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 .

Senior Accounting Manager

Soundcloud · New York

SoundCloud empowers artists and fans to connect and share through music. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud is an artist-first platform empowering artists to build and grow their careers by providing them with the most progressive tools, services, and resources. With over 400+ million tracks from 40 million artists, the future of music is SoundCloud.
 
SoundCloud is looking for a Senior Accounting Manager to join our Finance team in New York. This is a high-ownership role within the accounting function, with primary responsibility for revenue recognition and royalty payment operations, while also contributing to month-end close, and cross-functional finance initiatives.

Reporting to the VP, Group Controller, you will lead day-to-day US accounting operations, including revenue recognition, royalty payment accounting, AP/AR oversight, and contributions to the monthly close, while actively developing the junior staff who report to you. This is a player-coach role: you will do meaningful technical work yourself while building the capability of those around you.

Music industry experience matters here. SoundCloud pays royalties to major labels, publishers, and collecting societies while distributing revenue to independent creators. You need to understand how money moves through the music ecosystem, from streaming revenue to rights holder settlements to creator payouts, because that knowledge is what enables you to build accurate accruals, maintain clean controls, and partner credibly with Licensing, Payments, and Product as SoundCloud launches new ways for fans to support artists.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Own revenue recognition accounting in compliance with IFRS 15, including monthly close processes, variance analysis, and reporting
  • Maintain and reconcile royalty liability schedules across major label and publisher licensors, ensuring accuracy of accrued obligations and cash settlements
  • Oversee creator payout accounting, ensuring accurate recording and reconciliation of disbursements across payment platforms
  • Establish and maintain robust internal controls over the royalty-to-cash cycle, including end-to-end reconciliation across payment platforms
  • Identify and remediate control gaps; document processes and implement scalable, audit-ready reconciliation frameworks
  • Partner with Payments, Engineering, and Product to establish accounting workflows, GL structures, and controls for new fan monetization features as they are developed and launched
  • Act as a key partner with Licensing, FP&A, and Tax teams to support royalty calculations, compliance initiatives, and revenue-related projects
  • Collaborate effectively across teams and time zones, documenting and communicating approaches to align stakeholders
  • Oversee the day-to-day work of junior accounting staff, providing hands-on guidance, work review, and active support for their professional development

Experience and Background:

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA preferred
  • 5–8+ years of progressive accounting experience, with a combination of Big 4 public accounting and at least one high-growth technology or startup environment
  • Direct experience in the music industry, music distribution, or a digital streaming platform strongly preferred, with a working understanding of how royalties flow from streaming revenue to rights holder and creator settlements; adjacent experience at a DSP, media licensing company, or content distribution business with complex royalty structures is also valued
  • Strong knowledge of IFRS 15 and experience in strong financial controls environments
  • Comfortable contributing across a broad accounting scope including close processes, opex, and ad-hoc finance initiatives in a lean team environment
  • Familiarity with creator payment platforms (e.g., Trolley, PayPal, Adyen) and subscription billing software (Recurly preferred)
  • Proficiency with ERP systems (Oracle Fusion preferred) and strong Excel skills
  • Proven ability to oversee and develop junior staff; comfortable operating as both a doer and a developer of people
  • Thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments and able to operate effectively without fully defined playbooks
  • Strong organizational skills with the ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines
  • Experience working across time zones and with distributed teams

The salary range for this role is $110,000 - $130,000 annually. The final salary offered will be determined based on relative experience, skills, internal equity, and location. We also offer a generous total rewards program - read more about additional benefits and perks below!

About us:

  • We are a multinational company with offices in the US (New York and Los Angeles), Germany (Berlin), and the UK (London)
  • We provide a flexible work culture that offers the opportunity to collaborate and connect in person at our offices as well as accommodating work from home
  • We are deeply committed to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of our organization and fostering a community where everyone’s voice, perspective and experience is respected and heard
  • We believe a strong team is made by investing in employees through mentorship, workshops and enrichment opportunities

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as mental health resources
  • Robust 401k program
  • Employee Equity Plan
  • Generous professional development allowance
  • Interested in a gym membership, photography course or book? We have a Creativity and Wellness benefit!
  • Flexible vacation and public holiday policy where you can take up to 35 days of PTO annually
  • 16 paid weeks for all parents (birthing and non-birthing), regardless of gender, to welcome newborns, adopted and foster children
  • Various snacks, goodies, and 2 free lunches weekly when at the office

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at SoundCloud

SoundCloud is for everyone. Diversity and open expression are fundamental to our organization; they help us lead what’s next in music by understanding and empowering our creators and fans, no matter their identity. We acknowledge the challenges in the music industry, and strive to influence an inclusive culture where everyone can contribute respectfully and thrive, especially the historically marginalized communities that many of our creators, fans and SoundClouders identify with. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment at SoundCloud for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, migration background, national origin, age, disability status, or care-giver status.

At SoundCloud you can find your community or elevate your allyship by joining a Diversity Resource Group. Diversity Resource Groups are employee-organized groups focused on supporting and promoting the interests of a particular underrepresented community in order to build a more inclusive culture at SoundCloud. Anyone can join, whether you share the identity or strive to be an ally.