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 .

Talent Acquisition Partner - Skilled Trades

Meriton · Denver, Colorado; Irving, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona

Meriton is a national team of experts driving HVAC innovation through a network of high-performing companies. From strategy and support to systems and solutions, we work behind the scenes to strengthen operations and build value—for our partners and our people.

If you’re looking to make an impact, we’re glad you’re here. At Meriton, you’ll join a team that believes in big ideas, doing great work, and building careers that matter—every step of the way.

Position Description

Job Title: Talent Acquisition Partner – Skilled Trades

Reports To: Talent Acquisition Manager, Trades

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Shared Services Office, Irving, TX OR remote from Phoenix, AZ or Denver, CO

Note: Hybrid work schedule

Summary:

You will leverage your recruiting expertise to partner across Meriton and all operating companies to hire exceptional talent and provide the best-in-class service. The Talent Acquisition Partner is responsible for full life cycle recruiting by using creative sourcing methods and cross-collaborating amongst all stakeholders. The Talent Acquisition Partner must be an independent self-starter, innovative, resourceful, and possess strong organizational and communication skills to meet the needs of our multi-brand growing business.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Implement recruiting best practices to attract and retain top talent, while building a strong employer brand, and managing recruitment resources effectively and efficiently
  • Source candidates to meet job description profiles and build a diverse talent pool for current and future staffing needs
  • Conduct intake sessions with hiring leaders to set expectations and service level agreements for recruitment process and understand the needs of the position and partner on job descriptions to ensure role clarity and accuracy
  • Utilize passive sourcing and recruiting techniques including, but not limited to, Boolean searches, referrals, databases, job boards, social media, career events, and networks
  • Manage candidate data tracking in real-time within the Applicant Tracking System tool and conduct regular data audits
  • Track key recruiting metrics, such as time to fill, time to hire, and source effectiveness, to identify areas for improvement and optimize the recruitment process
  • Analyze job requirements and develop unique recruitment initiatives to attract top talent
  • Ensure a red-carpet candidate and hiring manager experience by providing clear communication, timely feedback, and a seamless hiring process
  • Partner with the university relations partner(s) in the college recruiting process, including attending career fairs and events
  • Regular, consistent and necessary to meet the needs of the business
  • Assists the leadership of the Talent Acquisition team and other team members with various research projects and/or special projects
  • Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned
  • Must conduct self in an ethical, legal, and responsible manner at all times
  • Must adhere to the policies, principles, and guidance within the Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct


Competencies

  • Elevated professionalism which demonstrates tempered emotions, empathy, positive intent, and integrity in all interactions.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization. Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to solve practical problems and manage a variety of variables in situations and with problems where only limited information or standardization exists
  • Open and transparent with a strong work ethic as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
  • Must be a self-starter, independent, and strong organization skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines at any given time
  • Ability to establish and build effective working relationships with colleagues and staff. Acceptance of a variety of lifestyles, behaviors, and cultural, and spiritual practices

Education/Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field, or equivalent experience
  • 2+ years of full cycle recruitment including proactive sourcing & utilization of all resources available to attract qualified candidates
  • Skilled trades recruitment experience, preferably HVAC
  • Applicant tracking system and CRM experience
  • Experience in Greenhouse Recruiting is a plus
  • Must be proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals

with disabilities to perform the essentials functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The workplace is in a corporate office environment and the temperature in the work environment is usually moderate. The position’s primary office is the Shared Services, Irving, TX office; however, telework or work at home, on the road, or in a satellite location for portions of the workweek may occur, depending upon project needs and requirements in coordination with your direct supervisor and/or most senior leader of your department.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable the individuals with disabilities to perform the essentials functions. Must be able to regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by an applicant’s or employee’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other legally protected status.  Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.

Salary ranges listed are dependent upon a candidate’s qualifications, experience, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the specific role and location.