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 .

Accountant - Operational Finance

Turnerconstruction · New York, NY, US

The salary range for this position is estimated to be $100,000.00 - 170,000.00 annualized, which represents the company's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Additionally, Turner Construction provides flexible benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, financial benefits such as a 401(k) plan, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Account, wellness benefits, a voluntary legal plan, identity theft, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage. Position Description: Lead all fiscal management and financial administration aspects of project. Ensure all team members, including project manager, superintendent, and engineer are following Turner financial policy and procedures, and communicate any potential profitability or risk to management. Reports to: Senior Accountant, Operational Finance or Accounting Manager, Operational Finance Essential Duties Responsibilities: Set up, lead, oversee and implement procedures to insure client contractual requirements are met in regard to billing and accounts receivable. Perform client contract analysis to determine the billing deadlines, payments terms, billable and non-reimbursable expenses, agreements for insurance and fee billings along with approved billing rates for staff and/or trade labor. Regularly audit client billing and project ledger, ensure both are meeting with contract requirements, GAAP and company policy. Manage accounts payable for vendor invoice processing, ensure proper sales and use tax are accounted for and responsible for keeping accounts up to date for assigned projects. Manage accounts payable for subcontractor invoice processing, ensure all applicable lien waivers are submitted and contracts and insurance requirements are in place prior to scheduling payments. Report to project team any subcontractor payment issues. Manage month close process ensuring all client bills and project costs are posted or accrued if work is in place and of material value. Update monthly projects assets and rentals for insurance documentation with project team. Manage project financial closeout along with project team. Ensure final contract amount and closeout documentation requirements have been met and agreed to by subcontractors prior to issuing final payments. Responsible for cash position reporting with respect to net assets, liabilities, and unfunded work in place, communicate any potential risks or profitability to project team. Assist with all internal and external audit requests. Other activities, duties, and responsibilities as assigned.