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 .

Senior NiFi Engineer 3

Trexsolutions · Fort Meade, MD

Are you ready to make a significant impact by supporting critical national security infrastructure? T-Rex Solutions is looking for a fully cleared Senior NiFi Engineer 3 to join our dynamic team at Ft. Meade, MD in support of the Intelligence Community.

We are seeking a Senior NiFi Engineer who will design, implement, and manage complex, high-throughput data pipelines in support of the Data Transformation Solutions (DTS) TTO. You candidate will be responsible for the "plumbing" of our data ecosystem—ensuring that data moves securely and reliably between disparate systems, including cloud infrastructure. The candidate will design and build scalable data flows using Apache NiFi to ingest, route, transform, and deliver data across the enterprise.

Responsibilities:

  • Hands-on experience with Apache NiFi.
  • Proficiency in Java and/or Groovy, Bash and/or Python.
  • Strong experience with Linux/RHEL administration and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).
  • Expertise in handling various formats including JSON, Avro, Parquet, and XML, specifically using NiFi Record-based readers/writers.
  • Familiarity with IaC tools like Ansible or Terraform to automate NiFi cluster deployments.
  • Experience managing, monitoring, and troubleshooting multiple data flows/threads.

Desired Skills:

  • Experience with DeltaFi.
  • Experience with DevOps (automating maintenance and monitoring, observability, deployment orchestration).
  • Background in IT Operations and understanding of networking (CIDR routing, proxy configurations, and firewalls).
  • Understanding of corporate dataflow and system interoperability.

Requirements:

  • Bachelor's and 20 years of related experience or 25 years of related experience without a degree. 
  • Active TS/SCI w/ FSP required within 7 years.

 

T-Rex Overview

Established in 1999, T-Rex Solutions, LLC is a proven mid-tier business providing data-centric mission services to the Federal government as it increasingly tries to secure and leverage the power of data. We design, integrate, secure, and deploy advanced technical solutions for our customers so they can efficiently fulfill their critical objectives. T-Rex offers both IT and professional services to numerous Federal agencies and is a leader in providing high quality and innovative solutions in the areas of Cloud and Infrastructure Services, Cyber Security, and Big Data Engineering.

T-Rex is constantly seeking qualified people to join our growing team. We have built a broad client base through our devotion to delivering quality products and customer service, and to do that we need quality individuals. But more than that, we at T-Rex are committed to creating a culture that supports the development of every employee's personal and professional lives. T-Rex has made a commitment to maintain the status of an industry leader in compensation packages and benefits which includes competitive salaries, performance bonuses, training and educational reimbursement, Transamerica 401(k) and Cigna healthcare benefits.

T-Rex is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors.

In compliance with pay transparency guidelines, the annual base salary range for this position is $190,000 - $225,000. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. T-Rex considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.

T-Rex offers a diverse and collaborative work environment, exciting opportunities for professional growth, and generous benefits, including: PTO available to use immediately upon joining (prorated based on start date), paid parental leave, individual and family health, vision, and dental benefits, annual budget for training, professional development and tuition reimbursement, and a 401(k) plan with company match fully vested after 60 days of employment among other benefits.  

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