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 .

Learning Experience Designer

Coursera · India

About Coursera

Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. Today, it is one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 197 million registered learners as of December 31, 2025.

Coursera partners with over 375 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, and degrees. Coursera’s platform innovations — including generative AI-powered features like Coach, Role Play, and Course Builder, and role-based solutions like Skills Tracks — enable instructors, partners, and companies to deliver scalable, personalized, and verified learning.

Institutions worldwide rely on Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, students, and citizens in high-demand fields such as GenAI, data science, technology, and business, while learners globally turn to Coursera to master the skills they need to advance their careers. Coursera is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a B Corp

Why Join Us

At Coursera, we’re looking for inventors, innovators, and lifelong learners ready to shape the future of education. You’ll help build global programs and tools that power online learning for millions turning bold ideas into real impact. People who thrive here are customer-first builders who move fast, simplify ruthlessly, and iterate relentlessly on the metrics that matter. 

We’re a globally distributed team and let you choose the best way you work, whether it's from home, a Coursera hub, or a co-working space near you. Our virtual hiring and onboarding make it easy to join us and start making an impact from anywhere. If you’re ready to make a global impact, scale unique products exclusive to Coursera, and expand your career horizons, apply below.

About the Team:

Coursera’s Content & Credentials org empowers learners, partners, and enterprise customers to achieve their goals. We improve the learning experience through innovative systems, scalable solutions, and close collaboration with partners and vendors to deliver high-quality content. As champions of the Coursera community, we align cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement across the platform.

Within the Content & Credentials org, the Teaching & Learning team brings together learning design experts and researchers who provide best practices, training, and consulting for content development. We work closely with partners and content creators to design transformational learning experiences, using research, experimentation, and data insights to improve learner satisfaction, engagement, and outcomes.

About the Role:

The Learning Designer is a full-time, India-based role responsible for the design and development of Coursera-produced content and for supporting Coursera’s APAC partners. This role focuses on learning design, prototyping, experimenting, and ensuring high-quality vendor production through clear standards and constructive review. You will play a key role in designing, prototyping, producing, and measuring the impact of  innovative, scalable learning experiences. 

To achieve this, you’ll partner with subject-matter experts (SMEs), APAC partners, and production vendors to develop asynchronous, skill-aligned, online learning content. You will produce vendor-ready design deliverables and will also collaborate with cross-functional internal teams, including Teaching & Learning, Learning Analytics, Content Production Management, and Content Maintenance & Optimization, to ensure strong alignment of design practices, share findings, and continuously improve upon our designs. 

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead learning design for scaled Coursera-produced learning experiences (short- and long-form) with emphasis on modular, skill-aligned design and robust assessment design.
  • Translate SME expertise into vendor-ready design deliverables, including learning outcomes, program outlines, sequenced learning journeys, storyboards, and/or assessment specifications.
  • Leverage replicable design systems, templates, and acceptance criteria to accelerate consistent production across vendors.
  • Collaborate on repackaging efforts: recombine modules and learning assets into new long-form offerings or program structures that align to skill outcomes.
  • Adhere to design standards; provide detailed, actionable feedback and Quality Assurance checks to production vendors and Coursera partners.
  • Contribute to pedagogical R&D and tooling: prototype new learning designs and help develop AI-assisted design/production tools, templates, and prompts to increase efficiency while maintaining quality.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design, Learning Sciences, Education, or a related field.
  • 3–5 years of relevant experience in instructional/learning design, curriculum development, or learning product design.
  • Experience working with SMEs and external production vendors to translate designs into production deliverables.
  • Demonstrated experience with modular, skill-aligned course design and assessment design.
  • Demonstrated experience using GenAI tools for learning design, content production, or workflow management.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in Education, Learning Sciences, Instructional Design, or a related field
  • Familiarity with Coursera’s platform, learning analytics, and data-driven optimization practices
  • Familiarity with authoring and design tools such as Figma, Articulate Storyline, or similar
  • Basic data fluency and familiarity with learning analytics tools (Looker/Tableau); comfort with experimental design or SQL is a plus
  • Experience communicating with external partners (e.g., clients, universities, or enterprise stakeholders) to gather requirements, set expectations, and influence design decisions

Coursera is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a welcoming and inclusive workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request at [email protected]. Learn more in our CCPA Applicant Notice and GDPR Recruitment Notice.

To protect against recruitment fraud, please note that Coursera recruiters will only communicate with candidates using official coursera.org email addresses. We do not conduct interviews or negotiate offers via personal or non-coursera.org accounts.