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 .

Sr Account Executive (BENELUX)

Mobilexpense · Amsterdam

The Opportunity

We're hiring a Senior Account Executive to own mid-market sales across Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg). You'll close deals independently and mentor junior AEs.

Key requirement: You must self-source your pipeline. We're not looking for order-takers. If you've built your own deals, thrived on outbound prospecting, and hit aggressive quotas consistently, this role is for you.

What You'll Own

Pipeline Generation (Mandatory)

  • Self-source your pipeline through outbound prospecting and account research

  • We also have inbound leads, SDR-sourced opportunities, and partnership channels—you'll leverage all of them

  • Maintain healthy pipeline coverage

  • Identify deal risks early and proactively remove blockers

  • Prospecting is a core part of your role, not a side activity

  • Track conversion metrics and optimize your approach

Revenue & Territory

  • Hit your annual quota consistently

  • Own territory strategy and decide where to focus effort

Cross-Functional Collaboration (Required)

  • Work closely with Marketing on campaigns, messaging, and positioning

  • Partner with SDRs on pipeline generation and account strategy

  • Collaborate with Product on customer feedback and feature prioritization

  • Work with Partnerships on partner-sourced opportunities

  • These are core to your role, not optional activities

Sales Excellence

  • Run structured discovery and consultative sales process

  • Deliver compelling product demos and business cases

  • Navigate multi-stakeholder deals across Finance, HR, IT

  • Maintain accurate forecasting and CRM hygiene

Customer Handover & Journey

  • Ensure seamless handover to Customer Success at deal close (no dropped context)

  • Brief CS team on customer priorities, deal-specific commitments, and onboarding needs

  • Maintain ownership of customer success through early onboarding phase

  • Proactively flag at-risk accounts or expansion opportunities to CS and leadership

Go-to-Market Feedback

  • Bring frontline insights on ICP, messaging, and objections

  • Share learnings on what works (and what doesn't) to improve the playbook

  • Collaborate with Marketing and Product to refine positioning and campaigns

Your First 90 Days

  • Timeline: Day 30

    Target: Prospecting rhythm established

    What It Means: Territory mapped. Prospecting underway. You understand the market, product, and customer base. You've met key teams.

  • Timeline: Day 60

    Target: First deal closed

    What It Means: You've sourced, discovered, and closed your first deal. You know how customers buy and what resonates.

  • Timeline: Day 90

    Target: Healthy pipeline built

    What It Means: Pipeline established. Ready to scale. Deep knowledge of product, customers, and Mobilexpense team.

  • Timeline: Month 6

    Target: 50% quota

    What It Means: On track. Deal flow consistent.

  • Timeline: Month 12

    Target: 100% quota

    What It Means: Fully ramped. Reliable pipeline and closing velocity.

View full listing