The Ladders conducted a study in 2018 using eye-tracking software to follow the recruiterโs progress when reading a resume. What did they find?
Recruiters averaged a time of 7.4 seconds of skimming the resume to find the information they needed to assess whether the applicant would move forward to a screen.
I’ve talked to recruiters who would confirm that average, and others who claim they spend more time. Whatever the average time a recruiter spends scanning a resume, the gist is that ๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ง๐๐จ๐ช๐ข๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐.
What were the findings of the Ladder study?
First, Methodology:
One stage focused on speed, with recruiters (who
were not aware they were being timed) reviewing a stack of resumes to identify potential candidates.
The second stage, which focused on what recruiters pay attention to while reading, used eye-tracking
technology to follow recruitersโ progress as they read a selection of resumes under lab conditions (see the example below).
What elements made up an underperforming resume?
โ Long sentences
โ Minimum use of headers
โ Keyword stuffing
โ Multiple columns
โ Cluttered, no white space
Where did recruiters spend most of their time, based on the study?
Layouts that took advantage of F/E Pattern reading. (Focusing on the left side of doc with glances to right)
โ Simple layouts with marked sections
โ Focus on bold job titles
โ Mission or summary at top of page
โ Short statements rather than paragraph-length descriptions
What do I look for in a resume?
I can’t speak on behalf of every recruiter, but after dedicating 15 years in the business–this is the information I seek out.
๐น If a summary (not objective) has been included and has been written well, then the messaging should tee up the rest of the content.
๐นExperience section. โ Title โ Company โ Duration
๐น Location if hybrid or office presence is required.
๐น Hard/tech skills. Rarely do I initially screen for soft skills like โcommunicationโ or โcuriosityโ, as these are vetted out during the interview process.
๐น Back to experience to read proof of relevant job experience.
๐น Details that provide quantifiable results and impact over just task-written content. Refer to CAR (Challenge + Action + Result).
๐น For me, columns take longer to read ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
โ 25+ keywords = confusion. Do not keyword stuff your resume! If your strategy is plugging in a variety of keywords so your resume will be ranked high in an ATS, please refrain. A human will be reading the resume and looking for context about how and when that keyword was used.
โ 3+ pages are rough, but I’ll read it if the content is relevant and interesting. Don’t forget to edit your prior work history and education as you continue to add your new work experiences and updates.
Recruiters may interpret and dedicate less time than a hiring manager due to the volume of applications they have to review. You do not need infographics or visual graphic formatting to stand out to a recruiter, but do communicate your value and skills clearly to your target job so you have the opportunity to move forward to an interview.