The State of Job Hunting in 2026: What Job Seekers Really Think

Job hunting can take more time and effort than candidates expect.

Our survey of 900 job seekers explores how they approach the application process, what frustrates them most, and how they feel about resume tailoring, cover letters, AI tools, and applicant tracking systems (ATS).

The findings reveal why tedious applications are driving candidates away, which job search tasks cause the most stress, and how job seekers are adapting to the demands of finding work in 2026.

Job seekers know tailoring their resume works, but still struggle to do it

While 58% of job seekers say they get better results when they tailor their resume to a specific job, only 17% do it every time.

Respondents cite a variety of reasons for not tailoring their resume:

• 31% say tailoring their resume for each job takes too much time
• 23% say they apply to too many jobs to customize every application
• 19% say they don’t know what to change

Customizing a resume is also considered one of the least enjoyable parts of job hunting: 29% of respondents said that tailoring their resume is the most annoying part of the application process, just one percentage point behind manually filling out application forms (30%).

The findings suggest that even when job seekers understand that customizing their resume can lead to better results, the time and effort involved makes it difficult to do for every application.

Most job seekers are not mass applying (but they still spend a lot of time applying)

Despite the perception that job seekers are sending out dozens of applications every week, most aren’t mass applying. Fifty-seven percent of respondents say they apply to fewer than five jobs per week, while 90% submit 10 or fewer applications.

Still, applying to fewer jobs doesn’t make the process quick. Nearly two-thirds (64%) spend between 15 and 60 minutes preparing their resume and cover letter for each application. Another 17% spend more than an hour on each application.

This means that even when applying to jobs selectively, customizing resumes, writing cover letters, and completing application forms can take several hours a week.

9 in 10 job seekers have abandoned an application because it was too tedious

Ninety-two percent of job seekers say they’ve abandoned a job application because the process was too tedious, of which nearly a third (32%) say they do so often or very often.

When asked which part of the application process they find most annoying, respondents pointed to:

• Manually filling out application forms (30%)
• Tailoring their resume for each job (29%)
• Writing cover letters (16%)
• Searching for jobs (16%)

These frustrations, especially requiring applicants to re-enter information that’s already on their resume, could be costing employers qualified candidates.

Gen Z is the quickest to walk away from a tedious application

Younger job seekers appear to have considerably less patience for frustrating applications, with 42% of Gen Z respondents saying they abandon applications because they’re too tedious “often” or “very often.” This figure drops across older generations:

• Millennials: 33%
• Gen X: 23%
• Baby Boomers: 18%

Only 4% of Gen Z respondents say they never abandon applications because they’re tedious. Long, repetitive application processes are more likely to put off younger candidates, making it harder to attract early-career talent.

People who abandon applications search for jobs longer

The survey also found an association between how often job seekers abandon applications and how many applications they need to land a job.

Among respondents who abandon applications “very often” because they’re too tedious, 25% completed 51 or more applications before landing their last job. By comparison, just 10% of those who rarely abandon applications needed that many.

This doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning applications causes a job search to be longer, though. It’s also possible that people become more frustrated and more likely to give up on tedious applications as a result of an already long job search. Either way, the findings highlight how application fatigue is just one more thing that can make a job search difficult.

Writing cover letters for each job is too repetitive

Forty percent of respondents say they often or always submit a cover letter, but writing a new one for every position can quickly become annoying.

Just 43% of respondents regularly tailor their cover letter to the specific job, meaning that the majority (57%) either send generic cover letters or don’t submit one at all.

For those who do write cover letters, coming up with fresh content is a major challenge. When asked what they find most difficult about writing cover letters, respondents said:

• 30% find it too repetitive to write a new cover letter for each application
• 25% don’t know what to write
• 19% say writing cover letters takes too much time

These findings show that job seekers are choosing to skip writing cover letters altogether because they don’t want to have to repeatedly reinvent the same document.

Gen Z is skipping cover letters

Younger job seekers are less likely to include cover letters in their applications, and they’re less likely to customize their cover letters for individual positions.

