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 .

Sales Manager

Gridmatic · Texas

The Company
Gridmatic Inc is a high-growth startup that is accelerating the clean energy transition by applying AI to power markets. We apply machine learning to deliver predictability and manage risk for renewable energy supply and demand. We are the rare startup that has multiple years of profitability without raising venture capital. To support its rapid growth, the company has established itself as a retail energy provider to large commercial load in ERCOT (Texas). Gridmatic is a great place to work with a culture that values teamwork and continuous learning, and we value integrity as much as excellence. 

The Role
The Sales Manager is responsible for leading the development strategies for targeting brokers and consultants, building organizational partnerships and strategic alliances within the energy sector.
 
This role is an out-of-the-box thinker and doer with proven success in the energy sector. An industry leader with world-class business acumen, and a demonstrated track record of successfully developing and negotiating sizable contracts in the field, and a leader eager to make the move to a fast-paced, innovative clean-technology firm, with a major trajectory for growth.
The Role
The Sales Manager is responsible for leading the development strategies for targeting brokers and consultants, building organizational partnerships and strategic alliances within the energy sector.
 
This role is an out-of-the-box thinker and doer with proven success in the energy sector. An industry leader with world-class business acumen, and a demonstrated track record of successfully developing and negotiating sizable contracts in the field, and a leader eager to make the move to a fast-paced, innovative clean-technology firm, with a major trajectory for growth.
FAQ:
What’s your policy on remote work?
We value the ability to work and collaborate in-person in our early stage as a startup, so Gridmatic has a hybrid policy of "50% in-office” (2 or 3 days a week).
 
Gridmatic is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all applicants from every background and life experience.
 
Join our team and make a difference! Click below or email us at [email protected].
 

What you might work on:

  • Develop and take ownership of creating opportunities within assigned brokers / consultants.
  • Develop, maintain, and expand relationships with all levels within the broker or consultant relationship. Ex: owner, sales rep and pricing teams.
  • Existing relationships with brokers / consultants in the ERCOT/ PJM Market 
  • Maintain a revenue quota and robust sales funnel
  • Maintain professionalism, diplomacy, sensitivity, and tact to portray the company in a positive manner
  • Work as part of a cross-functional project development team that includes pricing, operations, and legal, to secure new business and ensure customer satisfaction
  • Lead customer meetings, and contract negotiations
  • Schedule appointments and meetings with customers in order to review and define sales opportunities and desired success parameters, and to qualify the opportunity
  • Attend critical networking and trade show events to obtain leads, present a positive public image of Gridmatic and expand knowledge of critical issues facing our customer base

    • You might be a good fit if you have:

  • A minimum of seven (7) years of consultative and/or complex sales experience
  • Significant experience in a quota-driven sales environment, exceeding sales production targets
  • You have the sense of priorities, and you have an analytical mind;
  • You are good at planning simultaneous assignments, and you are a good organizer, even in unexpected circumstances;
  • You are capable to work under stress and with short delays;
  • You have a dynamic personality, well organized and can work independently
    • View full listing