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 .

Director, Clinical Development

MapLight Therapeutics · Remote

Who We Are: MapLight Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotech company that focuses on drug discovery for central nervous system disorders. We combine cutting-edge technologies including optogenetics, in vivo physiology, and spatial transcriptomics to identify novel drug targets and develop effective therapies to address psychiatric symptoms.

 

MapLight Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotech company that focuses on drug discovery for central nervous system disorders. We combine cutting-edge technologies including optogenetics, in vivo physiology, and spatial transcriptomics to identify novel drug targets and develop effective therapies to address psychiatric symptoms.

 

What You’ll Do:

The Director, Clinical Development, will be a highly qualified and motivated study director supporting ML-007 Schizophrenia Phase 2/3. This position reports to the Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and will be an important member of cross-functional development teams.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate with colleagues on a matrix team to ensure the optimal planning, implementation, interpretation and reporting of clinical studies, including:
    • Contribute to the design of study synopses/protocols that will rigorously evaluate the efficacy and safety of compounds in development
    • Participate in vendor selection and study start-up processes and study-related plans
    • Monitor clinical studies, focusing on quality and adherence to Good Clinical Practice
    • Continually evaluate study data and study metrics, including eligibility criteria, trend analyses, outlier analyses, protocol compliance, deviations, and timelines
  • Partner with pharmacovigilance to review and report clinical safety data for presentation to key internal and external stakeholders, including management and Data Safety Boards
    • Interact with sites and CROs to support study awareness, patient recruitment, and quality of study conduct
  • Contribute to the preparation and review of regulatory documents, IND annual reports, IND safety reports, Investigator Brochures and development plans.
    • Participate in study start-up processes
    • Contribute to the writing of final study reports
  • Promote a high-performance culture and respectful work environment.
  • Comply with all applicable laws, regulations and regulatory guidelines as well as SOPs and ethical standards.
  • You can participate and work effectively with multiple cross-functional teams.
  • You have strong interpersonal skills and understand relationships are key to being successful.
  • You are a leader. Teams love working with you, and you are someone who takes pride in mentoring and supporting the careers of others.
  • You’re a team player who is willing to roll-up your sleeves and get the job done.

 

Qualifications:

  • MD (Medical Doctor or equivalent)
    • Board eligible/certified preferred
    • Active license preferred
  • Minimum 2 years industry experience in clinical research and medical monitoring.
  • Excellent clinical judgment with thorough understanding of medical and clinical research norms and practices
  • Methodical detail-oriented mindset with strong organizational abilities
  • Proficient with computerized systems and electronic databases
  • Demonstrated ability to work well within a geographically diverse team structure.
  • Strong communication and presentation skills.
  • Strong verbal and written command of the English language.
  • Highly motivated, self-driven and dependable.
  • Flexible availability, as needed for monitoring clinical trials
  • Committed to MapLight's Core Beliefs and Values.

Travel:

  • Ability to travel (approximately 10%).

Location: This is a remote US base position.  Employees located within a 50 mile radius of Redwood City, CA or Burlington, MA is hybrid in office.  

MapLight does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, staffing agencies, or search firms.

 

Compensation for this role may vary within the above range based on many factors including geographic location, candidate experience, and skills. Additional compensation/benefits include annual bonus opportunity, medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, short term and long term disability, 401(K) plan with match, stock options, flexible non-accrual paid time off, and parental leave.

Salary Range
$275,000$313,000 USD

EEOC Statement: MapLight Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.