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 .

People & Operations Lead - Manchester

Pixaera · Manchester

At Pixaera, we’re a passionate team of builders who are dedicated to delivering solutions that empower people. Today, we’re leveraging Ai and gamification to build a vertical platform that is centered around improving the safety readiness of frontline workers in any high risk industry. If you are a doer who thrives in a dynamic, mission-focused environment, join us!


Who are we looking for?

Pixaera builds immersive, gamified simulations that help frontline teams learn critical safety skills in realistic environments. As we scale our product and global customer base, we’re investing in the foundation of our People function.

We’re hiring our first People and Operations Lead — a standalone, high-impact role responsible for owning and building the People function from the ground up.

You will own the end-to-end employee experience across a distributed, international team spanning the UK, EU, India, and MENA — from how we hire and onboard, to how we develop, support, and retain our people.

This is a hands-on, execution-first builder role. You won’t inherit a fully-formed function or a large HR team — you will design the foundation, run the systems yourself, and execute the day-to-day work that keeps the company operating smoothly.

You’ll work closely with the CEO and leadership team, bringing structure, clarity, and consistency as we scale — but this role is fundamentally about getting things done, not delegating them.

Key responsibilities:

  • Own the full employee lifecycle: onboarding, performance cycles, and offboarding, ensuring a smooth and consistent experience throughout

  • Run clean, compliant, and reliable People operations across multiple geographies, including contracts, right-to-work, and offboarding processes

  • Coordinate performance reviews, support managers in driving accountability and development, and reinforce culture through consistent engagement, rituals, and leadership partnership

  • Deliver a high-quality onboarding experience with clear context, structured 30/60/90 plans, and fully prepared systems, access, and equipment from day one

  • Own end-to-end hiring operations: define roles, run structured processes, manage the ATS, and deliver a high-quality candidate experience

  • Build and maintain strong talent pipelines across our global, distributed team while improving hiring velocity

  • Own and operate all People systems (HRIS, ATS, etc.), maintaining accurate data, managing access, assets, and vendors, and ensuring operational discipline

  • Build and maintain core people analytics and reporting (headcount, attrition, hiring funnel, performance cycles) to support decision-making

Who are you?

  • You bring 2–5 years of experience in People / HR / Talent / People Ops roles

  • You’ve worked in a tech startup or high-growth company

  • You’ve owned both recruiting and people operations — not just one area

  • You’re comfortable being the sole People person and operating independently

  • You have experience supporting distributed or international teams

  • You’re highly organised, detail-oriented, and take ownership of outcomes

  • You’re a strong operator who executes reliably and follows through on the details

  • You’re warm, empathetic, and a clear communicator with high integrity

  • You’re comfortable with ambiguity and thrive in fast-moving environments

Location & Working Setup

  • Based in Manchester, with 4 days per week in the office

  • Supporting a global, distributed team across multiple time zones

How do we support and benefit our employees?

  • Competitive salary and stock options — everyone shares in what we’re building

  • 25 days holiday + public holidays

  • Pension contribution

  • Fully equipped setup from day one (no waiting for laptops)

  • Regular company offsites and team socials

  • A flat, transparent culture with direct access to leadership

At Pixaera, we’re committed to building a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported, and empowered to thrive. We believe that diverse perspectives fuel creativity and innovation, which is why we celebrate individuality and foster an environment of inclusion and belonging.


We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer — discrimination of any kind has no place here. No matter your background, identity, or lived experience, you’re welcome at Pixaera.