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 .

Outside Sales Representative - Waterbury

Fiserv · Hartford, Connecticut

Calling all innovators – find your future at Fiserv.

We’re Fiserv, a global leader in Fintech and payments, and we move money and information in a way that moves the world. We connect financial institutions, corporations, merchants, and consumers to one another millions of times a day – quickly, reliably, and securely. Any time you swipe your credit card, pay through a mobile app, or withdraw money from the bank, we’re involved. If you want to make an impact on a global scale, come make a difference at Fiserv.

Job Title

Outside Sales Representative - Waterbury

What does a successful Sales Rep do at Fiserv?   

Join our Restaurants Solutions field sales team, where innovation meets opportunity. You’ll be at the forefront of transforming the restaurant industry with our award-winning Clover point-of-sale solutions.   

Meet Clover from Fiserv, the leading cloud-based integrated commerce solution. We’re proud to partner with over 700,000 merchant locations worldwide, and in 2023, we processed more the $330 billion in card transactions. Clover enables merchants to accept payments, run their business and sell more. Come help us transform the way merchants do business, join Clover. 

What you will do: 

This is a 100% hunter role

Proactively engage with business owners & restauranteurs within Restaurant Depot, initiating face to face conversations to identify their needs and offer tailored solutions.

Build and nurture relationships by scheduling in-person appointments at client’s restaurants/business to demonstrate the value of clover and BentoBox solutions for streamlining operations and boosting revenue.

Drive sales growth by levering deep product knowledge to educate potential customers on POS systems and online ordering platforms, converting leads into loyal clients through personalized consultative selling strategies.

Install Clover systems at Client locations and provide hands on training to ensure smooth integration and optimal use. 

Exemplify Fiserv core values by upholding the highest ethical standards and fostering genuine connections with clients and colleagues alike.  

This role requires travel within the Waterbury, CT area, collaborating with Restaurant Depot Locations to introduce Clover to restaurant owners. 

What you will need to have: 

High School Diploma

  • 2+ years of experience in a quota-driven, self-sourcing sales environment, particularly with small to medium-sized clients.  

  • 2+ years of experience cold calling & prospecting

  • 2+ years of experience with independently generating leads


What would be great to have: 

  • 3+ years of sales experience. 

  • Bachelor’s degree. 

This role is not eligible to be performed in Colorado, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island or Washington.

It is unlawful to discriminate against a prospective employee due to the individual's status as a veteran.

Please note that salary ranges provided for this role on external job boards are salary estimates made by outside parties and may not be accurate.

Thank you for considering employment with Fiserv.  Please:

  • Apply using your legal name
  • Complete the step-by-step profile and attach your resume (either is acceptable, both are preferable).

Our commitment to Equal Opportunity:

Fiserv is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by law. 

If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation in completing a job application or otherwise participating in the overall hiring process, please contact [email protected]. Please note our AskHR representatives do not have visibility to your application status. Current associates who require a workplace accommodation should refer to Fiserv’s Disability Accommodation Policy for additional information.

Note to agencies:

Fiserv does not accept resume submissions from agencies outside of existing agreements. Please do not send resumes to Fiserv associates. Fiserv is not responsible for any fees associated with unsolicited resume submissions.

Warning about fake job posts:

Please be aware of fraudulent job postings that are not affiliated with Fiserv. Fraudulent job postings may be used by cyber criminals to target your personally identifiable information and/or to steal money or financial information. Any communications from a Fiserv representative will come from a legitimate Fiserv email address.