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 .

Loan Originator (Remote)

Paceloangroup · Remote

Loan Originator

PACE Loan Group ("PLG"), at the forefront of scaling C-PACE financing across the country, is hiring a seasoned Loan Originator to our growing team. We are looking for candidates who are well-versed in structured commercial real estate finance, with a track record of originating at least $50 million annually since 2022 across multiple asset classes.

We seek a rainmaker with established mortgage banker, developer, sponsor and lender relationships to accelerate our growth within these sectors. You will leverage your nationwide contacts for business. You’ll source, originate and close C-PACE loans in nearly 40 states.

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (“C-PACE”) financing is the fastest-growing type of commercial real estate financing in the US. It enables property owners and developers to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resiliency measures incurred to improve commercial property. C-PACE lending volume is approaching $3 billion annually, with individual PACE loans ranging as high as $200 million. And banks and debt funds are more routinely combining with PACE to deliver cost-effective project capital stacks.

Founded in 2017, PLG is a leading national direct C-PACE lender. With an industry-leading balance sheet, PLG originates and services C-PACE loans nationwide for our own portfolio. PLG is among Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies and is known for an employee-centric culture second-to-none in commercial real estate finance. We are on the ground floor of something big - and we want you to be a part of it.

If you are a deal junkie with a breadth of commercial real estate finance experience, this position offers you significant upside in an exponentially growing industry. Compensation is comprised of base salary and production-based commissions.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

This is a sales role dependent on sourcing new loan originations.

  • Outreach through calls, e-mails, other electronic messaging and conference attendance to source potential PACE deals

  • Partner with all local mortgage brokers to include PACE in their capital stacks

  • Secure project-specific 1st lienholder consent to PACE assessment financing

  • Prepare and negotiate C-PACE term sheets

  • Assist in the initial project review, underwriting, and deal closings

  • Logging all leads and correspondence in our CRM system

  • Understand the nuances of various C-PACE programs

  • Other tasks as needed

Qualified Applicants have:

  • Autonomy and intrinsic motivation. We are looking for a self-starter who thrives with a performance-based compensation structure and in a competitive environment

  • Fearlessness and tenacity to make cold calls, and finesse to convert potential leads to actual business

  • Desire to perform nationwide outreach, including in key target markets

  • Track record of loan originations and/or deep relationships with developers, property owners, and mortgage brokers

  • Credit knowledge to utilize in initial project review, underwriting, and deal closings

  • Excellent responsiveness and interpersonal skills

  • The ability to independently make decisions in high-stress situations

We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome our employees’ differences, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or Veteran status.