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 .

Mechanical Engineer

Parallel · Los Angeles, CA

Parallel Systems is pioneering autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles designed to transform freight transportation by shifting portions of the $900 billion U.S. trucking industry onto rail. Our innovative technology offers cleaner, safer, and more efficient logistics solutions. Join our dynamic team and help shape a smarter, greener future for global freight.

Mechanical Engineer 

Parallel Systems is building autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles to modernize freight transportation. We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to help design and build the next generation of our vehicles. This is a hands-on role for an early-career engineer who wants to work on real hardware, solve practical mechanical problems, and stay close to the build. 

We are looking for people from top engineering programs who have already designed and built meaningful hardware through internships, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Design/Build/Fly, rocket club, robotics, senior design, or similar technical programs. The right person is not just strong in theory, but knows how to turn ideas into physical parts, work through manufacturing constraints, and improve designs through testing and iteration. 

Responsibilities: 

  • Design mechanical components, assemblies, and mechanisms for vehicle systems with a focus on performance, manufacturability, reliability, and integration. 
  • Create and maintain CAD models, engineering drawings, and release packages for fabricated and purchased parts. 
  • Own mechanical design problems from concept through build, test, and iteration. 
  • Work closely with manufacturing, supply chain, test, and other engineering teams to move designs from CAD into hardware quickly and effectively. 
  • Support prototype builds, fit checks, hardware bring-up, root cause investigations, and design revisions. 
  • Participate in testing and validation of mechanical systems, review results, identify failure modes, and drive practical design improvements. 
  • Perform engineering analysis as needed to support design decisions, including tolerance stack-ups, hand calculations, and other first-principles work. 
  • Help troubleshoot mechanical issues on prototypes and vehicles, and contribute to fixes that improve robustness and field performance. 

What Success Looks Like: 

  • Within 30 days: you have ramped on our vehicle architecture, tools, and engineering workflows, and are contributing to CAD work, design updates, and prototype support. 
  • Within 60 days: you are independently owning straightforward mechanical parts and assemblies, producing release-ready drawings, and supporting those designs through fabrication and build. 
  • Within 90 days: you are making meaningful contributions to vehicle hardware, helping solve real integration and reliability issues, and showing that you can move from design to build to iteration with a high level of ownership. 

Requirements: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field. 
  • 1 to 3 years of mechanical engineering experience through full-time work, internships, co-ops, or highly relevant project experience. 
  • Strong CAD skills in SolidWorks, CATIA, Siemens NX, or similar. 
  • Experience designing and manufacturing real mechanical hardware through internships, student teams, or personal technical projects. 
  • Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including statics, dynamics, materials, tolerancing, and machine design. 
  • Ability to create clear engineering drawings and communicate design intent effectively with machinists, fabricators, suppliers, and cross-functional teammates. 
  • Comfort working in a fast-paced hardware environment where engineering decisions need to become physical hardware quickly. 
  • Hands-on mindset with a willingness to spend significant time in the shop, lab, or build environment supporting hardware directly. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Leadership experience with Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Design/Build/Fly, rocket club, solar car, robotics, or similar hands-on engineering programs. 
  • Experience designing parts for machining, sheet metal, weldments, composites, castings, or additive manufacturing. 
  • Experience building and assembling mechanical systems, not just designing them. 
  • Exposure to prototype development, design iteration, and debugging in a real hardware environment. 
  • Familiarity with FEA, MATLAB, Python, or similar tools, with the judgment to use them in support of practical engineering decisions. 
  • Interest in transportation, automotive, aerospace, robotics, or railway systems. 

We are committed to providing fair and transparent compensation in accordance with applicable laws. Salary ranges are listed below and reflect the expected range for new hires in this role, based on factors such as skills, experience, qualifications, and location. Final compensation may vary and will be determined during the interview process. The target hiring range for this position is listed below.

Target Salary Range:
$125,000—$150,000 USD

Parallel Systems is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any discriminatory factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. We work to build an inclusive environment in which all people can come to do their best work.

Parallel Systems is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Parallel Systems will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact your recruiter.

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