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 .

Digital Media Sales Executive

Thebaltimorebanner · Baltimore, Maryland

Join one of Baltimore's Best Places to Work! 

Are you a consultative, high-activity seller who loves opening doors and building long-term client partnerships? Join The Banner, Baltimore’s nonprofit, independent local news organization, as a Digital Media Sales Executive focused on selling integrated, multi-platform advertising and sponsorship solutions that help local businesses grow.

Reporting to the Director of Advertising Sales, you’ll build a book of business, develop new revenue, and guide clients through the full sales cycle from discovery to proposal to close, using audience insights, campaign performance data, and smart storytelling.

What You’ll Do:

  • Prospect and win new business with a focus on delivering impactful results using high outreach volume, strong pipeline discipline, and consistent new meeting activity.
  • Lead consultative conversations that uncover client goals, constraints, and success metrics, then translate them into tailored digital marketing solutions.
  • Sell integrated campaigns across The Banner’s advertising and sponsorship offerings (including multi-platform packages), aligning the right mix of products to client needs.
  • Build and maintain relationships with local advertisers, agencies, and community partners, becoming a trusted resource across the market.
  • Create and present proposals that connect strategy to outcomes, and confidently handle objections, negotiate, and close.
  • Use HubSpot and other internal tools to track activity, forecast revenue, and manage a healthy pipeline with accuracy and transparency.
  • Collaborate internally with colleagues across advertising, marketing, and operations to deliver strong client experiences and campaign results.
  • Stay market-fluent on Maryland’s competitive media landscape and on evolving digital marketing trends and best practices.

What You’ll Bring:

  • 3–5 years of consultative sales experience in digital media, marketing services, sponsorship, or agency sales.
  • Demonstrated success in discovery and needs analysis, appointment setting and pipeline creation, proposal development and presentations, closing and growing accounts
  • CRM proficiency and comfort using activity data to manage pipeline, revenue, and forecasting. (Experience using HubSpot is a plus)
  • Ability to use research, insights, and performance data to build credible, client-ready recommendations.
  • Strong communication and presentation skills.
  • Self-starter mindset with the ability to work independently while thriving in a collaborative team.
  • Strong track record of selling the local Maryland Market (advertisers, categories, agencies) is a plus.

Additional Requirements: Applicants should demonstrate a high-level knowledge of today’s digital advertising strategies and tactics including, but not limited to, display and video ads, programmatic buying, CTV/OTT, paid social media and email marketing. Relocation will not be provided for this role. 

Salary Range: Anticipated first-year On Target Earnings (OTE): $125,000–$150,000, made up of a competitive base salary plus earned commissions. Individual pay may vary based on experience, internal equity, and business considerations. We regularly review compensation to ensure it remains competitive, fair, and equitable.

Why The Banner

The Banner is building a sustainable model for local journalism. Advertising revenue plays a critical role in supporting our public-service mission while helping local organizations connect with engaged audiences across the region. We take pride in our core values that outline how we work. If you meet the qualifications above and see yourself in the cultural elements below, we’d love to talk.

Our Core Values:

  • Do what’s right. Honesty, morality, respect and the mission guide our actions and decisions. By doing the right thing, we inspire others to believe.
  • Work together. We collaborate to create something special. Together we challenge assumptions, trust each other, take risks, and foster transparent and direct communication.
  • Listen to be heard. Our stories are trustworthy. They are inspired by and created for our readers. Their story is our story. Communities are at the center of our journalism, and everything we do.
  • Deliver impactful results. Acting as one accountable team and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, we deliver bold and innovative results. We act fast, execute and learn. We celebrate great outcomes.
  • Be inclusive. We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and act by curating a culture that leverages diverse perspectives as the key to fulfilling our mission. The Banner is for all of us.

The Venetoulis Institute embraces diversity and inclusion, and we are wholeheartedly committed to being proactive in inspiring a culture of inclusion across our organization. We are dedicated to establishing an organization that reflects the fundamental respect for different ways of working and living, and we assure every employee the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation due to a disability to participate in the application process, please contact [email protected] to request accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, adjustments in the application process, modifications or assistance regarding job interviews, and accommodations to enable access to our facilities. We appreciate the value that individuals with disabilities bring to our workforce and encourage applicants with disabilities to disclose their needs for accommodation to facilitate a smooth and inclusive recruitment experience.