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, Programmatic

Galepartners · Bengaluru, India

GALE is the world’s first and only Business Agency. We bring business strategy to brand storytelling to drive enterprise value. With expertise in strategy, media, CRM, creative, performance marketing, and technology, GALE creates integrated marketing systems and campaigns that grow businesses in significant ways. Founded in 2014, the agency has since been named AdAge’s Business Transformation Agency of the Year and Adweek’s U.S. Media Agency of the Year and has been recognized for its innovative creative at the Cannes Lions. 

We work with brands such as Delta, Uber, Starbucks, Chili’s, Hard Rock, MilkPEP, Diageo, Cotton, IHG and more. If you’re driven by a passion to build something great, a desire to innovate, and a commitment to achieve excellence in your craft, GALE is a great place for you! 

GALE has eight offices around the world, including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Kansas City, London, and Bengaluru. GALE embraces a hybrid, flexible workplace

Associate, Programmatic

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

We are looking for an Associate who can manage Programmatic campaign performance and the capability to dig into the data and define how to make the Programmatic campaign successful.

About us

GALE helps brands solve complex challenges through our integrated consultancy and agency offering. Headquartered in New York with offices in Toronto, Singapore and Bangalore, our teams are connected by a set of core values that inform everything we do, from how we hire to how we work together: values like Everyone Matters, No Silos, and Masters of Our Craft. 

If you’re driven by a passion to build something great, a desire to innovate, and a commitment to achieve excellence in your craft, GALE is a great place for you.

Who you are.

•Minimum 2-3 years of hands-on experience in campaign management with thorough knowledge of campaign management and programmatic trading, including creative upload, tagging, various targeting tactics, monitoring campaign pacing and performance/KPI deliverables.
•Knowledge of programmatic buying models (RTB, PMP), targeting options (audience segments, contextual targeting), bidding strategies (automated vs. manual bidding), and campaign optimisation techniques.
•Experience working on channels like Display, Native, Video, YouTube, and CTV advertising. Understanding of all existing and new ad formats available on these channels is a plus.
•Experience working on more than one Programmatic media buying platforms/ DSPs (DV360, TTD, Amazon DSP, etc.,).
•Should be conversant with Ad Verifications platforms used in Programmatic like IAS, Double Verify, etc.,
•Technical understanding of tags and pixels including understanding of tag anatomy, wrapping tags, and setting up macros.
•Knowledge of the programmatic buying process. Setting up PMP and PG deals on the platform.
•Experience working with analytics tools will be a plus (GA4, Adobe, MMPs, etc.).
•Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
•Proactive, self-starter, capable of setting goals and reporting progress against them.
•Problem solving and attention to detail in a multi-tasking, fast-paced business environment.
•Team player & strong communication skills.
•Be confident in analysing and acting on marketing data.


What you will do

•Set up, traffic & manage programmatic buys across multiple demand-side platforms.
•Campaign creation within DSPs, data onboarding, A/B testing and experiments setup, rotation setup, tracking implementation, foresight in campaign structure to prepare for optimizations and success, setting bid strategies, etc.
•Manage pacing and evaluate performance to ensure KPI delivery, identify & implement optimizations, proactively make recommendations & provide campaign insights and evaluating at detailed levels including geographic areas, audiences, and content.
•Evaluate and deliver actionable audience insights and optimization-based insights per the cadence needed to enhance campaign strategy/goals.
•Understand how to manage different kinds of goals and requirements (awareness, cost per action (CPA), viewability, brand safety).
•Work closely with Media Planning teams to provide ROI-driving insights and recommendations.
•Understand how programmatic fits within a media plan/objective to develop/execute successful strategies.
•Contribute to best practice documentation and offer insights on how to improve campaign effectiveness.
•Coordinate with creative team, product team and technology team to drive online campaigns.

Associate, Programmatic

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

We are looking for an Associate who can manage Programmatic campaign performance and the capability to dig into the data and define how to make the Programmatic campaign successful.

About us

GALE helps brands solve complex challenges through our integrated consultancy and agency offering. Headquartered in New York with offices in Toronto, Singapore and Bangalore, our teams are connected by a set of core values that inform everything we do, from how we hire to how we work together: values like Everyone Matters, No Silos, and Masters of Our Craft. 

If you’re driven by a passion to build something great, a desire to innovate, and a commitment to achieve excellence in your craft, GALE is a great place for you.

Who you are.

•Minimum 2-3 years of hands-on experience in campaign management with thorough knowledge of campaign management and programmatic trading, including creative upload, tagging, various targeting tactics, monitoring campaign pacing and performance/KPI deliverables.
•Knowledge of programmatic buying models (RTB, PMP), targeting options (audience segments, contextual targeting), bidding strategies (automated vs. manual bidding), and campaign optimisation techniques.
•Experience working on channels like Display, Native, Video, YouTube, and CTV advertising. Understanding of all existing and new ad formats available on these channels is a plus.
•Experience working on more than one Programmatic media buying platforms/ DSPs (DV360, TTD, Amazon DSP, etc.,).
•Should be conversant with Ad Verifications platforms used in Programmatic like IAS, Double Verify, etc.,
•Technical understanding of tags and pixels including understanding of tag anatomy, wrapping tags, and setting up macros.
•Knowledge of the programmatic buying process. Setting up PMP and PG deals on the platform.
•Experience working with analytics tools will be a plus (GA4, Adobe, MMPs, etc.).
•Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
•Proactive, self-starter, capable of setting goals and reporting progress against them.
•Problem solving and attention to detail in a multi-tasking, fast-paced business environment.
•Team player & strong communication skills.
•Be confident in analysing and acting on marketing data.


What you will do

•Set up, traffic & manage programmatic buys across multiple demand-side platforms.
•Campaign creation within DSPs, data onboarding, A/B testing and experiments setup, rotation setup, tracking implementation, foresight in campaign structure to prepare for optimizations and success, setting bid strategies, etc.
•Manage pacing and evaluate performance to ensure KPI delivery, identify & implement optimizations, proactively make recommendations & provide campaign insights and evaluating at detailed levels including geographic areas, audiences, and content.
•Evaluate and deliver actionable audience insights and optimization-based insights per the cadence needed to enhance campaign strategy/goals.
•Understand how to manage different kinds of goals and requirements (awareness, cost per action (CPA), viewability, brand safety).
•Work closely with Media Planning teams to provide ROI-driving insights and recommendations.
•Understand how programmatic fits within a media plan/objective to develop/execute successful strategies.
•Contribute to best practice documentation and offer insights on how to improve campaign effectiveness.
•Coordinate with creative team, product team and technology team to drive online campaigns.

Note: Hybrid work in office is an essential function of the job.

Our Commitment to Inclusion
We believe in inclusivity and do our best work when people with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and skills are brought together. Our Core Values are at the root of GALE’s collaborative environment and help to foster a strong community. Our Code of Conduct, Human Resources policies, and executive investment in inclusion further support and protect GALE’s inclusive workplace. GALE is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. 
 
Our Hiring Process
We want you to be just as discerning in making your next career move as we are finding great talent to join our team. Our interview process will allow you to meet a range of people from various disciplines and domains both virtually and in person. Please discuss with our recruiters if you require any accommodations throughout the process to help enable a smooth interview.