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

Visa · Charlotte, NC, us

Visa USA Inc., a Visa Inc. company, needs a Director (multiple openings) in Charlotte, NC to:

  • Responsible for growing a critical managed services pillar focused on Technology Advisory and Implementation within the Banking, Payments and Banking/Payments Adjacent capabilities.
  • Technology Advisory services enabling clients to assess their current technical architecture, envision their future state, and clarify the roadmap to long-term success.
  • Technology Implementation services are built on the success of Technology Strategy engagements, equipping clients with the managed technical program and engineering teams needed to bring their vision to life.
  • Responsible for achieving quarterly and annual revenue targets.
  • Ideate, develop, price, sell, and oversee the delivery of technology strategy and technology implementation services.
  • Identify common client needs, develop offerings that leverage Visa’s extensive capabilities, subject matter expertise, and third-party partners, price the solution appropriately, pitch the client, close the sale, and oversee delivery.
  • Collaborate with internal and external partners to develop, sell, and deliver solutions.
  • Articulate the value proposition to clients, customize the offerings as needed to address client feedback, and ultimately close the sale.
  • Flex across various client stakeholders, to include those in digital, data sciences, marketing, CRM, payments, and fraud/risk.
  • Up to 5% domestic travel required.
  • Position reports to the Employer’s Charlotte, North Carolina office and may allow for partial telecommuting.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems or related field, followed by 10 years of progressive, post-baccalaureate experience in the job offered or in an information technology -related occupation.
  • Position requires experience in the following:
    • Delivering payments industry technology solutions and services to money movement, dispute/pre-dispute, instalments, workflow orchestration, core banking, small business and commercial clients.
    • Working in a techno-functional capacity mediating between business functions and technology teams.
    • Client engagement lifecycle management experience – proposal creating, pricing, pitching, SOW writing and execution oversight.
    • Leading end-to-end strategic initiatives, driving use-case identification and development, including discovery work and evaluation, capability maturity planning, opportunity sizing and business case creation, for new Money-movement / faster payment use cases.
    • Developing preliminary go-to-market strategies, including target identification, product needs, ecosystem requirements, rules enhancements, roadmap development and investment prioritization.
    • Domestic and international payment schemes (RTP, FedNow, Zelle, Push-2-Card, ACH, SEPA, Wires, Cards and Checks) supporting changing business and regulatory landscape.
    • Leading current-state assessment and gap analysis, future-state target operating model design, process assessment and engineering of business processes for business, operations, technology and control partner functions.

Worksite: Charlotte, NC

This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office 2-3 set days a week (determined by leadership/site), with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% or more of the time based on business needs.

Travel Requirements: Up to 5% domestic travel required.

Mental/Physical Requirements: This position will be performed in an office setting.  The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

Visa is an EEO Employer.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.  Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.

U.S. APPLICANTS ONLY: The estimated salary range for this position is $163,500.00 USD to $261,500.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity. Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401 (k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.