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 Software Engineer - Australia

Neara · Sydney

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.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be designing and implementing features in one of our engineering groups: 

  • Digitisation: generate digital twins from various data sources using a mix of machine learning, algorithms and work on tooling to correct bad extractions as fast as possible.

  • Platform: provide the API surface for organisations to extract the most value out of the data hosted on the Neara platform. Work on our internal expression language and work with customers and other teams to identify the abstractions we need to provide.

  • Design: take digital twins (or prospective designs) and analyse the viability of designs, from load analysis on infrastructure to identifying the resilience of the electric network to extreme weather events. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Digitisation

  • Develop and measure algorithmic/ML improvements to digital twin extraction.

  • Improve monitoring to identify when our systems do a bad job of digital twin extraction (for example, distribution drift, misconfiguration).

  • Develop tooling to quickly fix problems created by automated solutions.

  • If you’d like to apply for a Machine Learning Engineer role in this group, please click here.

Platform

  • Develop the functionality of our internal platform by identifying common abstractions that can apply to many unique use cases.

  • Data abstractions that allow users to semantically model and interact with their organisation's data.

Design

  • Develop solutions that provide designers the ability to simulate the structural forces on the network and the behaviour of the network in various weather scenarios.

  • Develop CAD-like tooling to import engineering designs to develop networks or work with Digitisation to fit lidar and imagery to engineering designs in order to achieve better simulations.

WHAT WE OFFER

  • Competitive salary & meaningful ESOP

  • Fully flexible working arrangements with a well-stocked office in Redfern

  • Regular office events

  • The real benefit is working on a genuinely complex, innovative and industry-leading product, making a genuine difference in the world around us.


To apply, please use the online application link below. Neara values diversity, belonging and equal employment opportunities. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. 

Please note that you will require current and unrestricted working rights to be considered for the role. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

No agencies or third-party service providers, please.