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 .

Social Media Strategist

Talent Sam · South Africa

Our client is a fast-moving, strategy-driven marketing and design agency. They don’t just “do marketing.” They craft brands that break through the noise, build content that actually converts, and help their clients communicate with clarity and confidence.

They write. They design. They strategize. They move fast. And because they value strong relationships—with both their team and their clients—working there feels like a really good thing.

The best part? Our client may have a place for you on their team. If you’re remarkable at what you do, resourceful in how you do it, and a genuinely relational person to be around, they’d love to see what you’ve got.

Requirements

Required Skills

  • Four-year degree in Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, or related field preferred.

  • Proven working experience in social media management

  • Excellent knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and other social media channels

  • Demonstrable social networking experience and social analytics tools knowledge

  • Adequate knowledge of web design, web development, CRO, and SEO

  • Experience in analyzing analytics reports to gain insight on traffic, demographics, and campaign effectiveness

  • Positive attitude, detail and customer-oriented with good multitasking and organizational ability

  • Ability to write clearly, concisely, and with correct grammar

  • Comfortable working with conservative Christian churches and non-profits

  • Uses good judgment and works with integrity

  • Works independently and quickly

  • Ability to quickly change from one project to another

  • Adeptness with learning new apps and software

  • Punctual and dependable

  • Proactive

  • Metrics-driven

Extra Skills

  • Experience with social media ads (more than just boosting posts)

  • Knowledge of influencer relationships

  • Comfortable doing selfie videos for social of yourself

Top 5 Responsibilities:

  1. Marketing strategy participation

  2. Social media strategy/management

  3. Report performance/analytics

  4. Drive brand awareness

  5. Write marketing content

Other Responsibilities:

  • Build and execute social media strategy through competitive and audience research

  • Create and implement social media marketing plans and editorial calendars

  • Create, maintain, and optimize company pages within each social media platform

  • Define most important social media KPIs

  • Manage and oversee social media content

  • Measure and track metrics of every social media campaign

  • Employ the latest social media best practices and technologies

  • Use social media marketing tools to track engagement

  • Work with copywriters and designers to ensure content is informative and appealing

  • Monitor SEO and user engagement and suggest content optimization

  • Moderate user-generated content and messages appropriately

  • Communicate and network with industry professionals and influencers via social media

Originally posted on Himalayas

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