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 .

Principal Research Engineer

Sti · Hawthorne, CA

Systems Technology Inc. (STI) is a private, employee-owned company (ESOP) that provides engineering consulting and product development with a focus on safety. We are a small company that enjoys many of the perks of start-ups, but we have been in business for over sixty years and have an aggressive growth plan. Being part of STI means being a key contributor in the company while working with a team that spans the range of experience from recent graduates to 20+ year tenure.

At STI, we look for business partners who want to be part of something special and contribute to a culture built on transparency, friendliness, innovation, ownership and accountability. If you are of a like mind and enthusiastic about solving challenging, real world, relevant problems, we would love to hear from you.

As a 100% employee-owned company, STI understands that employees' individual and collective hard work and dedication will lead directly to the success of the company in the long term. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) gives employees an ownership interest in the company that employs them.

What You’ll Do:

The Principal Research Engineer executes a variety of highly specialized/technical, business development and leadership activities. This individual provides advanced expertise in the areas of modeling, simulation and/or flight control. This person submits government proposals and is involved in commercial client outreach via networking at conferences and meetings. In addition, this person is responsible for leading commercial consulting contracts. The Principal Research Engineer also manages multiple contracts that involve tracking budgets, ensuring successful deliverables, and managing junior engineers. This person actively engages in company process development and participates in BD related activities. This individual may supervise, and mentor select staff engineers. Will report to the Director of Engineering Services. 

  • Supports determining top level technical direction in alignment with company vision including short term and long-term strategic goals
  • Along with Engineering Management, defines technical focal point of Business development areas and directs deep technical activities.
  • Serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on both commercial and government programs, with a particular focus on Modeling and Simulation/GNC.
  • Oversee the development of new IP, candidate products, and technical initiatives including executing beyond Phase II for SBIR programs.
  • Manages multiple contracts that involve tracking budgets, ensuring successful deliverables, and managing several engineers.
  • Develops test protocols/procedures, collects and analyzes data, and creates detailed reports.
  • Oversees and executes on technical projects and activities while remaining within established schedule and budget constraints.

 

What you Need:

  • Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Science Degree in Engineering with 10+ years of experience or Ph.D. with 5 yrs experience in Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering or Applied Mathematics or equivalent field.
  • Proven technical ability and experience in relevant field of Modeling and Simulation, dynamics and controls theory or related discipline/field
  • Strong skills with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or equivalent. Working knowledge of C/C++ a plus.
  • Experience with stability and control system design and assessment
  • Experience in the aerospace industry required. UAS / UAM experience a plus.

 

Bonus Qualifications:

  • Supervisory skills, a plus.
  • Extensive flight test experience and skillset for assessing vehicle performance, flying, and handling qualities and related system performance.

 

Compensation And Benefits:

Systems Technology Inc. offers all employees competitive pay along with a benefits package encompassing the following and more:

  • Medical benefits (HMO – 100% company paid for Employees & Dependents)
  • Dental and vision plans
  • Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
  • 401(k) Safe Harbor Retirement Plan and company defined contribution.
  • Flexible spending Accounts (FSA), Dependent Care, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Life & Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Fitness Program Reimbursement and Technology Stipends
  • Tuition Assistance Programs
  • Year-round company sponsored events.
  • Employee rewards and recognition

Please note that this job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and does not include an exhaustive list of responsibilities and qualifications.

At Systems Technology Inc. (STI) we aim to attract, retain, and motivate talent that possesses the skills and leadership necessary to grow our business. For this position we are targeting a total compensation pay between $157,500 – $189,000. This is inclusive of base pay, performance bonus and ESOP. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

STI is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.