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 .

Business Development Representative

Toast · Toronto, Canada

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.

A Business Development Representative (BDR) will be responsible for creating new business sales opportunities for Toast. BDRs will research restaurants in their assigned territory, create an outreach plan and determine how restaurants can benefit from leveraging Toast’s all-in-one digital platform. Daily outreach consists primarily of cold calls but also includes emails and social media touch points. After the consistently high performance in the role, BDRs have the opportunity to pursue more advanced sales roles at Toast.

This is a Hybrid role with days in our Toronto office

A day in the life (Responsibilities) 

  • Cold, outbound prospecting leads to set up product demonstrations for Field Account Executives.
  • Collaborate with Field Account Executive Teams as well as the marketing team to develop creative outreach strategies.
  • Leverage prospecting skills and relationships to build partnerships with restaurants.
  • Be the voice of the customer and share valuable feedback cross-functionally.
  • Understand the competitive landscape and determine how to best position Toast in the market.

What you'll need to thrive (Requirements)

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Passion for sales and a desire to work in a results-driven environment.
  • High customer empathy and ability to handle objections.
  • Experience in an outbound prospecting role is a must
  • Attention to detail and strong organizational skills to be able to keep track of many opportunities at one time.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
  • Previous phone experience
  • Self-motivated, creative, and flexible with the ability to perform well under pressure.
  • Experience canvassing and cold-calling into various types of local businesses, with evidence of success preferred.

What will help you stand out (Nonessential Skills/Nice to Haves)

  • Collegiate Sales Competitors wanted! 
  • Restaurant Experience a plus
  • Experience working in a start-up environment
  • Up to date on the latest restaurant industry trends; knowledge of restaurant operations is a plus.

 

AI at Toast

At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.

 

Our Total Rewards Philosophy 
We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.



The estimated Total Targeted Cash compensation range for this role is listed below. Total Targeted Cash for this role includes base salary, commission, and bonus (if eligible). This role qualifies for uncapped commissions. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to cash compensation, our total rewards components include benefits and equity (if eligible).

Total Targeted Cash
$65,000$104,000 CAD

How Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process

Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Baked into our Recipe for Success

At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse, and we embrace that diversity with authenticity, inclusivity, respect, and humility. By embedding these principles into our culture and design, we create equitable opportunities for all and raise the bar in delivering exceptional experiences.

We Thrive Together

We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the restaurant community. To learn more about how we work globally and regionally, check out: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast.

Apply today!

Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected].

------

For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.