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 .

Senior Engineer I, Science

Ginkgobioworks · Boston, Massachusetts

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms. 

 

Here at Ginkgo, we are aiming to modernize ADME by bringing our experience in high-throughput screening to the in vitro small molecule drug pipeline. We are re-imagining ADME at scale, and we are seeking a visionary and technically adept High-Throughput ADME Scientist to help us build and execute this next-generation platform. This role is critical in accelerating our drug discovery pipeline by providing timely and high-quality in vitro ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) data to guide lead optimization.

The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in developing, validating, and implementing a variety of high-throughput ADME assays.

Key Responsibilities

Assay Development & Implementation

  • Design, develop, optimize, and validate a wide array of high-throughput in vitro ADME assays (e.g., solubility, MDCK permeability, plasma protein binding, microsomal stability, hepatocyte stability, and CYP inhibition/induction).
  • Automation and Screening: Experience working with automated liquid handlers such as Hamilton, Lynx, Bravo, and Formulatrix.

Data Analysis & Reporting

  • Develop and perform mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, acoustic ejection mass spectrometry, or similar) analysis of samples from ADME assays. Responsibilities will include method development and troubleshooting.
  • Ensure proper sample preparation and management for high-throughput analysis.
  • Analyze, interpret, and report complex ADME data, including calculating key pharmacokinetic parameters.
  • Present results and provide expert recommendations to medicinal chemists and project teams to inform go/no-go decisions.

Quality & Compliance

  • Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records, SOPs, and electronic notebooks.
  • Ensure all laboratory activities comply with internal quality standards and safety regulations.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Education: Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field with 2+ years of relevant industry experience, or a Master's degree with 5+ years of industry experience.
  • Technical Expertise:
    • Extensive, hands-on experience with LC-MS or acoustic MS particularly in a high-throughput setting.
    • Proven track record in developing and running automated in vitro ADME assays using state-of-the-art laboratory automation.
    • Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of drug metabolism pathways and DMPK.
    • Familiarity with common ADME prediction software and data visualization tools.

 Preferred Skills

  • Experience using lab automation.
  • Programmatic coding experience (e.g., Python, R, or similar).
  • Data visualization (Spotfire, Python, R, or similar).
  • Experience handling clinical samples.
  • Familiarity with working in a CRO (Contract Research Organization) environment or managing CRO relationships.
  • Proficiency with electronic laboratory data capture systems (e.g., LIMS, ELN).

The base salary range for this role is $115,000.00 - $165,000.00. Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer company stock awards, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

Ginkgo has implemented a return to office policy effective October 1, 2025 with required in-office days 3x per week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Some teams may require to be onsite 4-5 days per week and this will be discussed as part of the interview process.  This policy applies to all employees who live within 50 miles of Ginkgo’s offices in Boston, MA, Emeryville, CA and West Sacramento, CA.

 
It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet. 
 
 
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