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 .

Software Developer — iOS - Canada

Textnow · Open- Canada

We believe that communication belongs to everyone. TextNow is redefining how people connect by combining simplicity, intelligence, and accessibility. We’re a team of curious builders using technology to make communication more affordable and powerful for millions of users every day. 

As a Software Developer - iOS, you won’t just build apps—you’ll shape the systems, architecture, and tooling that make them possible. At TextNow, Members of Technical Staff combine leadership and hands on coding to enable the highest leverage opportunities possible. Being able to operate strategically, as well as diving into the lowest level details is a must. You’ll take technical ownership of key mobile domains and work across mobile, backend, and data to create faster, smarter, more reliable products.  
As well, AI and automation are at the core of how we build. You’ll use them to accelerate development, improve performance, detect and resolve issues faster, and continuously raise the bar for mobile development excellence. 
We’re hiring Members of Technical Staff across multiple levels (intermediate/senior/staff+). Whether you’re an experienced developer looking to lead complex systems, or an early-career developer eager to grow, we’ll align your title and scope based on experience and impact. 

This role is about impact at scale. You’ll shape how TextNow builds and operates its backend systems—using AI and automation to make development faster, decisions smarter, and experiences more seamless for millions of users worldwide. 

We believe that communication belongs to everyone. TextNow is redefining how people connect by combining simplicity, intelligence, and accessibility. We’re a team of curious builders using technology to make communication more affordable and powerful for millions of users every day. 

As a Software Developer - iOS, you won’t just build apps—you’ll shape the systems, architecture, and tooling that make them possible. At TextNow, Members of Technical Staff combine leadership and hands on coding to enable the highest leverage opportunities possible. Being able to operate strategically, as well as diving into the lowest level details is a must. You’ll take technical ownership of key mobile domains and work across mobile, backend, and data to create faster, smarter, more reliable products.  
As well, AI and automation are at the core of how we build. You’ll use them to accelerate development, improve performance, detect and resolve issues faster, and continuously raise the bar for mobile development excellence. 
We’re hiring Members of Technical Staff across multiple levels (intermediate/senior/staff+). Whether you’re an experienced developer looking to lead complex systems, or an early-career developer eager to grow, we’ll align your title and scope based on experience and impact. 

This role is about impact at scale. You’ll shape how TextNow builds and operates its backend systems—using AI and automation to make development faster, decisions smarter, and experiences more seamless for millions of users worldwide. 

More about TextNow 

Our culture 
We’re proud of the culture that we’ve built at TextNow, but one of the most common questions we hear is ‘how do you continue to sustain it as the world and the company continues to change?’ The reality is that we’re only able to keep up because each and every TextNovian contributes to our culture through being involved, by living our values, sharing feedback, embracing change and more!  
 
 
Our values 
Customer Obsessed 
We strive to have a deep understanding of our customers. 

Do Right By Our People 
We treat each other with fairness, respect, and integrity. 

Accept the Challenge 
We adopt a "Yes, We Can" mindset to achieve ambitious goals. 

Act Like an Owner 
We treat this company like it's our own... because it is! 

Give a Damn 
We are deeply committed and passionate about our work and achieving results. 

 
Our benefits and more 
This is a brief overview of the benefits that TextNow offers its employees. More complete details can be found in TextNow’s Benefit Guide and legal plan documents, which are available to employees on or shortly after their start date with TextNow. The benefits listed herein are for illustrative purposes only and may change from time-to-time in TextNow’s sole discretion. 
 
Free phone service 
Strong work life blend  
Flexible work arrangements (work-from-home, remote, or access to one of our office spaces) 
Employee stock options  
Unlimited vacation  
12 paid holidays per year 
Competitive pay 
Health, dental, and vision benefits 
Short-term & long-term disability 
$750 annual wellness benefit or healthcare spending account 
RRSP matching (Canada)
Parental leave for eligible employees 
Learning & Development opportunities
We travel a few times a year for various team events, company-wide off-sites, and more 
More information about our total rewards package will be available during the hiring process. 
 
Dogfooding & Customer Obsession 
At TextNow, every employee gets to actively use our app for calling and texting. Dogfooding helps us experience what customers do, to spot issues early, and drive better design, developer, and user experiences. 
 
Diversity and Inclusion 
Our aim is to make every person who joins TextNow feel like they belong, that they’re valued, and that they’re able to be their authentic selves at work.  
We’re all accountable for creating an inclusive culture and a sense of belonging for one another. By doing this together, we’ll make TextNow better for everyone.  
 
Equal opportunity 
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. 
 
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process may contact our Talent Team. 
 
TextNow Candidate Policy 
By submitting an application to TextNow, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with the TextNow Candidate Policy