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 .

Recruitment Policies

OCBC Bank

    Recruitment Privacy Policy
    Jurisdiction Addendums
    Country Contacts
    Recruitment Privacy Policy
    Recruitment Privacy Policy
    Jurisdiction Addendums
    China
    Hong Kong
    Macau
    Malaysia
    Country Contacts
    Country Contacts

    Recruitment Privacy Policy

    Expand allCollapse all
    • Recruitment Privacy Policy
      1.  Introduction
        1.  The purpose of this document (“Recruitment Privacy Policy”) is to inform you of how:
          • Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited;
          • OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad;
          • OCBC Bank Limited;
          • OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited;
          • OCBC Bank (Macau) Limited;
          • OCBC Property Services Pte Ltd;
          • OCBC Securities Pte Ltd;
          • Bank of Singapore Limited; and
          • their related corporations,

          and their respective representatives and agents (collectively referred to as “OCBC Group”, “us”, “we” or “our”) collect, use, and disclose your personal data.

        2.  Please refer to the Jurisdiction Addendums for further information on our data protection practices that might apply to you.
      2.  Personal Data
        1.  “Personal Data” refers to any data, whether true or not, about an individual who can be identified directly or indirectly (a) from that data; or (b) from that data and other information to which we have or are likely to have access.
        2.  Some examples of Personal Data include your full name; government identification number; contact details (e.g. telephone number(s), and mailing and email address); location of birth; your educational background, qualifications, and work experience; financial information (e.g. bank account details); personal data relating to any individuals which you provide to us (e.g. personal data of next-of-kin or dependants); and sensitive personal data (only where applicable and mandatory).
      3.  Collection of Personal Data
        1.  We generally collect Personal Data that you, or a third party authorised by you, knowingly and voluntarily provide to us. Generally, we collect your Personal Data in the following ways:
          • when you send an employment or job application, provide documents or information (such as your resume) in connection with any appointment as an officer, director, representative or to any other position, or when you attend interviews with us;
          • when you submit any form, including application, declaration, proposal or referral forms;
          • when you interact with our employees via telephone calls (which may be recorded), letters, online chat, face-to-face meetings and e-mail;
          • where permitted or required under applicable law, such as when we seek information about you regarding your relationship with us (such as job applications) and receive your Personal Data (for example, from your ex-employers and relevant third parties);
          • when you are within our premises, or attend events hosted by us;
          • when you use services provided through our online and other technology platforms, such as websites and apps, including when you set up any online accounts with us;
          • when you interact with us via our websites and platforms, or use services on our websites and platforms;
          • from third party sources to which you have given your consent (such as our employee screening vendors) or if the collection of your Personal Data is necessary to comply with applicable laws; and
          • when you send your Personal Data to us for any other related reasons.
        2.  You must ensure that all Personal Data provided to us is complete, accurate, true and correct. Failure on your part to do so may prevent us from properly processing your Personal Data.
        3.  If you provide us with any Personal Data of a third party (e.g. information on your next-of-kin), you represent that, by sending such Personal Data to us, you have obtained the consent of such third parties for you to provide us with their Personal Data for assessing and evaluating your employment suitability and other relevant purposes listed below, and you have informed such third parties about how we may process their Personal Data.
        4.  Providing your Personal Data to us is voluntary. If you do not provide us with the required Personal Data in connection with your application, we regret that we will not be able to process your application, which may affect your employment opportunities.
      4.  Purposes for the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Data
        1.  OCBC Group collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Data for the following purposes:
          • performing any obligations under or in connection with your relationship with us, conducting interviews, processing your application which includes pre-recruitment or pre-engagement checks involving your qualifications and facilitating interviews;
          • providing or obtaining employee references and for background screening;
          • assessing and evaluating your suitability for employment or appointment, or continued employment or appointment in any current or prospective position;
          • processing staff referrals;
          • verifying your identity and the accuracy of your Personal Data;
          • preventing, detecting, and investigating any crimes, acts or defaults, or suspected crimes, acts or defaults (including fraud, money-laundering and terrorist financing);
          • in connection with any claims, actions or proceedings (including drafting and reviewing documents, transaction documentation, obtaining legal advice, and facilitating dispute resolution), and in protecting and enforcing our contractual and legal rights and obligations;
          • training our employees to provide better candidate experience;
          • facilitating our compliance with any applicable rules, laws, regulations, customs, codes of practice or guidelines which are applicable to us, or which we have been advised, recommended or informed that we are expected to comply with (including disclosures to regulatory bodies, conducting audit checks, surveillance and investigation, and due diligence), internal policies, assisting law enforcement or investigations by relevant authorities, and complying with listing and other requirements or directions of the Singapore Exchange Limited and/or any other relevant securities exchange;
          • any other purpose relating to or reasonably necessary for any of the above.
      5.  Disclosure of Personal Data
        1.  We will only share your Personal Data with selected third parties. When we disclose your personal data to them, we require them to ensure that your Personal Data is kept secure. Your Personal Data may be disclosed for the purposes listed above (where applicable) to third parties, which might be located outside the jurisdiction in which you are located, such as:
          • OCBC Group and their related corporations, and their respective employees, agents, and representatives;
          • our third-party service providers, including third parties conducting mandatory background screening on behalf of OCBC Group, and analytics, search engine providers or other third parties that help us to deliver, improve and optimise our products, services, websites and platforms;
          • relevant government regulators, ministries, statutory boards or authorities, law enforcement agencies and public officers, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, the Singapore Police Force, and the Insolvency and Public Trustee Office; and
          • any other party to whom you authorise us to disclose your information or Personal Data.
          • When we transfer your Personal Data to other countries, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data continues to receive a standard of protection that is at least comparable to that provided under applicable data protection laws.
      6.  Data Subject Rights
        1.  If you wish to submit (a) an access request for access to a copy of the personal data which we hold about you or information about the ways in which we use or disclose your personal data, (b) a correction request to correct or update any of your personal data which we hold about you, or (c) withdraw your consent in writing, you may submit your request in writing to the email address provided below.
      7.  Security of Personal Data
        1.  OCBC Group has put in place safeguards to protect your Personal Data. This includes an administrative, physical and technical measures such as encryption, authentication and access controls, and regular reviews of our systems and software, regular training for staff, internal and external audits, and an organisation-wide data protection management programme.
      8.  Retention of Personal Data
        1.  Your Personal Data will be retained if the purpose for which it was collected remains reasonable, and for other legal or business purposes for which the retention of your Personal Data may be necessary.
      9.  Use of Cookies and Artificial Intelligence
        1.  OCBC Group is committed to harnessing advanced technology to deliver efficient and innovative services to our candidates and staff and to enhance our processes. As part of this commitment, OCBC Group uses Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) across our business. By using AI, we aim to enhance our evaluation of candidates, and enhance our hiring practices and your recruitment experience with us. Our HR team reviews any results to ensure fairness and accuracy. Please refer to our AI Policy here.
        2.  Our websites and platforms use cookies, web beacons, tracking links and similar technologies to improve your experience, understand your preferences, analyse site traffic and personalise content. Cookies are files stored on your web browser or device that help our website remember your preferences and other information. When you visit our website again, your browser reads the cookie and shares the information with the website or platform that set the cookie. Web beacons are small graphics t
    View full listing