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 .

(2027 Bachelor's/Master's graduates) Accounting/Business/Finance Consulting Analyst/Associate Intern (Summer 2026)

Charlesriverassociates · Boston, MA, United States; Chicago, IL, United States; Houston, Texas, United States; New York, NY, United States

If your background is in Accounting, Business, or Finance, learn more about internship opportunities at Charles River Associates!

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations, and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

Practices seeking to hire candidates with this profile include (hiring locations listed):

  • Finance (Chicago, Boston)
    • Our Finance experts work on valuation issues (shareholder class actions and other corporate valuation disputes), as well as matters focused on the functioning of financial markets and institutions (alleged market manipulation and insider trading).
  • Forensic Services - Forensic Accounting (Boston, Chicago)
    • Our Forensic Services practice uses cross-trained forensic professionals to assist companies and their counsel in independently responding to allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and non-compliance.

Learn more about our work by reviewing our Services and Industries on our website.

Position Overview

Our Summer Analyst/Associate Internship program mirrors the analyst experience to give you an understanding of our business and experience project work at Charles River Associates. Throughout the 8-10 week program, Analyst/Associate Interns work alongside senior colleagues to deliver live client consulting projects within the practice area. Along the way, you’ll benefit from professional development and wellness support programs, social events to connect you with peers and a collegial work environment. Successful interns will be offered a full-time position following graduation.

During the internship program, you may work on many aspects of a project:

  • Work alongside, and in a collaborative environment with, talented and diverse colleagues, including PhD-trained economists, finance and accounting professionals (CFAs and CPAs), and valuation experts;
  • Conduct economic and industry research while analyzing client materials to build an understanding of a case’s issues;
  • Perform/develop financial and economic analyses or valuation models to support case theories and present those results to colleagues and clients;
  • Program, build models, and perform regression analyses using languages such as Excel, Stata, R, Python, SQL, or SAS;
  • Investigate accounting irregularities and respond to allegations of fraud, misconduct, waste, and abuse;
  • Use your accounting and financial skills to prepare analyses of financial data, including financial models, for litigation and expert reports and testimony;
  • Investigate and analyze financial evidence, including financial records and transactions, to identify trends and anomalies, and clearly and concisely organize and summarize your findings;
  • Leverage your database skills to effectively analyze large data sets;
  • Communicate with team members, clients, and other professionals, to share investigative and analytical findings, and assist with the drafting of written reports to summarize procedures performed and findings.

Check out our blog about a typical day at CRA and how you can make an impact!

Desired Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree candidates graduating in December 2026/Summer 2027 with an academic focus in Accounting, Business, Finance, or a related area;
  • Solid working knowledge of finance, accounting, and economic methodologies;
  • Command of a broad range of research and quantitative analysis skills (including strong Excel skills);
  • Familiarity with generally accepted accounting principles, corporate governance, and regulatory environments;
  • Experience in gathering, standardizing, and analyzing voluminous transactional data;
  • Experience in data analysis and intelligence gathering, including querying and mining large data sets to discover transaction patterns, examining financial data, and filtering for targeted information;
  • Curious and analytical thinkers who bring creative approaches to non-standard problems;
  • Effective written and oral communication skills;
  • Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;
  • Strong teamwork and collaboration capabilities;
  • Excellent time management and task prioritization skills;
  • Clear and demonstrated interest in consulting through coursework, work experience, activities, or attendance at CRA recruiting events.

To Apply

To be considered for a position in the United States, we require the following:

  • Resume – please include current address, personal email and telephone number;
  • Cover letter – please describe your interest in CRA and how this role matches your goals. Also, please note if you have interest in a particular practice and/or a location preference;
  • Transcript – may be unofficial.

If you are interested in applying for one of our international locations, please visit our Careers site to view and apply for available jobs.

Please also note that candidate resume review will commence October 15, and continue on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

Career Growth and Benefits 

  • CRA’s robust skills development programs, including a commitment to offering 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with research and analysis skill building, training continues with technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring and performance coaching from an assigned senior colleague. Additional leadership and collaboration opportunities exist through internal firm development activities.
  • We offer a comprehensive total rewards program including a superior benefits package, wellness programming to support physical, mental, emotional and financial well-being, and in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

Work Location Flexibility

CRA creates a work environment that enables our colleagues to benefit from being together in the office to best deliver on our promise of career growth, mentorship and inclusivity. At the same time, we recognize that individuals realize a range of benefits when working from home periodically. We currently ask that individuals spend 3 to 4 days a week on average working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to a client's location), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.

Our Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

 

The city of New York, the District of Columbia, and the state of California require CRA to include a good-faith estimate of the wage range for this role. This range is specific to individuals applying to work in our New York, California, and Washington DC offices and considers several factors including but not limited to experience, education level, and expertise. A good-faith estimate of the base wage range for this role is $30 - $36 per hour; actual total compensation may also include benefits and bonus.