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 .

Advertising Review Compliance Associate

Protective · Birmingham, AL

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.
We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.

Protective is seeking an Advertising Review Compliance Analyst to join our Regulatory team and support advertising review activities across both our Retirement and Protection divisions. This role sits within the Advertising Review Team, a service‑oriented group of experienced compliance professionals who partner closely with Marketing, Corporate Communications, Brand, Training, and other internal teams.
 
In this role, you will review a wide variety of marketing and communications materials and provide clear, practical guidance to help ensure compliance with applicable insurance and securities regulations. You will play a key role in enabling Protective’s broader marketing strategy, supporting communications targeted to both financial professionals and consumers while maintaining strong regulatory standards.
Protective is seeking an Advertising Review Compliance Analyst to join our Regulatory team and support advertising review activities across both our Retirement and Protection divisions. This role sits within the Advertising Review Team, a service‑oriented group of experienced compliance professionals who partner closely with Marketing, Corporate Communications, Brand, Training, and other internal teams.
 
In this role, you will review a wide variety of marketing and communications materials and provide clear, practical guidance to help ensure compliance with applicable insurance and securities regulations. You will play a key role in enabling Protective’s broader marketing strategy, supporting communications targeted to both financial professionals and consumers while maintaining strong regulatory standards.
The internal title for this role is Associate II Regulatory. #LI-AP1 #ind123

Employee Benefits:  
We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits (e.g., paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health.  Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards.   

Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans.

Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability:
If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email [email protected]. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process.

Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation.  General employment questions should not be sent through this process.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Independently review moderately complex advertising and marketing materials and provide timely, constructive, and compliance‑focused feedback with limited escalation.
  • Apply federal and state insurance laws, securities regulations, and internal policies to advertising and public communications.
  • Partner closely with Marketing, Legal, Product subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to identify and address advertising compliance issues early in the development process.
  • Coordinate compliance reviews for co‑branded materials with external distributors and fund companies.
  • Participate in product‑related and marketing campaign meetings to provide proactive, solution‑oriented advertising compliance guidance.
  • Prepare and submit required advertising filings to regulators, including Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Advertising Regulation and state insurance departments.
  • Monitor regulatory developments impacting advertising and public communications and communicate relevant changes to internal partners.
  • Contribute to consistent review standards and help promote efficient, collaborative advertising compliance processes.
  •  

    Core Competencies:

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain regulatory requirements and compliance considerations in a practical, constructive manner.
  • Solid understanding of compliance principles within the insurance and financial services industry, particularly as they relate to advertising and public communications.
  • Ability to independently evaluate advertising and marketing materials and accurately apply federal and state insurance laws, securities regulations, and internal policies.
  • Experience collaborating effectively with cross‑functional partners, including Marketing, Legal, Product, and other stakeholders, in a service‑oriented environment.
  • Strong organizational and time‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work effectively with limited supervision.
  • Sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to balance regulatory requirements with business and marketing objectives.
  • Familiarity with advertising and marketing practices in a regulated environment, including digital and social media channels.
  • Minimum Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree or comparable relevant experience.
  • Minimum 3 years of experience in insurance, financial services, or a related compliance function.
  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • Preferred Qualfications:

  • Working knowledge of federal and state insurance laws and securities regulations applicable to advertising and public communications.
  • Understanding of insurance and annuity products, including fixed, indexed, and variable annuities, as well as variable universal life.
  • Familiarity with FINRA Advertising Regulation Electronic Filing (AREF) system.
  • FINRA Series 6 or 7 and Series 26 or 24 registrations.
  • Experience supporting digital and social media advertising compliance initiatives.