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 .

Solutions Engineer - West Coast

Regscale · Remote

RegScale is a CCM platform enhancing GRC outcomes. RegScale bridges security, risk, and compliance by overcoming speed, timeliness, and high costs. Our CCM platform and AI deliver GRC results, cutting costs and accelerating compliance. Achieve rapid certification, anticipate threats, and automate evidence collection. Organizations experience 90% faster compliance and 60% less audit prep.

Position:

Do you believe that maintaining compliance as a business should be affordable, transparent, and easy? If yes, then we have a critical position in an innovative startup disrupting the compliance industry for you! We are seeking a subject matter expert in GRC to help us win more business as well as ensure value realization for our existing customers. We’re looking for you to play the SME role in new sales pursuits, in designing solution messaging, and in engaging with our existing customers to help them better their compliance and risk programs. This role will significantly influence our Go to Market execution and will be at the heart of the market and customer-facing interactions. If you like action, accountability, and building a business from the ground up, you’ll love this opportunity to join a hyper-growth market disrupter. 

The position must be a US Citizen and is subject to a background check and unannounced drug testing requirements. We recognize that our customers’ success is vital to our company’s success and have created a generous compensation package that includes a competitive OTE with significant stock options to help us recruit the most exceptional talent that is maniacally focused on delighting our customers and partners. We are excited to have you on our team if you’re ready to help redefine an entire industry and raise the bar for our organization.

 

Activities:

  • Assist in pipeline development and sales pursuits using your Subject Matter Experience to align the RegScale value proposition to customer needs
  • Co-develop messaging and value proposition materials with the sales and marketing teams
  • Develop and lead Solution Workshops with prospects and existing customers to define business objectives, quantify business benefits, and determine the functional requirements to achieve them
  • Help customers achieve their desired results from RegScale by leveraging your domain experience to drive valuable program outcomes
  • Design and institute a value calculator to assess value received by customer organizations
  • Collaborate with functional stakeholders to develop and execute customer, partner, and employee enablement programs

Proven Capabilities:

  • Ability to build a plan and execute effectively to achieve quantifiable results, quarter over quarter
  • High energy, hard worker ready to put in the hours necessary to build the business and reap the rewards that come with doing so
  • Able to be flexible and agile in responding to evolving business priorities and dealing with ambiguity
  • Able to collaborate effectively across the organization and with external stakeholders
  • Able to build effective virtual teams with client and partner networks
  • Experience successfully working with senior (C-level) executives to achieve specific outcomes
  • Willing and able to address escalated stakeholder issues with speed and urgency
  • Team player who thrives in cross-functional teams including Sales, Product, and Marketing
  • Must be a self-starter who works well on diverse and blended teams

Education/Training, Qualifications, and Certification:

  • You have 2+ years experience as a Risk and Compliance practitioner and/or 4+ years experience in presales engineering within the GRC / InfoSecurity market
  • You have a strong network of relationships in Security and GRC ecosystem
  • You have expertise in driving results and outcomes while solving complex business problems, as an individual contributor and through direct reports
  • You use your excellent presentation, organizational, and communication skills to communicate complex concepts to diverse audiences
  • You exhibit the ability to partner effectively with C-Suite, VP, and Director-level contacts in addition to the day-to-day users of technologies
  • You have a Bachelor’s degree in Business, or related field or equivalent experience
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