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 .

Companion

Spectrum Health Care · Ottawa, ON, ca

  • Provide companionship and basic household tasks for medically stable patients under the direction of a Home Support Supervisor.
  • Perform basic meal preparation and light housekeeping duties such as washing dishes, taking out the garbage, doing client’s laundry. Sweeping and vacuuming within the client’s immediate living area may be required.
  • Provide respite for medically stable patients while the primary caregiver is out of the home.
  • Maintain awareness of patient’s abilities, current diagnosis made by medical professionals, diet, personal interests and special needs.
  • Requires travel within assigned region between patients’ residences or facilities.
  • Compassionate individual with a passion for helping others
  • Ability to interact with others in a caring, courteous and tactful manner
  • Ability to speak other languages is considered an asset
  • Updated Immunization record 
  • Valid Vulnerable Sector Police Check
  • TB Test (within 12 months) as a condition of employment

This position is a current vacancy

Spectrum Health Care is thrilled to be named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. This award recognizes top companies across Canada for overall performance, sustained growth, strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and leadership. Click here to learn more about this esteemed honour.  

We thank all applicants, however, only those individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005, upon request, support will be provided for accommodations throughout the recruitment process.

If you require accommodation because of disability through the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at ([email protected]) for assistance.

Spectrum Health Care is committed to fostering, cultivating and building a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization. We strive to attract, engage and develop a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that we serve and we know a diverse workforce is key to the growth and success of our organization.