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 .

Sales Manager - Colombia

Neara · Bogotá

Imagine having the power to stress-test an entire power grid against a hurricane before the clouds even gather. That is the reality we are creating at Neara.

We use advanced machine learning to create engineering-grade, physics enabled digital twins of electricity grids across four continents, this helps asset owners understand their biggest challenges and bring the most viable solutions to life across millions of kilometres of infrastructure.

By simulating extreme weather and structural stress at a network-wide scale, we empower the world’s largest utilities to pinpoint risks, optimise investments and build a more resilient global energy future.

Our team is a collection of brilliant minds who are fanatical about making a tangible difference in the real world, utilising AI and machine learning to accelerate everything from data classification to complex scenario analysis. We have built a special culture where innovation thrives because everyone owns the mission and we need smart, creative people to help us scale this impact to every corner of the globe.

Latin America is a priority geography for Neara. Over the last 12 months, we have laid the groundwork and opened doors with major regional players. We are now looking for a strategic Sales Manager/Director in Colombia, to be our foundational experts on the ground.

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious professional to take ownership of a market. We aren't looking for a pure "hunter" to sell simple licenses; we need a "nourisher" with a technical background who can navigate complex, 12-month consultative sales cycles with large, often state-owned organizations.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

  • Execute on Active Leads: Transition existing, solid leads that are close to signing into signed contracts for initial projects.

  • Market Ownership: Act as the "first mover" in your region, building your own pipeline of new opportunities while managing and scaling existing client relationships from $50k initial projects to $500k–$1M enterprise partnerships.

  • Regional Coverage: The Colombia role (Spanish-speaking) will likely cover the broader LATAM region, including Peru, Argentina, Chile, Panama, and Mexico.

  • Technical Relationship Management: Lead the "engineering side of the chat," guiding senior stakeholders through the complexities of our platform to drive long-term system-wide resilience.

  • Collaborative Reporting: Formally report to our leadership in London, with close daily mentorship and a dotted-line reporting structure to our regional experts

WHO YOU ARE

  • The "Nourisher" Profile: You are an Account Manager with a technical background (e.g., Engineering) who excels at building trust and managing long-term, high-stakes relationships.

  • Technically Proficient: You are "nerdy" enough to be comfortable with complex engineering discussions while remaining a sharp commercial strategist.

  • Strategic Thinker: You have a "strategic brain" and the resilience to work independently as a first mover in the market.

  • Language Skills: You are absolutely fluent in English and Spanish

  • Ambitious Growth Mindset: You aspire to grow from a Sales Manager into a Country Manager or Country Head, leading a full local team as the market matures.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING YOU

  • Pivotal, influential role in a scaling business with the opportunity to drive our success. Longer term you could have the opportunity to hire a team and build out our presence in LATAM

  • Join a global, scaling business at the forefront of the energy utilities SaaS industry as we scale globally - and make a genuine difference in the world around us.

  • Competitive salary, flexible hours and working arrangements.

  • Significant opportunity for career development and acceleration.

#LI-CD1