used by billions of people every day. We're now entering our most ambitious chapter: designing and building the next generation of intelligent experiences, where AI isn’t a chatbox but the orchestrator of truly personal products and brand experiences.

 

Your Role.

As a Technology Director at Fantasy, you are part of the technology leadership team and serve as a senior client-facing leader who ensures Fantasy’s technical vision is realized across engagements. You’ll be responsible for leading client relationships, driving solution strategy, and ensuring that Fantasy’s work delivers both creative and technical excellence.

 

This is a hands-on role. At Fantasy, we don’t just direct — we produce. We lead by doing. The Technology Director works closely with engineers, designers, and strategists to prototype, architect, and build alongside their teams. You’ll set the example for quality, innovation, and collaboration, ensuring Fantasy’s technology is as inspiring in execution as it is in concept.

 

You will also play a pivotal role in representing technology externally by owning client partnerships, shaping proposals, scoping opportunities, and contributing to the pre-sales architecture of new business initiatives. Internally, you’ll help shape Fantasy’s technology approach and ensure our craft continues to evolve through collaboration and experimentation.

 

Key Responsibilities.

  • Lead technology strategy and delivery across client engagements, ensuring high-quality execution from discovery through launch.
  • Serve as a trusted technology partner to clients, translating business and creative goals into clear, actionable technical solutions.
  • Partner with design, strategy, and production teams to shape technical direction and ensure technology meaningfully supports the product vision.
  • Contribute hands-on through prototyping, architecture, and production work—leading by example and pushing creative and technical boundaries.
  • Define and evolve technical architectures that balance innovation, scalability, performance, and feasibility.
  • Support pre-sales and scoping efforts by estimating effort, defining technical approaches, and contributing to proposals and client presentations.
  • Evaluate and explore emerging technologies to inspire experimentation, inform future work, and advance Fantasy’s technical practice.
  • Represent the technology practice in workshops, pitches, and project reviews, providing clarity, insight, and strategic guidance.
  • Mentor and collaborate with fellow technologists to promote growth, consistency, and knowledge sharing across teams.
  • Partner with business development and leadership to identify new opportunities and articulate Fantasy’s technology value proposition.

 

Experience and Skills.

  • 10+ years of experience in technology-focused roles, ideally within digital product, innovation, or creative agency environments.
  • Proven experience leading technology strategy and delivery across multiple client or product engagements.
  • Strong background in pre-sales, including scoping, estimation, client collaboration, and proposal development.
  • Demonstrated ability to architect and scope modern web, application, or platform solutions.
  • Broad technical fluency across modern stacks (cloud, APIs, front-end frameworks, data systems), with deep hands-on expertise in either front-end or back-end engineering.
  • Hands-on builder mindset with the ability to contribute directly through prototyping, architecture, and implementation.
  • Clear and confident communicator who bridges technical, business, and creative perspectives.
  • Strong appreciation for design, craft, and high-quality user experiences.
  • Genuine curiosity about emerging technologies, with interest in exploring AI, machine learning, and intelligent systems.

 

Our Commitment

Fantasy has been building diverse, inclusive teams since 1999. We believe the range of perspectives in this building is inseparable from the quality of what we ship. Fantasy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.