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 .

Industry Representative

Caterpillar · Beijing, Beijing

Career Area:

Sales

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Role Definition
Manages dealers' relationships to market company products and services and assists in the development of dealer sales capability.

Responsibilities
•    Understanding of business model and acting within the business process guidance on review and approval for variance programs and commercial actions.
•    Designing and assisting dealers on the forecast, sales/rental/used strategy planning, and sales techniques; supporting the rollout of new products.
•    Performing regular sales performance reviews with dealers and ensuring implementation of corrective actions where needed.
•    Presenting products or services for stakeholders, answering any customer questions, and addressing their needs.

Skill Descriptors
Customer Focus: Knowledge of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and ability to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Communicates the importance of customer needs/expectations and commits to resolving them.
•    Researches and verifies customer needs and expectations.
•    Solicits customer satisfaction feedback and acts on improvement opportunities.
•    Helps link organizational objectives to customer needs and expectations.
•    Meets regularly with customers to understand their wants, needs and expectations.

Industry Knowledge: Knowledge of the organization's industry group, trends, directions, major issues, regulatory considerations, and trendsetters; ability to apply industry knowledge appropriately to diverse situations.
 Level Basic Understanding: 
•    Explains how own organization compares to others in the industry.
•    Describes key products and services in the industry.
•    Identifies key industry segments and associated characteristics.
•    Names key industry players, leaders, and trendsetters.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
 Level Basic Understanding: 
•    Explains characteristics and steps in an effective decision-making process.
•    Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made.
•    Names decision makers in own environment and cites examples of past decisions.
•    Describes types of decisions incumbent may and may not make in own job or function.

Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
 Level Basic Understanding: 
•    Describes non-verbal behaviors that influence the interpretation of the message.
•    Cites examples of effective and ineffective communications.
•    Explains the importance of effective business communication.
•    Speaks/writes using correct language, mechanics, and gestures.
Negotiating: Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.
 Level Basic Understanding: 
•    Describes qualities of effective and ineffective negotiations.
•    Explains the basic concepts of negotiating.
•    Accesses organizational policies and practices for negotiating.
•    Utilizes techniques for establishing rapport and building trust.

Relationship Management: Knowledge of relationship management techniques; ability to establish and maintain healthy working relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Provides prompt and effective responses to client requests and interactions.
•    Monitors client satisfaction levels on a regular basis.
•    Alerts own team to problems in client satisfaction.
•    Differentiates the roles and responsibilities in a business relationship.
•    Works with clients to address critical issues and resolve major problems.

Value Selling: Knowledge of the principles and practices for selling products, technology and services; ability to provide overall product/service 'value' and to differentiate support offerings that address clearly understood customer needs.
 Level Basic Understanding: 
•    Presents product, technology or service costs and benefits in reaction to prospect or customer requests.
•    Describes general concepts, practices and benefits of value-based versus product selling.
•    Documents proposed product/service solutions to be presented to potential customers.
•    Pursues additional 'value selling' education or training to enhance traditional sales practices.

This position requires the candidate to work a 5-day-a-week schedule in the office.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed.

Posting Dates:

二月 28, 2026 - 三月 13, 2026

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.