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 Development Representative

Hockeystack · San Francisco

HockeyStack is building the agent infrastructure for enterprise revenue. We spent five years building the only data architecture that preserves causality across the full revenue stack — every interaction, every signal, in sequence. On top of that foundation, we built Nex-lm, a purpose-built AI engine that compiles natural language into deterministic agent workflows. The result is a platform that can extract the revenue blueprint from a company's data, encode it into repeatable automations, and execute it across sales, marketing, and customer success — consistently, at scale.

We are not building a dashboard tool with an AI feature. We are building the operating layer that replaces the human bottleneck in enterprise revenue organizations. This is a category being defined right now, and we intend to own it.

We have raised $50M+ from Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Y Combinator, and others.

We operate fully in-person in San Francisco. We move fast and we hire people who want to win.

Since launching late 2023, we have grown to 8-figures in ARR, process over 60 TB of revenue data monthly, and we are working with some of the largest B2B companies in the world like Microsoft, Harvey, New Relic, Collibra, etc.

🚀 Your Mission

HockeyStack is growing fast — with 3× revenue in the past year, a breakout product, and a GTM engine just getting started. As a Sales Development Representative, you’ll join a high-performing outbound team focused on building pipeline and driving growth. This role is for someone who wants to grow fast, take full ownership of their impact, and be part of a sales team that rewards performance with real opportunity.

🔧 What You’ll Do

  • Generate pipeline through high-performing outbound motions across cold calls, email, LinkedIn, and events.

  • Develop deep mastery of HockeyStack’s products, ICP, and value proposition.

  • Leverage the most advanced end-to-end automation system ever deployed to an outbound team.

  • Partner closely with Account Executives to book qualified meetings, progress accounts, and accelerate pipeline growth.

🧬 What We’re Looking For

  • Fully committed to working in-person, 5 days/week at our San Francisco headquarters.

  • Ownership-first mindset. You take initiative, move with extreme urgency, and figure things out.

  • Thrive in early-stage, high-urgency environments where speed and impact matter.

  • Upholds a high-expectation culture centered on hard work, intensity, and continuous improvement.

✨ Why Join Now?

We’re at an inflection point. The product is proven, the market is massive, and the opportunity is wide open. You’ll be joining a company with real traction, rapid growth, and meaningful backing where every person still shapes the outcome. This isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to build something category-defining with people who care deeply about doing it right.

As part of our San Francisco, California-based team, the on target earnings range for this role is $100,000 USD annually, depending on experience and qualifications.

HockeyStack is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.