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 Trainee

EF Education First Poland · InternshipOn-siteFull time - InternshipRome, Italy

At EF Language Abroad, we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Since 1965, we've helped millions of students discover new places, embrace diverse cultures, and gain fresh perspectives.

We offer immersive short-term and long-term language courses and programs across different languages in the countries where they’re spoken. Together, our global staff help students from around the world develop the language skills they need to achieve their dreams.

Are you ready for a dynamic role in a truly international environment?

As a Business Trainee, you will support our sales team in Rome as they promote our Global EF Language Abroad programs to potential students with the support of your local Italian Team. You will engage with students personally, via email, and over the phone, guiding them through their journey with us until they return from their trip.

*This role is based in Rome. It is a temporary, full-time internship opportunity. The duration is 6 months.

 

Your responsibilities will include:

  • Excellent Communication: Maintain a high-volume of outbound tele-sales calls daily to potential students
  • Team Spirit: Motivate yourself and your team to reach individual and team sales goals with a positive, competitive attitude
  • Relationship building: Represent EF at fairs and universities to meet prospective students throughout the year
  • Teamwork: Build strong relationships with our global and diverse internal sales and campus staff to provide students with the best EF experience

 

What we are looking for:

  • Fully fluent in Italian
  • Working fluency in English
  • Passionate about sales, travel, and language learning!
  • Proactive, independent, and adaptable in a quickly moving workplace.
  • Strong team player with excellent communication skills.

 

What EF offers:

  • Regular training sessions and opportunities for growth within the company.
  • Team events, kick-offs, and holiday parties.
  • A reference letter upon successful completion of your internship.
  • The opportunity to grow your global network with international colleagues.

 

At EF Language Abroad we are dedicated to our mission of opening the world through education, harnessing the power of language learning to deepen the connection between people across the globe.

Ready to make a difference while having fun? Apply now!

 

About EF Education First

At EF we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Since 1965, we have helped millions of people see new places, experience new cultures, and learn new things about the world and about themselves. Our culturally immersive education programs—focused on language, travel, cultural exchange, and academics—turn dreams into international opportunities.

When you join EF, you join a multicultural and diverse community working across more than hundreds of schools and offices in 50 countries, all with one shared mission of opening the world through education. Whoever you are, whatever you are passionate about—we welcome you and want you to bring that to work every day. EF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to inclusion and belonging across race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, caste, parental status, identity, experience and everything else that makes you unique.

Founded in Sweden in 1965, EF has schools and offices around the world, including hubs in Boston, London, São Paulo, Tokyo, Zürich, and more. Learn more at https://www.ef.com.

EF is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions are subject to a criminal background and/or reference checks, as applicable.