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 .

Program Assistant

Socialscienceresearchcouncil · New York

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international, nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences through a wide variety of workshops and conferences, fellowships and grants, summer training institutes, scholarly exchanges, research, and publications. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.ssrc.org/.

 The SSRC is seeking a Program Assistant to work with the Better Urbanism, Infrastructure, and Land-Use Decision (BUILD) Research Network Program. This is an entry-level position to support all aspects of the program’s work, including small grant administration, event planning, membership recruitment and support, and general administrative and financial operations.

Responsibilites 

  • Support the BUILD Program Director with overall administration of the program
  • Organize and provide logistical support for meetings, conferences, workshops, convenings and other events (on-site, off- site, and virtual)
  • Build and maintain schedules and invites for meetings, convenings, workshops, and other regular engagements
  • Maintain mailing lists and prepare regular mailings to network members
  • Maintain the program’s social media and online presence
  • Assist in program outreach and maintaining member engagement
  • Provide administrative support for program operations, including, but not limited to, file maintenance, preparing meeting materials, creating and maintaining databases and spreadsheets, processing payment requests, and other administrative program support tasks
  • Other duties and additional responsibilities and projects as directed, depending upon interest  and capacity

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s degree required (social sciences, humanities, engineering, or a related field strongly preferred)
  • Knowledge of or a strong interest in issues related to housing, energy, and transportation infrastructure
  • Events management experience
  • Proficiency in MS Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook), Google Suite. (Proficiency in other productivity software a plus)
  • Ability to multitask and prioritize daily activities to meet competing deadlines
  • Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail
  • Strong writing and oral communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Preferred Skills/Qualifications

  • Experience or familiarity with web content management and/or database management
  • Experience or familiarity with finding, aggregating, and synthesizing data and information using AI a plus but not required

Terms, Salary and Benefits      

Annual salary is $50,000 - $53,000 annually. Comprehensive benefits include health, dental, vision, disability, life, and gym reimbursement; annual tuition and/or student loan reimbursement; outstanding pension plan and tax savings programs; generous vacation and sick leave; and more.

This position is based in New York City, with the option to work from the SSRC office or remotely from within the continental United States, at the employee’s discretion, aside from two mandatory in-person meetings each year.

Application Information

The Social Science Research Council is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to cultivating and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. SSRC maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. All aspects of employment with the Council are made on the basis of competence, skill and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, creed, color, religion, sex/gender, gender Identity and expression, national origin/ancestry, ethnicity, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital or domestic partner status, medical conditions (including pregnancy and/or genetic information) or physical or mental disability, citizenship status or any other categories prohibited by law.