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 .

Key Account Manager - Lisbon

Unison Infra · Lisbon

 
The Team:
The Unison team is looking for an energetic, entrepreneurial originator to develop, manage and advance a pipeline of real estate investment leads from contact to closing. Reporting to the Managing Director of Origination, the Site Acquisition Specialist is responsible for helping grow the company by cultivating relationships with real estate property owners and developing a robust sales pipeline.
 
The Job:
·       Manage a personal pipeline of origination leads from sourcing to closing.
·       Be the first point of contact for prospective clients and build the pipeline by employing a consultative approach.
·       Achieve personal monthly, quarterly, and annual targets related to origination funnel management and closings.
·       Rigorously monitor personal origination waterfall activity to ensure health and stability of sales pipeline.
·       Contribute user-experience input to origination processes such as data mining, CRM design, and marketing initiatives.
·       Contribute to strategic initiatives and product design to maintain a competitive market position.
 
Required Education & Experience:
·       Bachelor's degree from an accredited university preferred or equivalent work experience in business to consumer (B2C) sales
·       Natural sales talent with strong business acumen.
·       Exceptional negotiation skills. 
·       Experience negotiating transactions from sourcing through close. 
·       Familiarity with real estate closing process is preferred.
·       Familiarity with finance concepts such as IRR and NPV preferred.
·       Experience originating within commercial real estate, mortgages, telecom, mineral rights acquisition, or renewables industries preferred.
 
Personal Attributes:
The successful candidate will bring a high level of ethical, intellectual, professional, and personal values that complement the team and company culture, including:
·       Entrepreneurial and collaborative team spirit.
·       Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
·       Proven ability to deliver results and prioritize tasks in a fast-moving, dynamic environment.
·       Respect for colleagues and sense of humor.
 
Other Details:
·       Competitive compensation package including salary, bonus, and incentives. 
·       Paid holidays, paid time off.
·       Must be authorized to work in-country without visa sponsorship.
 
The Team:
The Unison team is looking for an energetic, entrepreneurial originator to develop, manage and advance a pipeline of real estate investment leads from contact to closing. Reporting to the Managing Director of Origination, the Site Acquisition Specialist is responsible for helping grow the company by cultivating relationships with real estate property owners and developing a robust sales pipeline.
 
The Job:
·       Manage a personal pipeline of origination leads from sourcing to closing.
·       Be the first point of contact for prospective clients and build the pipeline by employing a consultative approach.
·       Achieve personal monthly, quarterly, and annual targets related to origination funnel management and closings.
·       Rigorously monitor personal origination waterfall activity to ensure health and stability of sales pipeline.
·       Contribute user-experience input to origination processes such as data mining, CRM design, and marketing initiatives.
·       Contribute to strategic initiatives and product design to maintain a competitive market position.
 
Required Education & Experience:
·       Bachelor's degree from an accredited university preferred or equivalent work experience in business to consumer (B2C) sales
·       Natural sales talent with strong business acumen.
·       Exceptional negotiation skills. 
·       Experience negotiating transactions from sourcing through close. 
·       Familiarity with real estate closing process is preferred.
·       Familiarity with finance concepts such as IRR and NPV preferred.
·       Experience originating within commercial real estate, mortgages, telecom, mineral rights acquisition, or renewables industries preferred.
 
Personal Attributes:
The successful candidate will bring a high level of ethical, intellectual, professional, and personal values that complement the team and company culture, including:
·       Entrepreneurial and collaborative team spirit.
·       Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
·       Proven ability to deliver results and prioritize tasks in a fast-moving, dynamic environment.
·       Respect for colleagues and sense of humor.
 
Other Details:
·       Competitive compensation package including salary, bonus, and incentives. 
·       Paid holidays, paid time off.
·       Must be authorized to work in-country without visa sponsorship.
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