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 .

Associate, PhD (Economics Focus)

Thebrattlegroup · Chicago, Illinois, United States

 

Associates at The Brattle Group

Associates work as part of a team on challenging and high-profile projects in a collegial and academically-oriented work environment. Brattle is large enough to be sought after to answer complex economic, regulatory, and financial questions for clients around the world. We are also small enough to provide our Associates with a variety of experiences and individualized development from our experts. Associates are central members of each project team and they apply finance and economic theory and practice to high-profile litigation, corporate strategy, regulation, and public policy issues on behalf of our clients.

 

Associates are responsible for framing research approaches, managing projects, and supervising team/staff while building individual expertise. As they gain valuable hands-on project experience, Associates also become more involved in developing client relationships and marketing and business development efforts. Brattle Associates benefit from continuous formal and informal training and development opportunities.  Many of our Associates develop into Principals and testifying experts.

 

Ideal Candidates Will Possess

  • PhD in Economics or related field with a strong foundation in quantitative analysis
  • Pre- or postgraduate work experience in a related discipline (preferably in finance, government, related industry, or consulting) is strongly desired
  • Intellectual curiosity
  • Excellent analytic and quantitative skills (including proficiency with analytical/statistical software such as STATA, R, and Excel), along with practical problem-solving abilities
  • An entrepreneurial drive
  • Excellent relationship building skills
  • Demonstrated proficiency in written and oral communications
  • Desire to work in a collaborative team environment
  • Demonstrated record of outstanding academic and/or professional accomplishment

 

To be considered for the Associate position, please submit the following materials:

  • Cover letter that describes your interest in economic consulting and states your location preference
  • CV/resume
  • A writing sample/research paper 

 

Additional requirements:

  • If you are a recent graduate, 2-3 references or letters of recommendations should be sent to [email protected].   Please note: No other application materials are accepted at this email address

 

Brattle offers a competitive benefits package, base salary, and bonus program for eligible roles based on individual and firm performance. The anticipated base gross salary range for this position in the United States is $215,000 - $220,000 annually.  Actual salary will depend on a variety of factors, including experience and training.

 

 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The Brattle Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity and expression, age, height, weight, domestic partner status, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or HIV status (AIDS/HIV status), genetic information, sexual orientation, disability (where the applicant or employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation), marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, drug or alcohol abuse or alcoholism, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

 

We encourage all applicants to click here to review our full Equal Employer Opportunity Statement.  

 

 

THE EMPLOYER

The Brattle Group answers complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world. We are distinguished by the clarity of our insights and the credibility of our experts, which include leading international academics and industry specialists. Brattle has 500 talented professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, please visit brattle.com​.​​​​​