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 .

Project Lead, IT

hl · New York, NY, USA

Business Unit:

Information Technology

Industry:

No Industry

Overview

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) is a leading global investment bank recognized for delivering independent strategic and financial advice to corporations, financial sponsors, and governments. With uniquely deep industry expertise, broad international reach, and a partnership approach rooted in trust, the firm provides innovative, integrated solutions across mergers and acquisitions, capital solutions, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. Our unmatched transaction volumes provide differentiated, data-driven perspectives that help our clients achieve their most critical goals. To learn more about Houlihan Lokey, please visit HL.com.

Scope:

As a Project Lead, IT at Houlihan Lokey, you are responsible for overseeing the planning, execution and delivery of IT projects in alignment with a multitude of software applications at a No. 1 ranked global company.

You will work closely with clients, stakeholders, developers, and other IT professionals to ensure that projects meet requirements, budget, and timeline. You will manage the communication, risk, quality, and scope of projects, as well as resolve any issues or conflicts that may arise.

You are passionate about transforming business ideas into technical solutions to help drive more efficient processes and steer critical business decisions. You are innately curious and love to solve business problems.

Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the scope, schedule, budget, and quality of IT projects to ensure successful delivery.

  • Collaborate with stakeholders, vendors, and team members for timely delivery and customer satisfaction.

  • Provide technical guidance and leadership to the IT team.

  • Monitor and report on project progress, risks, and issues and provide regular updates to stakeholders.

  • Ensure compliance with IT standards, policies, and best practices to maintain the integrity of projects.

  • Analyze the current IT processes across different teams and identify areas for improvement and consolidation.

  • Develop and implement best practices for IT project management including documentation, communications, and appropriate project approval gates.

Soft Skills:

  • Ability to deliver empathetic, people-first service that makes customers feel heard, respected, and valued.

  • Talent for creating personal moments that turn routine interactions into memorable experiences.

  • Strong communication skills that balance accuracy with hospitality and approachability.

  • Solutions-focused mindset with a willingness to go above and beyond to create a positive customer outcome.

  • High emotional intelligence with the ability to remain calm, positive, and thoughtful in challenging situations.

  • Hospitality-focused presence that consistently creates a welcoming environment for customers.

  • Strong sense of ownership for the customer experience, with a commitment to continuous improvement.

  • Collaborative mindset with the ability to champion the customer while supporting team and organizational goals.

  • Learning-oriented mindset driven by curiosity, growth, and a passion for service.

  • High degree of professionalism and dependability, with a commitment to upholding the organization’s mission and values.

Required Qualifications:

  • Motivated, detail-oriented, and passionate about solving problems.

  • Ability to lead, motivate, delegate and mentor.

  • Strong analytical skills with ability to analyze complex problems and devise viable solutions.

  • Ability to collaborate with colleagues and be a team player.

  • Demonstrate initiative and ownership of tasks and projects.

  • Ability to work effectively both independently and in team environments.

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a proven ability to communicate effectively and confidently at all levels.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with digital transformation and modern workplace desired.

  • Microsoft 365 experience preferred.

  • Working knowledge of varied project management methodologies is a strong plus.

About the Team

We believe that as we grow individually, we also grow as an Information Technology team allowing us to contribute to the overall growth of Houlihan Lokey. We embrace challenges and try new things, always looking for ways to improve. We deliver technology products and services enabled everywhere, so business can happen anywhere. We like where we work, who we work with, and what we do. We cultivate a culture where we all thrive.

Compensation and Benefits

Houlihan Lokey is committed to providing its employees with an exciting career opportunity and competitive total compensation package, which may include other components such as discretionary incentive compensation. The firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible salary range for this role at the time of posting is:

$145,000-$175,000

Actual salary at the time of hire may vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant qualifications, skills, and experience and the location where this position may be filled.

Houlihan Lokey provides a competitive benefits package. Our current benefits offerings can be found here:

2026 Benefits

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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