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 .

Senior Sales Development Representative

Monograph · Phoenix, Arizona

Look around you today, every store, home, hospital, school, was made possible by the coordination of architects and a team of professionals. They are charged with the responsibility of creating our shelters and yet, they are left with nothing more than Excel to manage their work. We're here to change that. 

What is Monograph?

Monograph is a firm performance management platform for architecture and engineering practices. Firms use Monograph to make quick and confident decisions about budgeting and resources to drive their practices forward.

Why Work at Monograph?

People first: Core to the team, we believe in people first, curiosity, and empathy. You'll be a culture ambassador and deploy your genuine value for relationships to drive success and happiness.

Build a company that will redefine architecture: Project management is just the beginning...we have big ambitions to help facilitate the entire design process from becoming the document source of truth to coordinating with consultants. You can shape the future of building design.

Work with some of the best product people in the world: We’re an innovative team of highly productive individual contributors with a strong design background. You will be doing some of the best work of your life.


 

We’re looking for an Outbound Sales Development Representative in Phoenix, AZ to join the Monograph team. This role will be instrumental in powering the Monograph revenue engine.

The Outbound Senior Sales Development Representative is an ambitious and organized professional who loves working with prospective customers and bringing in sales leads. SDRs play a critical role in the sales cycle and are often the first contact that a prospective customer has with Monograph. Whether interacting on the phone, at an event, through email, or some other medium, SDRs make a positive first impression of Monograph by being responsible for the first portion of a prospect’s sales journey. We work hard, but also prioritize our fun, collaborative and well-balanced culture. As a rapidly growing company, opportunities for internal growth and career development are plentiful.

So, what will you do at Monograph as Senior Sales Development Rep?

  • You will research, identify, and contact prospective customers, understand their business needs and convey the ways Monograph can provide a solution to their needs. 
  • You will schedule meetings with qualified prospective customers to meet with sales.
  • You will consistently create a pipeline of qualified opportunities that fuels Monograph’s net new business revenue.
  • You will collaborate closely with marketing to drive attendance for events, conferences and webinars and to follow up with Marketing generated leads
  • You will meet and even exceed your productivity metrics

What skills and qualifications do you need?

  • 1.5+ years of Outbound sales experience
  • SaaS selling Experience
  • Startup Experience
  • You love hunting for prospective customers you can bring in as sales leads, and you have a phone-centric mentality
  • You’re confident, curious and engaging on the phone, an active listener, and have strong communication skills
  • You have strong writing and research capabilities
  • You’re organized, attentive to details and possess strong problem-solving skills
  • You’re collaborative and thrive in a competitive environment
  • You’re self-aware, reflective, coachable and seek out feedback to understand where opportunities exist to optimize performance outcomes 
  • You’re motivated to further your career in software sales 

Compensation: 55,000 - 57,500 base depending on experience + $ 25,000 to $30,500+ Variable Target (Uncapped) 

We encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, including women and minorities, to apply for this position. We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome candidates who may not meet every listed requirement but are eager to contribute and grow within our team. Even if you don't meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.


You'll Love Our Benefits

🎭 Innovative engineering and product culture

💰 Early-stage well-funded company

❤️ Inclusion and diversity as a company priority


And for US-based, full-time employees: 

🌡 100% premium coverage on our healthcare plans for employees and their families

🦷 Dental & vision coverage for employees and families 

🖥 New laptop & equipment

🏋🏻‍♀️ Wellness Stipend