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 .

Business Development Representative

Stellic · San Mateo, CA

About Stellic

We’re building a future where every student can move through their education with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Our platform transforms the student experience, giving them then tools they need to make the right decisions about their degree plans, track their journey, and build an education and career path that’s truly their own.

Stellic is a fast-growing startup backed by leading social impact investors, partnering with top institutions like Cornell, Columbia, UVA, and Ohio State to support over 1 million students across 7 countries. As we scale to serve more universities worldwide, we remain deeply committed to this mission, driven by our values, and committed to building a high-performance team that’s here to make a lasting difference on both students’ lives and higher education.

The role

As a Business Development Representative at Stellic, you’ll play a critical role in creating qualified pipeline and introducing institutions to a better way of supporting students. This is a quota-carrying role where success is defined by consistently generating high-quality meetings and pipeline, not just activity.

You’ll combine thoughtful research, relevant outreach, and modern systems (including AI and automation) to work efficiently and effectively in a complex, enterprise sales environment. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hitting clear goals, learning a nuanced market, and operating as part of a close, collaborative team.

What You’ll Do

  • Own a monthly pipeline target ($600K) and contribute consistently toward team goals

  • Generate qualified meetings through strategic, personalized outbound and inbound follow-up

  • Research institutions and stakeholders to understand priorities, constraints, and decision dynamics

  • Use AI tools, automation, and sales systems to accelerate research, personalization, and follow-up — while applying strong human judgment

  • Partner closely with Account Executives to align on territory strategy, account priorities, and messaging

  • Operate in a metrics-driven environment, with regular review of activity, conversion, and pipeline performance

  • Continuously test, learn, and refine outreach approaches based on results

  • Represent Stellic at select regional or national conferences to build relationships and pipeline

Who Thrives in This Role

  • You’re comfortable being held to clear goals and quotas and take ownership of outcomes

  • You enjoy learning complex systems and organizations and can translate that understanding into relevant conversations

  • You write clearly, think critically, and communicate with credibility and warmth

  • You’re curious and coachable, but also decisive and action-oriented

  • You work well within structure, feedback loops, and team rhythms

  • You bring energy, accountability, and a collaborative mindset to your work

  • You care about impact, but you also care about execution

Experience We’re Looking For

  • 1–3 years of experience in sales, business development, or a related role

  • OR experience in higher education roles such as admissions, advising support, registrar, student services, or academic operations

  • Comfort working toward measurable goals and tracking progress

  • Experience using CRM systems and modern productivity tools

  • Interest in leveraging AI and automation to work smarter and faster

Nice to have, not required:

  • Direct experience working at or with higher education institutions

  • Familiarity with student systems (SIS, advising tools, CRM, etc.)

Why Stellic

  • Be part of a mission-driven company making a real difference for students

  • Learn deeply about higher education and enterprise SaaS sales

  • Work closely with a supportive, high-performing team that values growth and ownership

  • Competitive compensation, equity, and benefits

  • Flexible, outcomes-focused work environment

  • Comprehensive health coverage, 401k, commuter benefits, and team retreats

Compensation: $56,000 base salary, $86,000 OTE + equity

At Stellic, total compensation packages are tailored to each candidate and take into account job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, training and current market conditions.

Stellic is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our company values diversity and believes diverse teams make innovation possible. We encourage all qualified applicants from any race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or other characteristics to apply.