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 Producer

Thebaltimorebanner · Baltimore, MD

 

Join a Pulitzer Award Winning Newsroom!

About the role:

The Banner is seeking a Digital Producer to help publish and package our journalism across our website, app, newsletters, and alerts. This role partners closely with editors and reporters to elevate stories through smart presentation, strong news judgment, and audience-focused distribution. You’ll curate key surfaces like the homepage and app, write engaging headlines and promotional copy, and use performance data to help us reach more readers with the journalism that matters most.

What you'll do:

  • Produce and publish stories in our CMS, ensuring accuracy, clean formatting, and strong presentation
  • Write and optimize engaging headlines, social copy, push alerts, and promotional language across platforms with a focus on audience engagement
  • Curate the homepage, app, and article pages based on news value, audience demand, and performance data
  • Support distribution through newsletters, alerts, and social media posts
  • Monitor analytics to identify high-potential stories for packaging, promotion, and follow-ups
  • Assist with comment moderation and other digital operations as needed
  • Help maintain high editorial and style standards across digital platforms
  • Consider accessibility and usability in story presentation and reader experience

What you'll bring: 

  • At least 2 years of experience working in a digital or web production role for a publisher, preferably a news outlet
  • Familiarity with content management systems and newsroom workflow tools
  • Strong news judgment and a commitment to upholding journalistic values and ethics
  • Knowledge of SEO and audience strategy fundamentals
  • Experience with editing software is a plus (such as Canva, Veed and Descript)
  • Team-oriented with a collaborative mindset
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback
  • A commitment to upholding journalist values and ethics.
  • Willingness to work some nights and weekends as news dictates.

Salary Range: $68,000 - $75,000 Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by several factors including experience, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations. We periodically review all teammates pay to ensure a great compensation package that is fair and equal across the board.

Our amazing benefits include:

  • Flexible Paid Time Off
  • Retirement savings - 401K plan offered through Human Interest, with a company match
  • Student Loan Debt Repayment Assistance for qualified employees
  • Full health benefits - medical, dental, vision, prescription, FSA/HSA., and coverage for family/dependents
  • Sick Leave eligible for rollover 
  • Commuter Benefits
  • 11 Paid National Holidays
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Generous Parental Leave
  • Company paid access to a wellness platform to support mental, financial and physical wellbeing

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.