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 .

Future Regional Sales Opportunities

Pareto Health · Remote

We’re in this for the greater good at ParetoHealth. Our mission is collective greatness, nothing less will do. Our team is a single force united in the drive to transform employee health benefits.

The company was founded in 2011 to help small and medium-sized businesses fight the rising cost of employee health benefits. We blazed the trail with financing innovations that reduce the risks in self-insurance and deliver significant savings—and we continue to lead with a growing ecosystem of partners and world-class cost control solutions.

But success is measured by more than dollars alone and we measure ours by the good that comes from knowing that every client and all their employees can count on effective, affordable healthcare for years to come.

Please note that ParetoHealth does not provide employment visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship both now or in the future.

Thank you for your interest in joining Pareto Health! While we currently don’t have a regional sales position available in your vicinity, we’re excited to extend an invitation for you to become part of our talent community.

By sharing your details with us, you’ll be the first to learn about the latest developments at Pareto, gain insights into our company culture, receive invitations to upcoming events, and be promptly notified as new career opportunities arise.

Our growth trajectory is steep, and we’re moving quickly! It’s highly likely that one of our Talent Acquisition specialists will reach out to you in the very near future.

We look forward to staying connected!

Warm regards,

The People Team at Pareto Health

We are guided by our values:

Fire in the belly

The drive to learn, to improve, and to deliver outstanding value every day.

See the field

The ability to see the big picture and prepare to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Get it done right

The passion to produce at higher rates and to the highest standards.

For the greater good

A united community creating better health benefit solutions for all.

Please note that any communication from our recruiters and hiring managers at ParetoHealth about a job opportunity will only be made by a ParetoHealth employee with an @paretohealth.com address. ParetoHealth does not conduct text message or chat-based interviews. Any other email addresses, agencies, or forums may be phishing scams designed to obtain your personal information.

We will not ask you to provide personal or financial information, including, but not limited to, your social security number, online account passwords, credit card numbers, passport information, and other related banking information until we begin onboarding activities, which will be coordinated by a member of the ParetoHealth People Ops Team with an @paretohealth.com email address.

Disclosures:
ParetoHealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.
California Applicants:  See Pareto’s CCPA Notice of Collection for California Employees and Applicants for information about how Pareto Captive Services, LLC, Pareto Health, LLC, and Pareto Underwriting Partners, LLC, together with their respective subsidiaries (collectively, “Pareto”) collects and uses personal information submitted by employment applicants.
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