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 .

Director of Business Development

TransPerfect · Chicago, Illinois, United States

Do you want to work for the global leader in the language services and technology industry? Are you interested in helping international brands/organizations find and implement solutions that allow them to communicate, operate and sell their products and services efficiently and effectively? And are you the type of person who enjoys working in an innovative and vibrant workplace? Then TransPerfect is for you!

So you like what you hear but haven’t worked in ‘language’ before? That is not a problem, TransPerfect is far from “just a translation agency”. Our services portfolio covers everything from business support services such as interpretation, multicultural and digital marketing, SEO and website globalization to multimedia work, video, e-learning and training, and legal support services. All services and client partnerships are aided by best-in-breed software platforms, specialized in optimizing business processes.

That’s enough about us – what about you?

We look for and appreciate anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in! We offer a fast growth path and provide full training around our services, technology solutions and workflows. Therefore the key skills we are looking for are solid communication and relationship building abilities, keeping a cool head if situations get a bit stressful and really owning your role, taking responsibility for your clients and their business success.

Requirements

Position Summary: The Director will be responsible for building and maintaining client relationships while identifying, pursuing and closing sales for TransPerfect’s entire suite of services. The individual should have experience in consultative sales with an emphasis on sales or consulting directly to industry firms and corporations.

 

Description:

  • Develop prospective clients through several strategies including internet research, trade show lists, referrals, various professional directories and personal investigation

  • Source and close new clients through referrals, cold calling, networking, and other means (tradeshows, regional organizations, etc.)

  • Cultivate and maintain long term relationships with clients by delivering elite client service and engaging them by using knowledge of each industry and organization

  • Formulate sales plan to achieve monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets

  • Generate daily outreach efforts to prospective clients

  • Build a productive pipeline and manage each phase of the sales process

  • Develop project budgets and create proposals

  • Understand and articulate TransPerfect’s full line of business offerings, capabilities, benefits, and competitive advantages, and identify and refer opportunities within each of these areas to specialist sales and client service teams to close

  • Set and manage client expectations while consulting with each client for best practices

  • Manage and control pricing and contractual issues

  • Travel (including multiple annual conferences, client meetings) - domestic and/or international

Required Skills:

  • Excellent written and verbal English communication skills

  • Minimum Bachelor's degree or equivalent

  • At least 6-10 years of sales experience in enterprise sales

  • Proven sales life cycle experience - lead generation through business closing

  • Proven track record in achieving sales target

  • Excellent problem solving and analytical skills

  • Established capabilities managing complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles

Salary Transparency

Compensation range: $70,000 - $90,000

Additional earnings: Eligible to earn commission

Benefits: Health insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off, other voluntary benefits