50+ Resume Statistics for 2025 — 500,000 Documents Analyzed

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Changes in the job market shape resume expectations, and going into 2025, being aware of new trends will keep you competitive.

Our in-depth research includes data insights from over 500,000 job seekers who use our resume builder, recent surveys, and external sources.

In this report, we explore key resume statistics you need to know this year — including the best way to format your resume, what factors matter to hiring managers and recruiters, and how to use AI to your advantage.

Key Takeaways

70% of hiring managers prioritize two-page resumes.
54% of recruiters expect resumes to be two pages long.
77% of hiring managers will immediately reject resumes with typos or bad grammar.
Job seekers with over 99% accurate spelling on their resumes are 3x more likely to be hired.
78% of hiring managers prefer seeing job applications with both the resume and the cover letter.
89% of hiring managers look for problem-solving skills in their applicant’s resumes.
88% of hiring managers focus on hard skills in resumes.
Employers prefer candidates who list internship experiences in their resumes.

Resume formatting insights

A lot has changed in expectations over the years, so let’s take a closer look at the latest resume formatting trends to best display your experience for employers:

A Zippia survey done in 2023 found that 1 in 4 hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds looking at a resume.
However, our 2024 Hiring Trends Survey found that 57% of hiring managers review a resume for 1–3 minutes.
A study done by StandoutCV shows that the first 6–8 seconds recruiters spend on your resume are the most impressionable.

Why a two-page resume could boost your job prospects

Think your resume has to be one page? Think again. Recent hiring trends suggest that a longer resume could work in your favor:

Our Hiring Trends Survey shows that 54% of hiring managers prefer two-page resumes.
- 53% of hiring professionals in a survey done by Criteria also say that they think a resume should be 2 pages long.
70% of hiring managers are more likely to consider two-page resumes over one-page resumes (ResumeGo).
Your experience level or occupation affects your page length though. For example, technical occupations such as cybersecurity engineers use an average of 7 pages in their resume, whereas student positions such as culinary students only use an average of 1 page.

Here are some figures from our builder data:

The average word count for resumes is 550 words, however, 1 in 4 job seekers use 700+ words on their resume.
According to Resume Genius, the 450–600 word range is for high school or college graduates.
The 600–800 word range is for those with 10+ years of experience, seeking management or leadership positions, or holding many technical skills or certifications.

10 additional formatting statistics and tips

Formatting can play a bigger role than you realize. These insights highlight what recruiters are really looking for — and what might get your resume overlooked:

78% of recruiters express a preference for applicants to include a cover letter with their resumes.
87% of hiring managers indicate that they always read cover letters. Despite this, a considerable portion of job seekers (45%) still don’t bother to send a cover letter.

93% of all resumes include action-oriented phrases, like action verbs and power words (KickResume).
Over 40% of recruiters are turned off by resumes with overly flashy design elements (e.g. multiple colors or graphics, a distracting background, hard-to-read fonts).
Based on a study by MIT Sloan, job seekers with over 99% accurate spelling on their resumes were hired almost three times more frequently.
In contrast, candidates with less than 90% spelling accuracy had only a 3% chance of getting hired.
35% of employers reject resumes with unprofessional email addresses, try instead to combine your first initial and last name to create an email address that presents you as a professional applicant.
Resumes with typos or bad grammar are immediately rejected by 77% of hiring managers. These types of mistakes can be avoided with algorithmic writing assistance.
A beloved classic, Arial was voted the most popular resume font in a 2023 Resume Genius survey of hiring managers.
The most popular resume template downloaded by our users is our CLEAN template.

The most popular sections of a resume

The statistics below cover the most popular sections to include on a resume, as well as the top skills listed by job seekers:

Our findings show that:

After job experience, the most popular sections to include are a career objective and skills.
2 out of 3 job seekers include a career objective and a skills section on their resumes.
1 in 5 job seekers add a language skill section on their resume.
Hiring managers rank work experience as the most important resume section.
On average, a resume lists 4 jobs and shows 10 years of work experience.

Resume skills statistics

Hybrid work makes up nearly half of new hires in 2025, reshaping workplace expectations. Companies are looking for candidates who will thrive in both remote and in-office settings.

Listing the right skills on your resume can increase your chances of getting hired. Let’s dive into what hiring managers are looking for:

48% of hiring managers prefer candidates who list a blend of both technical and soft skills, highlighting the growing recognition and value of a well-rounded skill set.
Hard skills are the focus of 88% of hiring managers.
A study done by NACE shows that 89% of employers seek problem-solving skills.
80% of hiring managers are also looking for the ability to work in a team, and 73% want written communication skills.
Job seekers are increasingly listing skills to fit the hybrid work environment. Since 2020, the number of job seekers listing time management and project management has tripled.
On average, job seekers list 11 skills on their resume.
Those with the most experience tend to list more skills. Job seekers with 10+ years of experience list an average of 12 skills, whereas those with 1 year of experience only list 9 skills.
Among job seekers, the top soft skills listed are:
- Time management
- Customer service
- Attention to detail
Among job seekers, the top hard skills listed are:
- Microsoft Office (Excel, Word)
- Project management
- Python

The most popular jobs and their key skills

Here are the skills listed for the most popular jobs within our users:

Key skills for servers

The top skills listed on resumes for servers are:

Strong work ethic (29%)
Guest engagement (22%)
Exceptional customer service (21%)
Cash handling (21%)
Safe food handling (19%)

