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 .

Events & Partnerships Lead

Tryalma · Palo Alto

Hi there! We’re Alma 👋

We’re on a mission to make immigration more accessible, transparent, and human through cutting-edge technology and thoughtful legal support.

We’re backed by top-tier investors (Bling, Forerunner, Village Global, NFX, NEA, MVP, Conviction, and Silkroad Innovation), and our team combines decades of experience across immigration law, product, operations, and high-growth startups.

We’re hiring an Events & Partnerships Lead to build and scale Alma’s presence through high-impact events for founders and HR / People teams managing global talent.

This role is primarily about events. You’ll design, run, and scale a repeatable events engine that drives awareness, engagement, and pipeline. Partnerships will support that motion, helping Alma plug into the right communities and platforms such as YC, 500 Global, and other founder and HR ecosystems. We aim to create memorable, high-quality experiences that people talk about, come back to, and associate with Alma.

You’ll own the motion end-to-end: event strategy, execution, distribution, and follow-on engagement. If you love running standout events and turning them into a scalable growth channel, we’d love to chat.

What You’ll Do

Own Alma’s Events Strategy & Execution

  • Plan and execute a high volume of events across audiences: founders, operators, and HR / People teams

  • Formats include dinners, panels, webinars, office hours, and workshops

  • Design experiences that feel premium, thoughtful, and memorable

  • Build repeatable event playbooks that consistently drive attendance, engagement, and conversion

  • Partner with legal, GTM, and product teams to deliver practical, high-value immigration content

Build an Events Engine That Scales

  • Create a consistent cadence of events across geographies and formats

  • Develop systems for promotion, registration, follow-up, and conversion

  • Turn events into a core pipeline driver, not just a brand channel

Leverage Partnerships to Power Events

  • Source and activate partnerships with platforms and communities (e.g., YC, 500 Global, HR networks) to co-host and distribute events

  • Run joint events, workshops, and programming with partners

  • Ensure Alma is consistently present in the highest-value ecosystems

Drive Engagement Across Founders & HR Teams

  • Tailor programming to the distinct needs of founders and HR / People teams

  • Ensure Alma shows up at key moments: hiring, fundraising, relocation, and scaling teams

  • Build ongoing engagement through recurring events and programming

Track Performance & Iterate

  • Own metrics across events: attendance, engagement, referrals, and pipeline

  • Identify which formats, audiences, and partners drive the best outcomes

  • Continuously refine the events strategy based on data


You Should Apply If

  • You’ve run high-quality events or programs that people actually show up to and talk about

  • You’re energized by bringing people together and creating meaningful experiences

  • You’re strong operationally and can manage multiple events in parallel

  • You’re comfortable representing Alma externally with founders and HR leaders

  • You understand how to turn events into a repeatable growth channel

  • You track what matters and iterate quickly

You Should NOT Apply If

  • You see events as one-off brand moments rather than a core growth channel

  • You prefer strategy over execution. This role is highly hands-on

  • You don’t enjoy logistics, coordination, and follow-through

  • You want a narrow role. This spans events, partnerships, and growth

What It’s Like to Work at Alma

We’re a small, mission-driven team reimagining immigration from the ground up. We value thoughtfulness, speed, and building systems that scale. We work closely across functions and care deeply about the people we serve.

Benefits & Perks

  • Hyper-competitive base salary range based on experience

  • 100% Health coverage + Vision + Dental

  • 20 days PTO + 10 Federal Holidays

  • $250 per month in wellness allowance

  • A front-row seat to startup growth, with mentorship from legal, tech, and business leaders

  • Opportunities to shape internal systems, lead on strategy, and build something new

A Quick Note

We know the “perfect” candidate doesn’t exist. If this role excites you but you don’t meet every qualification, we’d still love to hear from you. Immigration is complex. So are people. That’s what makes this work so meaningful.