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 .

Sustainability

Qantas

Our sustainability initiatives & goals

A scenic shot of the Australian coast line A scenic shot of the Australian coast line

Protecting the future of travel

wings of aircraft

Our approach to sustainability

The Qantas Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.



Qantas was one of the first airlines in the world to announce our commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and capping our net emissions at 2019 levels.



Our sustainability focus is based on three key principles - valuing the planet, enabling our people, and connecting our customers and communities.

wings of aircraft

Our approach to sustainability

The Qantas Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.



Qantas was one of the first airlines in the world to announce our commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and capping our net emissions at 2019 levels.



Our sustainability focus is based on three key principles - valuing the planet, enabling our people, and connecting our customers and communities.

Our people and sustainability initiatives

We encourage all employees to get involved with sustainability, either directly through their role or through our Employee Resource Group, ReGenerate, which is dedicated to environmental sustainability. 



A key feature of the resource group is our 'Ideas Platform,' where employees can submit suggestions on ways to help us meet our Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets and reduce our environmental impact.

Group photo of our regenerate team members
Group photo of our regenerate team members

Our people and sustainability initiatives

We encourage all employees to get involved with sustainability, either directly through their role or through our Employee Resource Group, ReGenerate, which is dedicated to environmental sustainability. 



A key feature of the resource group is our 'Ideas Platform,' where employees can submit suggestions on ways to help us meet our Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets and reduce our environmental impact.

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