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 .

SaaS Digital Content Writer

Graphitehq · United States

Graphite is a technology-enabled growth agency that helps fast growing companies like Masterclass, Notion, and BetterUp unlock sustainable revenue through content and SEO. We’re obsessed with impact— it’s foundational to who we are, why we’re successful, and how we approach delivering outcomes for clients and ultimately, everyone on the internet. We are a fully distributed company with team members located across North America, Latin America, and Europe. Come join us and help us create the best content, everywhere that matters.

We’re looking for a SaaS Content Writer who will be responsible for producing engaging and premium content that prioritizes our targeted audiences. This is a remote based contract and not an offer for employment.

What you’ll do

  • Create impactful, objective-oriented content for our clients and brands.

  • Research, brainstorm, and pitch creative and compelling article topics

  • Fact-check, proofread and edit content for accuracy and comprehensiveness

  • Work with our internal teams to identify opportunities and plan improvements to existing content and internal processes

What you'll need

  • 2+ years of technical writing experience, preferably working for blogs, news organizations, magazines, or other publications.

  • Experience writing about Software as a Service, B2B technology marketing, or related topics

  • Experience in startups and entrepreneurship.

  • Excellent writing and communication skills.

  • Able to absorb new material quickly.

  • Proven ability to manage projects and juggle a diverse workload.

  • Ability to meet any and all deadlines.

  • Skilled with Google Workspace applications (primarily Docs, Slides, and Sheets).

Plus skills

  • Experience working in a startup or agency environment.

  • Past experience working in a content management system is helpful.

  • SEO experience with topic selection, keywords, title tags, and meta descriptions.

How we’ll help

Graphite’s mission is to create an environment where you build the best work of your career. In order to facilitate this, we provide:

  • Process As Needed - We view the process as a way to empower better work, not as a series of dogmatic rules. We develop the best internal processes the same way we develop products - through iteration, measurement, and continuous improvement.

  • Autonomy - We trust you to be excellent at what you do. We will provide as much support as needed when needed, but no more. You will have autonomy and agency to drive projects forward, and own decisions and outcomes.

  • Flexible Work Environment - Everyone’s optimal work style is unique. We operate as a distributed team across the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. We optimize for productivity and performance, not time spent in an office. Help us build an optimal work environment that fits you as an individual.

  • Compensation - We want to work with the best people in the World and compensate accordingly.

Graphite provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected classification.

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