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 .

PLOS Medicine Senior Editor

Plos · UK-Remote

*This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the UK.

Role Summary

PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all.

This role is responsible for recruiting and assessing research manuscripts, partnering with the Editorial Board of Academic Editors, handling peer review and commissioning articles for our Magazine section.

Responsibilities 

  • Handling research manuscripts submitted to the journal
  • Commissioning articles for the Front section
  • Undertaking lab visits and travelling to conferences to represent the journal and PLOS, and to recruit high-quality submissions to the journal
  • Participating in writing of editorials, blog posts and other related materials
  • Participating in the daily running of the journal, including all editorial projects and initiatives aligned with the goals of the journal 

Knowledge and Skills 

  • History of mentorship within publishing preferred for the Senior Editor Position. 
  • Experience in cross- collaboration and ability to manage projects
  • Ability to understand and assess research on a broad range of topics within the medical sciences.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • A keen eye for detail
  • Outstanding time-management and organizational skills
  • Ability to work collaboratively, with teams across two continents, and deliver against firm deadlines.
  • A passion for science, scientific communication and open access.
  • Previous editorial experience in assessing research manuscripts and handling manuscripts through peer review is desired, but not required.

Qualifications

  • A postgraduate degree in a relevant subject area required

 Physical Requirements and Work Environment 

  • Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer
  • Some national and international travel will be required
  • Some flexibility to work across time zones 

 

The base salary range we’ve established for these positions is £42,000 - £47,000PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package summarized below. 

BENEFITS: 

UK: 

  • Private medical insurance 
  • Life assurance 
  • Income protection  
  • Personal accident insurance 
  • Pension with up to 10% employer match 
  • 25 days holidays, market competitive Maternity and Paternity leave 
  • Birthday and three winter holidays days off 
  • 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year 
  • Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office  

About PLOS  

Building on a strong legacy of pioneering innovation, PLOS continues to be a catalyst in  open science, reimagining models to meet open science principles, removing barriers and promoting inclusion in knowledge creation and sharing, and publishing research outputs that enable everyone to learn from, reuse and build upon scientific knowledge. Our work is supported by a highly skilled global in-house team, partnerships with local  scholarly organizations, and the valued contributions of a diverse, international community of scientific researchers. 

 We’re committed to equal opportunity 

We’re working to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. Removing barriers to inclusion and facilitating broad participation of voices is core to our success, inside and out.  Beyond accepting distinct perspectives, we seek and support divergent backgrounds among our colleagues because we know differences strengthen our teams, our work, and our communities. We strongly encourage applicants of all identities to join us as we work towards a future where science is open to all, for all.  

Visit plos.org/careers to learn more. 

 

To learn more about how PLOS protects your privacy, see our Employee Privacy Notice.