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 .

Embedded Software Engineer (AOSP), Hardware Engineering

Nex · Hong Kong or Remote

Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities.

Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore Have Fun and Is Motion Gaming Back?, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations.

Location: Hong Kong or Remote
Type: Full Time
Reports to: Head of Platform Engineering

The Role

As Nex’s Embedded Software Engineer (AOSP), you are part of an ambitious and versatile Platform Engineering Team pushing the boundaries of motion gaming by optimizing Playground’s operating system and integrating state-of-the-art image processing, CV and ML algorithms. You help us take control of all low-level SoC functions, including NPU, ISP, and GPU pipelines to achieve best-in-class throughput and response. You unlock new system capabilities by enabling deep, end-to-end integration across applications, firmware, and hardware. Your product is a beautiful technology stack where innovative interactive experiences can thrive. You report to the Head of Platform Engineering.

As a technology enthusiast, you want to be part of a creative process that improves people’s lives. You are fond of new innovations, especially those connecting the physical and digital worlds. You are a relentless learner and problem solver. You resist the urge to succumb to deadlines, pressure, and skepticism until you get to the root of every problem. Coding is your doorway to the world.

What You Will Bring To The Table

  • Ability to deeply integrate software and hardware to push the technology boundaries and unlock new capabilities.
  • Knowledge of Android and Linux operating systems.
  • A developed sense and sensitivity to technology to lead your colleagues down the right paths.
  • Skills that accelerate your colleagues’ learning, experimentation, and product development.

Must Have

  • 3+ years of experience in embedded system software development.
  • 1+ years of experience with Android Open Source Project.
  • 1+ years of experience with consumer electronics.
  • Proficiency in C/C++ and Python.
  • Proficiency in system debugging tools such as perfetto, systrace, tcpdump, Arm Mobile Studio, etc.
  • Knowledge of Android and Linux operating systems, hardware abstraction layers, task scheduling, multi-processing, and performance optimization techniques.
  • Understanding of computer architectures, memory access patterns, caching, interrupts, and hardware acceleration.
  • Proficiency in English communication.

Should Have

  • Fascination with low-level hardware technology.
  • Willingness to deep-dive into problems and an obsession with finding the root causes.
  • Commitment to building useful products.
  • Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Desire to help others succeed

Nice to Have

  • Familiarity with image processing and graphical pipelines.
  • Domain knowledge of cameras and ISPs.
  • Domain knowledge of neural networks and NPUs.
  • Domain knowledge of Arm Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs.
  • Experience with bootloaders and system initialization.
  • Experience with deploying ML applications on the edge.
  • Interest in venture business and startup life.
  • Relevant industry connections.

We Offer

  • Competitive compensation package.
  • Flexible working hours and vacation policy.
  • Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth.
  • Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field

Nex is located in San Jose, California, USA and Hong Kong. Learn more about us at nex.inc/who-we-are.

We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms!

Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.

We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.

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