Key skills for sales associates

The top skills listed on resumes for servers are:

Customer service (32%)
Time management (26%)
Teamwork and collaboration (23%)
Problem-solving (21%)
Product sales (19%)

Key skills for cashiers

The top skills listed on resumes for cashiers for servers are:

Customer service (41%)
Cash handling (33%)
Customer assistance (30%)
Cash register operation (21%)
POS system (17%)

Key skills for customer service representatives

The top skills listed on resumes for customer service representatives are:

Data entry (28%)
Customer service (28%)
Active listening (23%)
Product knowledge (22%)
Appointment scheduling (19%)

Key skills for managers

The top skills listed on resumes for managers are:

Team leadership (32%)
Time management (30%)
Strategic planning (22%)
Operations management (21%)
Staff management (20%)

Additional resume trends

Staying informed about what employers value can give you a competitive edge. Take a look at these resume trends for recent graduates and the broader job market:

In 2023, 1 in 5 job seekers reported a career gap of one year or longer, an increase from 14% in 2020.
A LinkedIn survey found that 79% of hiring managers would still hire applicants with resume gaps, signaling a shift in attitudes toward breaks in work history.
In 2023, 52% of job seekers listed a Bachelor’s degree or higher on their resume, with 13% listing a Master’s or a PhD.
In another NACE survey from 2023, traditional, “one-and-done” degrees are no longer enough, and soft skills are becoming more critical as the modern workplace adapts to rapid changes in technology and the digital economy.
Zippia found that 54% of employers reject candidates based on their social media profiles.

Recent graduate trends

The current job market favors new graduates, here are more statistics that show what employers are prioritizing:

Problem-solving skills are a high priority for 86% of employers hiring recent graduates.
According to NACE’s findings, doing an internship in the organization you want a job at highly influences your chance of getting hired.
77% of hiring managers rate the job market for 2023–2024 graduates from “Good” to “Excellent.”
Only 38% of employers use GPA as a screening tool, compared to 73% five years ago (2019).
The top activities that employers value from recent graduates are:
- Career-related, on-campus work experience
- Internships
- Involvement in career or major-related student organizations
- Volunteering experience
- Research with a mentor

AI-generated resumes

Learn more about how to use AI to your advantage:

A study done by Canva and Sago showed that 90% of hiring managers say it’s acceptable to use generative AI in job application materials.
An MIT Sloan study recently found that AI-assisted resumes boost job seekers’ chances of getting hired by 8%.
The use of AI-generated applications in resume writing also led to job seekers receiving an average of 7.8% more job offers and 8.4% higher wages.
Over 88% of job seekers have chosen to create a brand new resume rather than upload a pre-existing one, suggesting that job seekers find value in our resume-building software and prefer to start from a blank slate.

The best resume templates for 2025

One of the best ways to make your resume is by filling out one of our free resume templates. All our templates are designed by experts and free to download for Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

View Resume Templates

Methodology

In addition to the external research cited here and data findings from previously run surveys at Resume Genius, these statistics are drawn from an internal audit of 500,000 resume builder users from the years 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively. Users were randomly sampled to ensure representation across various demographics such as age, gender, and industry. The data was collected through user inputs and system logs, focusing on metrics like resume sections completed and professional skills listed.

This study, while meant to be insightful, is limited to users of our platform and may not represent all job seekers. All data was analyzed in compliance with ethical standards and privacy laws, with personal identifiers removed to maintain confidentiality.

Sources

Criteria, “2024–2025 Hiring Benchmark Report”
Forbes, “Embrace Hybrid Work Or Lose Talent: The New Workforce Reality”
KickResume, “2023 Resume Statistics”
LinkedIn, “A Better Way to Address Career Gaps”
MIT Sloan of Management, “Job Seekers With AI-boosted Resumes More Likely to be Hired”
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “Employers Focus on Key Skills”
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “The Ever-fluctuating Skill Set, The College-to-career Transition, and the T-student”
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “Job Outlook 2024”
Resume Genius, “2024 Hiring Trends Survey”
ResumeGo, “Settling the Debate: “One or Two Page Resumes”
StandOutCV, “Resume Statistics”
StandOutCV, “How Long do Recruiters Spending Looking at your CV?”
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), “From Academia to the Workforce: Critical Growth Areas for Students Today”
The Motley Fool, “5 Resume Stats All Job Seekers Should Know”
Zety, “Resume Statistics 2022 (Analysis of 133,000 Documents)”
Zippia, “40+ Resume Statistics for 2023”

About Resume Genius

Since 2009, Resume Genius has combined innovative technology with leading industry expertise to simplify the job hunt for people of all backgrounds and levels of experience.

Resume Genius’s easy-to-use resume builder and wide range of free career resources, including resume templates, cover letter samples, and resume writing guides, 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, Forbes, CNBC, and Business Insider.

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Eva Chan

Senior PR Expert & Certified Professional Resume Writer

Eva Chan is the Senior PR Expert and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) at Resume Genius. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Eva is passionate about researching and discussing the ever-changing career space and its latest trends, and channels this enthusiasm into supporting professionals of all experience levels so they stand out in a competitive job market. Eva graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in English. Eva's insights and career advice have earned recognition from leading platforms including CNBC, Harvard Business Review, The Globe and Mail, Forbes, Newsweek, and Entrepreneur. For any media-related queries or for a future quote, you can reach her at [eva] @ [resumegenius.com] or connect with her via LinkedIn. Please note that we don’t accept any guest posts.

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