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 .

Technical Recruiter

Northwood Space · Torrance, CA

About Northwood Space:

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between earth and space and bring the benefits of space to the masses through innovations in space communications technologies. If you are energized by building at a high-velocity company and seeing your work deployed in locations around the globe with real impact, we want you at Northwood.

Role:

As a Technical Recruiter at Northwood Space, you will be responsible for identifying, attracting, and hiring top-tier technical talent to support our ambitious projects. You will collaborate closely with hiring managers and leadership to understand staffing needs, develop recruitment strategies, and drive the hiring process from sourcing to onboarding. This role will be based in-person in our Torrance, CA or Washington D.C. office five days a week.

Responsibilities:

  • Partner with hiring managers to understand job requirements and develop effective recruitment strategies.

  • Source, screen, and engage highly skilled candidates for engineering, software and hardware development, and other technical roles.

  • Utilize various sourcing techniques, including direct outreach, networking, job boards, social media, and industry events, to build talent pipeline.

  • Conduct initial interviews to assess candidate qualifications, technical skills, and cultural fit.

  • Manage the end-to-end recruitment process, including interview scheduling, candidate communication, offer negotiations, and onboarding coordination.

  • Maintain and optimize Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to track candidate progress and recruitment metrics.

  • Develop and enhance employer branding initiatives to attract top talent.

  • Stay up to date with industry trends and talent market dynamics to ensure competitive hiring strategies.

Qualifications:

  • 3-5+ years of experience in technical recruiting, with direct experience hiring software and/or hardware engineers

  • Proficiency in sourcing tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Stack Overflow, and ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever, or Ashby).

  • Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.

  • Ability to manage multiple requisitions simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

  • Strong organizational and analytical skills with a data-driven approach to recruitment.

Additional Information:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

View full listing