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 .

Commercial Proposal Manager

Pax8 · Sydney, Australia

Commercial Proposal Manager

Do you love the commercial side of winning business — not just closing deals, but designing the commercial strategy that makes them irresistible and sustainable?

Pax8 is looking for a Commercial Proposal Manager, one who will shape the commercial strategy that balances competitiveness with long‑term profitability. You’ll blend commercial analysis, licensing expertise, and negotiation influence to directly impact win rates and sustainable growth.

This role can be based in Sydney, Brisbane, or Auckland.

What You’ll Be Doing?

  • Design end‑to‑end commercial proposals that combine Microsoft and complementary vendor solutions for MSP partners.

  • Translate complex technical and licensing models into clear, compelling value propositions.

  • Shape proposal structure and commercial positioning from early-stage conversations.

  • Analyse pricing, discounts, licensing models, and margin thresholds to balance win probability with long‑term profitability

  • Build and maintain standardised proposal templates, ROI calculators, and commercial models.

  • Elevating proposal quality, consistency, and speed across the business.

  • Provide hands‑on commercial guidance for high‑value, complex partner opportunities.

  • Work closely with sales, finance, vendor and partner teams while remaining commercially objective.

What You’ll Bring?

  • Extensive experience developing complex commercial proposals in enterprise software or cloud ecosystems.

  • Expertise in Microsoft and multi‑vendor licensing, including compliance, contracts, and commercial terms optimisation is desirable.

  • Strong financial modelling and pricing analysis skills, with a track record of optimising complex deal structures.

  • Solid understanding of cloud, security, and productivity software, MSP business models, and partner GTM strategies.

  • Confidence working cross‑functionally with sales, vendor, finance, and partner teams.

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive‑level presentations.

  • Ability to juggle multiple high‑value proposals in a fast‑moving environment.

  • A continuous learning mindset to stay ahead of vendor programs and market dynamics.

Why join Pax8?

Well here are a few points of how we value our greatest assets:

  • At Pax8, we want to support you in both work and play. Sometimes there isn't enough time for the latter, which is why Pax8 offers an additional 2 weeks of bonus leave every year! AND YES, the 2 weeks are available from your first day!

  • In addition to the above, we offer all our employees Private Health Insurance. Beneficial for when life happens!

  • Unlimited growth through our learning & development (L&D) programs in an environment that fosters internal promotions, helping you gain the necessary skills to reach the next step in your professional journey!

  • Connecting with our community is important – which is why we have our donation matching program, DEI-B events, and our employee resource groups to ensure everyone feels at home at Pax8.

Life at Pax8 (and where to learn more)

At Pax8, it’s business—and it IS personal. We’re building something bold for the channel: a marketplace experience designed to help partners move faster, sell smarter, and deliver more impact for SMB customers. Learn more about what we’re building through the Pax8 Blog (including Asia-Pacific updates) and explore how Pax8 is supporting the shift from managed services to managed intelligence:
https://www.pax8.com/blog/
https://www.pax8.com/blog/managed-intelligence/

Trust and hiring

At Pax8, we care deeply about building genuine, trust based relationships — starting with how we hire.

To protect our business, our teams, and our customers, we use a range of measures throughout the recruitment process to help confirm authenticity and prevent fraud. These safeguards are designed to be fair, respectful, and proportionate, and may evolve as risks change. By applying, you acknowledge that we take steps to verify identity and representation during hiring. If you're applying as your authentic self, you have nothing to worry about — we're excited to meet you.

We also use thoughtfully applied AI-enabled tools to support our hiring process. These tools may assist with tasks such as reviewing or prioritising applications, but hiring decisions are made by our people. More information is available in our Recruitment Privacy Notice. If you have questions about how we hire or would prefer not to have your application supported by these tools, you can opt out at any part of our process.

Inclusivity at Pax8

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the criteria. We're committed to diverse perspectives, inclusive hiring and sharing your transferrable skills. To fulfil this role, you must hold valid right to work in Australia.

Growth at Pax8

There's extensive room for a talented individual to grow at pace — whether that's advancing quickly in this role or exploring one of the many opportunities across our global organisation. You'll have access to our internal development hub designed to accelerate your skills and stretch your potential. Alongside specialist Learning & Development trainers, you'll also tap into AI powered tools, "born in the cloud" mentors, and cross continent collaboration that broaden your perspective and sharpen your expertise. We'll give you the space, trust, and the right projects to help you thrive — and full visibility of what it takes to reach your next level.

About Pax8

Our mission is to build the managed intelligence marketplace and empower small businesses to do more with smarter technology. We are a fast-growing, dynamic, and high-energy organisation with a start-up feel, allowing you to make a meaningful impact on the business. Culture is also important to us, and at Pax8, it's business, and it IS personal. We are passionate, creative, and unconventional. We work hard, keep it fun, and expect the best! We Elev8 each other. We Advoc8 for our partners. We Innov8 continuously. We Celebr8 life.

Background checks

As part of our hiring process, we are required to undertake pre-employment checks on all candidates that are successful in their application with Pax8. As part of these checks Pax8 will request ID verification, reference requests and qualification checks (additional checks may be completed for certain countries, such as criminal and financial). All checks are completed by our third-party provider, First Advantage. Once checks have been completed all candidates will receive a copy for their records.

Equal opportunities

Pax8 are an equal opportunities employer and welcome individuals who are in possession of the appropriate requirements to work within the country you have applied for. Offered individuals will be asked to undertake identity, security compliance and reference checks. Your privacy is important to us. Your data will be held in accordance with local best practices and processed only in accordance with our recruiting processes. Privacy notice: https://www.pax8.com/en-us/terms/job-applicant-privacy-noti