Important Resume Statistics for This Year’s Job Search

Updated September 28, 20221k

The job market has never been more competitive. If you want to impress recruiters and land your dream job, you need to read these important resume statistics.

Resume Statistics

Do you know what a good resume looks like today? The job market is fierce and many industries are changing quickly. Each job posting can receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications from job seekers with anywhere from months to decades of work experience. If you want to stand out and fill an open position in any industry you need to understand your competition.

How To Create An Eye-Catching But Traditional Resume

Important Resume Statistics for Job Seekers

The ability to create a great resume starts with understanding how a resume is constructed and what other job seekers are featuring in their resumes. Many employers now use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter applications efficiently. As some of the following statistics show, this can be a problem for candidates who do not properly format and fill their resumes. You can increase your chances of successfully passing ATS and impressing a hiring manager by including relevant extras in your resume. For example, a section for your relevant professional certifications may increase your chance of success. Here are some resume statistics that will help you to understand your competition better and write a resume that stands out:

The average resume is 489 words long. The average cutoff point for a single-page resume is 380 words (Finances Online).
59% of U.S. employers use artificial intelligence-based ATS in their hiring process (SHRM)
The average time a recruiter spends looking at a resume is between 5 and 7 seconds (Maria Bocancea, LinkedIn).
Hiring a professional resume writer increases a candidate’s chance of success by 32% (Finances Online).
ATS systems quickly eliminate up to 75% of the resumes submitted for a specific role (Maria Bocancea, LinkedIn).
As many as 427,000 resumes are uploaded to job hub sites, such as Monster each week (Maria Bocancea, LinkedIn).
The use of leadership-oriented words and skills in a resume increase a candidate’s chances of success by up to 51% (Finances Online).

Key Job Search Statistics for this year

Whether you want to work in project management, machine learning or another field, understanding these key recruitment and resume statistics will help you to launch a fruitful job search in 2022:

83% of U.S. employers rely on AI technology and algorithms to perform data analysis and filter job applications (SHRM).
61% of employers say that they value soft skills as highly as hard skills in an employee (Finances Online).
44% of employers use publicly available data from social media, such as LinkedIn profiles, to assess resumes and speed recruitment (SHRM).
There is an 88% rejection rate for job seekers who include a photo in their resume or application (Maria Bocancea, LinkedIn).
41% of employers use chatbot AI to engage with potential candidates during their hiring process (SHRM).
33% of hiring managers have rejected job seekers because of bad posture or personal hygiene (Maria Bocancea, LinkedIn)

Hard Skills That Will Boost Your Resume

Besides your work experience, your skills are also incredibly important when seeking a new job. While certain hard skills will be necessary for any job opening, there are other skills that are widely desirable by hiring managers and recruiters. Here are some of the most highly desirable hard skills sought after by recruiters:

Data analysis
Social media management
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Digital marketing
Project management
Python
Java/JavaScript
Report writing
Public speaking
Data presentation

Soft Skills That Will Catch a Recruiter’s Eye

Soft skills are by far the most commonly overlooked key skills by job candidates creating a resume. Many job seekers focus all of their attention on listing technical skills and forget about their most powerful soft skills or character attributes. If you’re in the process of a job search, be aware that over 80% of hiring managers cited a lack of soft skills as the primary concern with bad hires. Here are some of the most sought-after soft skills for you to consider listing on your resume:

Problem-solving
Communication
Interpersonal
Time management
Creativity
Empathy
Brainstorming
Team Player
Active Listener

By including soft skills like these in your professional resume, you will greatly increase your chances of getting invited to a job interview. Of course, if you want to increase your chance of standing out even further, you should also consider what additional sections to add to your resume.

Popular Additional Resume Sections

All resumes should include a header, a resume summary or resume objective, a skills section, a work experience section and an education section. Adding extra sections that provide relevant information can help you to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Here are some of the most common additional sections found in successful resumes:
- Internships
- Certifications
- Professional memberships
- Awards and honors
- Coursework
If you are uncertain of how to fit these additional sections into your resume layout, it can be highly beneficial to look at resume templates for at-a-glance guidance.

FAQs: Resume Statistics

Why has my resume been rejected?

There are several reasons why any resume could be rejected. The job market is very competitive. However, the most common reasons for resumes to be rejected are failure to rank well in applicant tracking systems (ATS) and failure to stand out from other applications. To pass ATS, you will need to have the right skills, job titles and keywords listed in your resume that are clearly shown as requirements on each job posting. When a resume is deemed a qualified candidate, it passes through ATS and will be sent to a hiring manager to determine whether to schedule a job interview. You can increase your chances of successfully passing ATS and impressing a hiring manager by including relevant extras in your resume. For example, a section for your relevant professional certifications may lower the likelihood of your resume being rejected by ATS.

Are resume builders reliable?

Yes. When you use a reliable resume or cover letter builder such as the ResumeNerd resume builder you will be guided step-by-step, to create an attractive, properly formatted resume quickly. The document will also be editable, which means that it allows you to easily tailor your resume for each job application.

What is the most common resume mistake?

The most common resume mistake is failing to proofread properly. Many great resumes and candidates are rejected because there were multiple typos and grammatical errors in their job applications. If you want to land the job of your dreams, take the time to proofread thoroughly.

Link copied!

About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.