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 .

Business Development Representative

Certus · Charlotte, NC

About Certus
We sit at the intersection of people and technology—building training and education solutions that help more than 4 million learners each year enter, advance, or reinvent their careers.

Our customers range from individual professionals charting their own path to some of the world's most recognized brands: Amazon, Siemens, Geico, Chick-fil-A, and others who trust us to develop their people at scale.

How We Work
Our teams span software engineering, instructional design, creative writing, consultative sales, marketing, and beyond. Movement between roles isn't just possible; it's encouraged. We're building something that requires people who want to keep growing.

Who Thrives Here

  • Self-starters who bring a get-it-done mindset and don't wait for permission

  • Builders drawn to a fast-moving industry where the landscape keeps shifting

  • Humans who are innovative, brave, kind, and bring their full selves to work


We're committed to a culture where people can be exactly who they are—and where that diversity of perspective makes everything we build stronger.

The workforce learning market is evolving rapidly, and we're helping define where it goes next. If you want work that matters, room to grow, and a team that actually means it when they talk about culture—we should talk.

Overview:
We’re looking for a motivated and results-driven Business Development Representative (BDR) to join our dynamic Enterprise Sales team. In this role, you’ll play a key part in driving revenue growth by connecting with existing and prospective clients to promote our innovative Workforce Management Solutions. You’ll help open doors for our Account Executives through strategic outreach, meaningful conversations, and genuine relationship-building.

What You’ll Do

  • Generate new opportunities by proactively prospecting through 80-100 outbound calls per day, email campaigns, and research to identify potential corporate clients.

  • Meet and exceed daily performance metrics for calls, emails, and new leads aligned with the overall sales plan.

  • Become a product ambassador by understanding our solutions and clearly communicating how they create value for customers.

  • Maintain accurate and organized records in our CRM to ensure transparency, collaboration, and pipeline visibility.

  • Collaborate closely with Account Executives and team members to drive deal flow and provide exceptional customer experiences.

  • Take on additional projects and initiatives that support departmental and companywide goals.





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