Gen Z job seekers are more likely to skip cover letters altogether:

• Only 27% say they “often” or “always” submit a cover letter
• Only 31% say they “often” or “always” tailor that cover letter to the specific job

Compare that to Gen X, of whom:

• 51% say they “often” or “always” submit a cover letter
• 50% say they “often” or “always” tailor that cover letter to the specific job

As fewer candidates take the time to write personalized cover letters, submitting a thoughtful, job-specific one is an opportunity to stand out. Candidates who take the time to connect their experience to an employer’s specific needs will have an advantage over applicants who send in generic cover letters or forgo entirely.

AI hasn’t replaced conventional resume creation (yet)

Despite the growing concern about AI-generated resumes, most job seekers still prefer creating their resumes in other ways. When asked how they prefer to create a resume, 35% say they prefer writing one manually, while 31% favor using an online resume builder.

Another 20% prefer downloading a resume template and filling it in themselves. Only 14% say they prefer using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to create their resume.

The findings suggest that job seekers interested in using AI in their job search still prefer tools that offer a clear structure and more control over the final result.

ATS requirements are adding stress and uncertainty to the job search

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) have become a major source of stress for job seekers. More than half (51%) say they aren’t very familiar with ATS software, and 40% aren’t confident that their resume is ATS-friendly.

The process of trying to optimize resumes for ATS is also stressful. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents (88%) say making their resume ATS-friendly is at least a little stressful, of which 49% describe it as stressful to extremely stressful.

Many job seekers are frustrated because they don’t know whether their applications are actually being seen by a real person. When asked about their biggest frustrations with ATS software, respondents said:

• 43% feel like their resume is never seen by a human
• 19% don’t know why their application was rejected
• 18% are frustrated by constantly having to tweak resume keywords

Despite these concerns, though, only 7% of respondents say having an ATS-friendly style is a top priority when choosing a resume template.

These findings highlight a disconnect between how much anxiety ATS software creates and how job seekers approach resume writing. Many feel pressure to optimize their resumes for systems they don’t fully understand, yet relatively few consider ATS compatibility a top priority when choosing a resume template.

Job seekers who understand ATS are more successful, but also more frustrated

Job seekers who understand how applicant tracking systems work appear to take a more strategic approach to their applications.

Among respondents who are very familiar with ATS software, 31% say they always tailor their resume to a specific job, compared to just 12% of those who aren’t familiar with ATS at all.

They’re also more likely to see results from doing so: 81% of the very familiar group say tailoring their resume leads to better or much better results, compared to 38% of those with no ATS familiarity.

Interestingly, greater familiarity with ATS doesn’t necessarily make the application process less frustrating. In fact, 47% of those very familiar with ATS say they often or very often abandon applications because they’re too tedious, compared to 25% of those with no familiarity.

Their knowledge of hiring software does, however, translate into more deliberate resume strategies. Among respondents familiar with ATS, 73% have added job-specific keywords to their resumes to help them get past automated filters.

Overall, the findings suggest that understanding how hiring software works goes hand in hand with a more informed approach to applying for jobs. Familiarity with ATS can help candidates make more intentional decisions about resume tailoring and keywords, even if it doesn’t reduce the frustrations of the application process.

Conclusion

The survey reveals that job seekers aren’t mass-applying to jobs, but are still spending a lot of time and effort on each application.

From tailoring resumes and writing cover letters to navigating ATS software and repetitive application forms, the biggest challenge is balancing an effective job search with the time it takes to do everything properly.

Ultimately, the findings suggest that a more manageable job search depends on helping candidates create effective, personalized applications while reducing the time and effort required at each step.

Methodology

Resume Genius partnered with Pollfish to ask 900 U.S. job seekers about their recent experiences. The survey questions centered around job search frustrations, job application habits and preferences, resumes, cover letters, and ATS software.

The sample included 217 Gen Z respondents, 397 Millennials, 241 Gen X respondents, and 45 Baby Boomers. Findings based on smaller numbers of respondents should be interpreted with some caution.

Resume Genius examined the responses as a whole and across different age groups to identify key trends and differences. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

About Resume Genius

Since 2009, Resume Genius and its globally popular resume builder have been helping people from all backgrounds and experience levels land their next job faster.

Resume Genius also provides a wide range of free career resources, including customizable resume templates, resume examples for different industries, and resume writing guides to help job seekers find fulfilling work and reach their career goals.

Resume Genius is led by a team of dedicated career advisors and HR experts and has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, CNBC, and USA Today.

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