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 .

Captive Associate

holmesmurphy · Waukee

Job Description:

Innovative Captive Strategies (ICS) partners with organizations to design and manage captive insurance solutions that drive smarter risk financing decisions. We are a collaborative, growth‑focused team that values trust, learning, and strong relationships—both internally and with our partners.

ICS is seeking a motivated Captive Associate to play a key role in supporting our sales and business development efforts. This role is ideal for someone eager to build a career in insurance, captive solutions, and consultative sales support. You’ll gain hands-on exposure to pipeline management, Salesforce, proforma analysis, and client-facing presentations while learning directly from experienced sales professionals. In this role, you’ll support sales and business development teams by helping manage opportunities, strengthening agency relationships, and ensuring accurate, actionable data.

Key Responsibilities

  • Proactively generate lists for sales teams related to missed or prior opportunities
  • Monitor and follow up on open Salesforce opportunities weekly, coordinating updates with Business Development
  • Learn and observe Captive 101 webinars, draft follow-up communications, and begin presenting content once prepared
  • Participate in internal and external proforma review presentations, including creating and maintaining presentation materials
  • Create, manage, and maintain Salesforce contacts and opportunity data
  • Draft agency outreach and follow-up emails for sales teams
  • Support agency relationship management, including building agency meeting materials and presentations

Qualifications

  • High school diploma required; college degree preferred
  • Active state-specific Life & Health insurance license, or ability to obtain within three months of hire
  • Previous work or internship experience preferred, ideally within insurance, brokerage, or a related provider organization

Why Join ICS?

  • Exposure to captive insurance and advanced risk financing strategies
  • Strong mentorship and learning opportunities
  • Collaborative, relationship-driven culture
  • Opportunity to grow within sales, consulting, or client-facing roles

Benefits:  In addition to core benefits like health, dental and vision, also enjoy benefits such as:

  • Paid Parental Leave and supportive New Parent Benefits — We know being a working parent is hard, and we want to support our employees in this journey!
  • Company paid continuing Education & Tuition Reimbursement — We support those who want to develop and grow.
  • 401k Profit Sharing — Each year, Holmes Murphy makes a lump sum contribution to every full-time employee’s 401k. This means, even if you’re not in a position to set money aside for the future at any point in time, Holmes Murphy will do it on your behalf! We are forward-thinking and want to be sure your future is cared for.
  • Generous time off practices in addition to paid holidays — Yes, we actually encourage employees to use their time off, and they do. After all, you can’t be at your best for our clients if you’re not at your best for yourself first.
  • Supportive of community efforts with paid Volunteer time off and employee matching gifts to charities that are important to you — Through our Holmes Murphy Foundation, we offer several vehicles where you can make an impact and care for those around you.
  • DE&I programs — Holmes Murphy is committed to celebrating every employee’s unique diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) experience with us. Not only do we offer all employees a paid Diversity Day time off option, but we also have a Chief Diversity Officer on hand, as well as a DE&I project team, committee, and interest group. You will have the opportunity to take part in those if you wish!
  • Consistent merit increase and promotion opportunities — Annually, employees are reviewed for merit increases and promotion opportunities because we believe growth is important — not only with your financial wellbeing, but also your career wellbeing.
  • Discretionary bonus opportunity — Yes, there is an annual opportunity to make more money. Who doesn’t love that?!

Holmes Murphy & Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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