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 .

Director

Ideo · Shanghai, China

Come create impact with us.

IDEO Shanghai is looking for a Chinese/English bilingual Director who will contribute to leading world-class design through craft leadership, working closely with our clients to explore new ways of collaborating, and support his or her leadership team by providing support in delivering on IDEO Shanghai’s business strategy.

Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?

You will be part of  IDEO Shanghai’s leadership team in a variety of capacities including business development, mentoring, brand building, and craft excellence. You will make the biggest impact by developing, managing and executing a business development strategy that capitalizes on the range of product opportunities in the market, as well as ensuring that IDEO’s design capabilities are properly represented to meet and exceed the client’s needs and expectations. Your skill set is critical to our work because you have the ability to cultivate client relationships and support the development of world-class designers.

Once here you will:

  • Create and lead new collaborations with our client partners on a long-term basis.
  • Designing new ways in which IDEO can deliver value and inspire the Chinese market.
  • Partner with Enterprise leaders in developing business opportunities
  • Support the development of portfolio strategy, including but not exclusive to network building, client engagement strategy, portfolio message, and offer development.
  • Support project work throughout the year by bringing in the client's perspective and contributing to project content development.
  • Recommended approach for proactive network development / engagement to the target audience

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place unlike any other. It’s a place where you can solve diverse challenges for our clients and the organization, alongside thoughtful individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and optimism. Sure we work hard, but we also craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.

Relevant experience and mindset:

  • Strong Chinese (native) and English verbal and written skills.
  • Experience working in a creative consulting or agency environment.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication in internal and externally-facing capacity.
  • A proactive, creative problem solver that thrives in a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment.
  • Experience in collaborating with multiple internal and external organizations.

Application instructions：

We recognize that candidates will have various degrees of expertise for this role and as such we would like to hear from senior candidates with a proven track record of leadership in creative organizations, in and out of the design industry.  

If you are interested in applying, please provide your resume and a cover letter that touches on why you’re excited to be a creative leader at IDEO Shanghai.

 

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