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 .

NextGen Content Developer

Life · Edmond, OK

Life.Church wants to make a lasting difference in your life, in our community, and in the world. Our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. That's how we’re able to make a difference, and it's the driving force behind everything we do.

The NextGen Content Developer is primarily responsible for developing, writing, and editing content and supporting the creative processes for the Youth and NextGen ministries of Life.Church. This role responds to and identifies needs as they create digital content, discipleship resources, event materials, and supporting assets, partnering with ministry and Central teams in alignment with Switch and NextGen priorities. This role utilizes their skillset to deliver outcomes that align with the direction of their team to further Life.Church’s mission and to reach people for Christ.

Life.Church wants to make a lasting difference in your life, in our community, and in the world. Our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. That's how we’re able to make a difference, and it's the driving force behind everything we do.

The NextGen Content Developer is primarily responsible for developing, writing, and editing content and supporting the creative processes for the Youth and NextGen ministries of Life.Church. This role responds to and identifies needs as they create digital content, discipleship resources, event materials, and supporting assets, partnering with ministry and Central teams in alignment with Switch and NextGen priorities. This role utilizes their skillset to deliver outcomes that align with the direction of their team to further Life.Church’s mission and to reach people for Christ.

Benefits We Offer

  • Paid parental leave, including maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
  • Generous employer-paid leave for the use of vacation, sick time, and other qualifying reasons. 
  • Innovative and comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance that provides team members with useful resources and savings to navigate their holistic health. 
  • Life insurance policy provided for all staff members at 2x annual salary at no cost. Additional life insurance coverage is available to purchase. 
  • Short-Term and Long-Term disability is covered at 100% for full-time qualified staff members.
  • Comprehensive wellness and mental health benefits allow staff to proactively invest in their physical and emotional health.
  • Generous 401(k) retirement plan allowing a team member to have up to 12.5% (including employee contribution, employer match, and employer discretionary contribution) contributed into their account in their first year. It doesn’t stop there—the more years on staff, the greater the investment! 
  • $160 annually in development dollars for team members to invest in their professional growth. 
  • Casual dress and work environment.
  • And much more!
 

Our Beliefs, Culture, and Commitment to Diversity

At Life.Church, every staff member, and intern is a minister and is expected to engage in the church's ministry fully. We consider ministry readiness and an individual’s capacity to represent Life.Church’s beliefs as a minister during the selection process for all staff and intern positions. An essential function within every position held by a staff member or intern at Life.Church is to uphold and represent the beliefs of Life.Church. Learn more about what we believe at Life.Church
 
While we unite around our mission, we know unity doesn’t mean uniformity. Our calling is too great, and our mission is too important not to be intentional about strengthening our team through diversity. We know that diverse perspectives in race, ethnicity, background, age, and gender are essential to reaching the world for Christ. To learn more about how we strengthen our team through diversity, visit our careers page
 
All data collected in our application process, from resume collection to application questions, is used for recruitment purposes only. 

What You'll Do

Create and Develop Curriculum

  • Develop the content for curriculum assets for their audience—create resources, fleshing out teaching outlines, semester content guides, experiential pieces, and promotional elements for campuses.
  • Provide guidance and applicable resources for campuses on best practices for implementation.
  • Create content to support and train small group leaders and campus staff, such as live communicator scripts, discussion guides, and other tools to accompany the execution of the content.
  • Contribute to the creation of other leader tools in collaboration with ministry teams.
  • Collaborate with the central ministry teams, Communications Team, Interactive Team, campus teams, and others to create cohesive communication campaigns for new content or curriculum updates.
  • Support Content Director with other content development needs that arise from ministry direction and input.
  • Tailor Content for the Desire Audience

  • Research strategies to increase engagement for the target audience.
  • Stay up to date on development stages, felt and unfelt needs, cultural trends, and other specifics about each audience.
  • Manage Digital Content Creation

  • Write (or delegate and edit) Bible Plans and other digital content for the target audience.
  • Assign, edit, write, and/or oversee all content for digital platforms.
  • Collaborate with the graphic designers, producers, Project Managers, and filmmakers to ensure consistency across content assets.
  • Skills Needed to Succeed

  • Ability to self-motivate, make independent decisions, and solve problems with innovation.
  • Effective at multi-tasking and time management to meet strict deadlines while remaining flexible and open to change.
  • Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills to clearly explain complicated processes and foster partnerships.
  • Effective at process and organizational management to coordinate, structure, and provide vision to projects.
  • Strong leadership skills and understanding of developing and guiding others.
  • Ability to manage conflict and differing opinions while maintaining composure.
  • Strong writing and editing skills.
  • High School Diploma or GED.
  • Bachelor's degree or similar equivalent preferred.
  • 3+ years of related work experience.