Resume Insights: Key Statistics & Trends to Watch in 2025
Attention job seekers! A strong resume is essential for career growth, yet many overlook what truly makes one effective. With AI playing an increasingly vital role in hiring, we’ve grounded this blog in research and key statistics from the past two years to give you credible insights into what works, and what doesn’t, in today’s job market. Here’s what you need to know.
Key Resume Statistics from 2023-2024
- An average job posting receives 250 resumes, but less than 10% make it to the hiring manager (Fennell, 2023).
- Recruiters spend only 10-30 seconds scanning each resume, with 75% being filtered out by ATS before reaching a human (TestGorilla, 2024; Fennell, 2023).
- 82% of employers relied on resumes for hiring in the past 12 months, and 87% reported higher satisfaction when assessing skills before resume screening (TestGorilla, 2024).
- 33% of employers who implemented skills-based hiring saw improved hiring satisfaction (TestGorilla, 2024).
- 55% of job seekers have admitted to embellishing their resumes at least once (Fennell, 2023).
- 30% of resumes are rejected due to unprofessional email addresses (Fennell, 2023).
- 90% of recruiters prefer a two-page resume, while the average resume length is 1.6 pages (Fennell, 2023).
- Job seekers typically spend 1 hour and 10 minutes crafting their resume (Fennell, 2023).
Resumes & Job Applications: The Numbers
How Many Resumes Do Job Postings Receive?
- A typical job advertisement in the U.S. attracts around 250 resumes, according to Glassdoor.
What Percentage of Resumes Lead to Interviews?
- Only 3% of submitted resumes result in an interview (CareerSidekick, 2023).
How Long Do Recruiters Review Resumes?
- Only 1% of recruiters spend less than 10 seconds reviewing resumes, while 33% spend 10-30 seconds, and 47% spend 30-60 seconds (TestGorilla, 2024).
- Nearly a quarter of recruiters (24%) reject 81-100% of resumes before completing the review (TestGorilla, 2024).
How Many Resumes Does It Take to Get Hired?
- The average job seeker sends 51 applications before securing a job (Fennell, 2023).
Are Resumes Screened by ATS?
- 98% of large organizations use ATS software to filter resumes and 5% of resumes are rejected before a recruiter even sees them (Fennell, 2023)!!
- 67% of employers screen resumes before using skills-based hiring methods (TestGorilla, 2024).
Resume Rejection Insights
Why Do Resumes Get Rejected?
Take note of the key reasons why resumes get rejected:
- Lack of relevance – Your resume doesn’t align with the job requirements.
- Employment gaps – Unexplained gaps in your work history.
- Poor formatting – Functional resume formats without clear job history are often ignored.
- Weak summaries – A vague or unimpressive summary may fail to capture recruiter interest.
Common Resume Mistakes That Lead to Rejection
- Unprofessional email addresses: According to Fennell (2023) that’s 30% of resumes being discarded due to inappropriate email names!
- Mismatch in work experience: Around 73% of resumes fail because they lack required job experience.
- Insufficient qualifications: Fennell (2023) found that 81% of recruiters reject resumes because they don’t meet education requirements.
- Spelling & grammar errors: An impressive 80% of hiring managers reject resumes with mistakes (Fennell, 2023).
How Job Seekers Format Their Resumes
Mastering resume length and writing time is crucial for success. Here’s what the data reveals:
Resume Length & Formatting
- The average resume length is 1.6 pages and only 5% of job seekers have a resume longer than 5 pages (Fennell, 2023).
Time Spent Writing Resumes
- Job seekers typically spend 1 hour and 10 minutes writing their resume but AI tools like ChatGPT can generate full resumes in seconds (TestGorilla, 2024).
- The average resume created using resume builders takes 15.25 minutes (TestGorilla, 2024).
Final Thoughts…
These resume trends provide valuable insight into how hiring works today. As we look toward 2025, trends suggest an even greater reliance on AI-driven resume screening, skills-based hiring, and automated application processes. The rise of AI-generated resumes will likely lead to more rigorous applicant verification methods. In addition, employers are expected to prioritize skills over traditional credentials, making it more essential than ever for job seekers to showcase measurable achievements and adaptability in their applications.
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References
- Fennell A. (2023). Resume Statistics. StandOut CV. Retrieved from https://standout-cv.com/usa/stats-usa/resume-statistics
- TestGorilla. (2024). Resume Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/resume-statistics/
- All images used in this document are sourced from Unsplash.
