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 .

Principal Engineer, AI Architect   

Liveperson · Remote - Colorado

Location: Denver, Colorado Remote Status: Fully Remote (#LI-Remote)

LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN) is a leader in trusted enterprise conversational AI and digital transformation. The world's leading brands use our award-winning Conversational Cloud platform to connect with millions of consumers. We power nearly a billion conversational interactions every month, providing uniquely rich data analytics and safety tools to unlock the power of conversational AI for better business outcomes. Fast Company named LivePerson the #1 Most Innovative AI Company in the world.

Position Overview

Our goal is to deliver the next-generation of Conversational AI (CAI) by leveraging and creating the latest in Generative AI technology. We are looking for a Principal Engineer, AI Architect to design and implement the latest Generative AI based solution, reporting directly to the Head of Architecture. This role includes working with the innovation team and other senior engineers. As an architect, the engineer will be instrumental in shaping the AI vision of LivePerson. 

You Will: Key Responsibilities & Impact

  • Architect and build next-generation Conversational AI products that push the boundaries of what's possible
  • Lead and mentor engineering teams, setting technical direction and best practices
  • Partner with Product to shape requirements and translate vision into scalable solutions
  • Design cloud-native architectures that are resilient, scalable, and built for the future
  • Integrate cutting-edge AI tools and services, championing their adoption across the team
  • Drive engineering excellence through comprehensive test automation and quality-first delivery

You Have: Required Skills & Qualifications

  • 10+ years building full-stack applications with Java and Node.js (Python and Vue.js are a plus)
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Communications, or related field
  • 5+ years designing and architecting enterprise-grade SaaS Products
  • 5+ years shipping AI products to production
  • Deep experience with cloud platforms (GCP experience is a plus)
  • Background in data analytics and reporting tools, especially for contact centers and conversational analytics (nice to have)
  • Proven track record leading engineering team as technical expert

The salary range for this role will be between $190,000 - $210,000 USD. Final compensation will be determined by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to your location, skills, experience, education, and/or professional certifications.

Our Benefits & Perks

We are committed to supporting the complete well-being, health, financial security, family, and professional growth of our permanent employees.

🏥 Health & Wellbeing

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Comprehensive plans to support your health needs.

Wellness Resources: Access to wellbeing resources and programs including our EAP plan.Health & Mental Support: Access a confidential and free Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing professional counseling.

💰 Financial Security & Growth

  • 401(k) Retirement Plan: To help you plan for your financial future by offering both the plan and a 4% employer match (100% match on the first 3% contribution and 50% match on the next 2% contribution)

HSA & FSA Plans:  To help you plan for health related expenses on a pre-tax basis

  • Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP): Participate and receive a discount on company shares, allowing you to directly share in LivePerson's success and growth.
  • Additional Insurances: Basic and supplemental  life insurance,  Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance coverage, legal plan, identity theft protection plan, and critical illness supplemental insurance.
  • Development: Access to internal professional development resources.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Time Away & Family Support

  • Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO): Discretionary PTO package for flexible days off with manager approval.
  • Paid Public Holidays.
  • Generous Parental Leave Policy: Including maternity/paternity support and fertility services.

💻 Workplace Flexibility

  • Remote-First Model: This role is fully remote (#LI-Remote), offering excellent work-life balance and flexibility. We also maintain dedicated WeWork space for those who wish to meet colleagues or collaborate in person.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

As leaders in enterprise customer conversations, we celebrate diversity, empowering our team to forge impactful conversations globally. LivePerson is a place where uniqueness is embraced, growth is constant, and everyone is empowered to create their own success. We're very proud to have earned recognition from Fast Company, Newsweek, and BuiltIn for being a top innovative, beloved, and remote-friendly workplace, and recognized by Gartner as a leader in the Conversational AI space.

Belonging at LivePerson: Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by US Federal, State, or Local law.

Accessibility Commitment

LivePerson is dedicated to the accessibility needs of our applicants and employees. We provide reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. Applicants who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should inform their recruiting contact upon initial connection.

Important Candidate Notice

The talent acquisition team at LivePerson has recently been notified of a phishing scam targeting candidates applying for our open roles. Scammers have been posing as hiring managers and recruiters in an effort to access candidates' personal and financial information. The phishing scam is not isolated to only LivePerson and has been documented in news articles and media outlets.

Please note that any communication from our hiring teams at LivePerson regarding a job opportunity will only be made by a LivePerson employee with an @liveperson.com email address. LivePerson does not ask for personal or financial information as part of our interview process, including but not limited to your social security number, online account passwords, credit card numbers, passport information, and other related banking information. If you have any questions and or concerns, please feel free to contact [email protected]