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 .

Security Analyst, Bridge

Stripe · San Francisco, New York City

Who we are

Bridge is Stripe’s fintech innovation hub focused on building a modern, stablecoin-powered cross-border payments network. We operate like a startup within Stripe: fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and product-obsessed, but with the backing of one of the most trusted names in fintech.

We’re hiring a Security Analyst / Program Manager to build and scale Bridge’s security foundation. This is a rare opportunity to design the security governance, risk and compliance programs from the ground up, while also leveraging the infrastructure, best practices, and tooling of one of the most mature security organizations in the industry.

What you'll do

  • Design, and implement Bridge’s security governance, risk and compliance roadmaps from first principles to production.
  • Identify and tackle Bridge’s most important security risks quickly and pragmatically.
  • Adopt Stripe’s programs, controls and processes where it makes sense, and find custom approaches where it doesn’t.
  • Lead risk assessment, control design and testing for all Security and Technology Oversight globally.
  • Reinforce engineering best practices around secure development and infrastructure.
  • Ensure Bridge meets compliance and audit expectations as we scale to more regulated markets.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, and Stripe’s security org to move fast without compromising safety.

About you

You might be a good fit if you:

  • Have 8+ years of experience in Security GRC, ideally with time spent in fast-paced startup environments where you’ve built security practices from the ground up.
  • Have a startup mindset: you’re scrappy, pragmatic, and move quickly to solve the most critical problems.
  • You’re proficient with NIST CSF, OCC’s Cybersecurity Supervision Work Program and/or FFIEC IT Examination Handbook or other similar global frameworks. 
  • Proven prior experience with regulatory audits from Global auditors across Security domains.
  • Thrive in ambiguity and know how to ruthlessly prioritize.
  • Can balance security rigor with speed, especially in fast-moving environments.
  • Communicate clearly across technical and non-technical partners.
  • Have experience building or scaling security programs, either at a startup or in an embedded role.
  • Are excited about the potential of crypto and stablecoins to power global financial infrastructure (you don’t need deep prior knowledge—just curiosity and openness to learn).
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