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 Fundraising Mail Strategist

Grassrootsanalytics · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Grassroots Analytics (“GA”) is a political tech company dedicated to breaking down barriers in fundraising for progressive campaigns and causes. To facilitate that work, GA maintains a detailed database on more than 20 million active, left-leaning American donors, including data on net worth, ideological preferences, political donation history, non-profit donation history, demographics, and contact information. Our overall mission is to use that data to amplify forward-thinking voices, causes, and people.

Job Description

The Senior Fundraising Mail Strategist will hit the ground running on a small-but-mighty STAMP team at Grassroots Analytics to help political and nonprofit clients fundraise through direct mail. This person will join the team to oversee day-to-day direct mail production and client management. They will also help streamline processes, develop strategy, and optimize the product. They will work very closely with three ther members of the STAMP team: the Director of Fundraising Mail the Mail Fundraising Strategist, and the Mail Fundraising Associate. In addition, they’ll work collaboratively with account managers, the art team, the data team, and the nonprofit team to help get mail out the door. STAMP is a growing product at Grassroots Analytics and this position will have ample room for growth alongside it.

Responsibilities

Direct Mail Execution (35%):

  • Write and edit compelling fundraising copy for political and nonprofit clients
  • Work alongside the art team to develop attention-grabbing direct mail designs
  • Create hyper-targeted lists of acquisition prospects in GA’s internal database
  • Coordinate with a wide network of printers to foster positive working relationships, maintain efficient timelines, and ensure the team meets critical deadlines

Client Strategy (35%):

  • Keep our clients ahead of the curve with innovative and creative solutions
  • Propose client budgets, mail calendars, and testing plans to the Director of Mail
  • Provide strategic expertise in real time on client calls and email threads

Consulting and Client Management (20%):

  • Own and manage political and non-profit Direct Mail accounts
  • Work alongside Account Managers to provide seamless customer service
  • Oversee day-to-day communications and approval timelines
  • Instill confidence and answer questions in order to convert clients into believers of direct mail

Product Innovation (10%):

  • Take ownership of all operational processes and streamline them for efficiency
  • Propose product innovations and business strategies to the Director of Mail

Additional responsibilities as needed

The Senior Direct Mail Strategist will report to the Director of Mail

Qualifications

The ideal candidate:

  • Has strong writing and editing skills – can write a powerful fundraising letter in under an hour
  • Knows direct mail production steps and schedules like the back of their hand
  • Takes a leadership role in tracking deliverables and deadlines
  • Has experience managing large-scale direct mail programs
  • Is passionate about democratizing campaign fundraising – Grassroots Analytics is proud to support candidates up and down the ballot and from non-traditional backgrounds.

In addition, this candidate should have 2-4 years of experience (looking for quality over quantity!) in each of the following areas:

  • Direct mail strategy
  • Political and/or nonprofit fundraising
  • Project management and/or client management

The base salary range for this position is $70,000–$85,000 plus benefits. This is a full-time, in-office position based in our office in Chinatown at 806 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

We offer 33 days of PTO + two additional days for every year with GA; 11 federal holidays; and full office closure between Christmas and New Years. Additional benefits include healthcare, dental, and vision insurance; paid parental leave; mental health and sick days; commuter benefits; wellness stipend, 401K with employer match; profit sharing; and more.

Applications are welcomed on a rolling basis, to be considered until the position is filled. 

Grassroots Analytics is an equal opportunity employer,  committed to providing a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming environment where everyone is empowered to do their best work. Grassroots Analytics does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.

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