A recruiter in Chicago told me the average resume gets looked at for 7 seconds

I found this out at a job fair last month when I was talking to a recruiter from a big tech company. She said they have to go through hundreds of apps, so they really do just scan for keywords that fast. It made me completely redo my resume to put the most important stuff right at the top. Has anyone else gotten specific advice like this that changed how you apply for jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonmoore2mo agoTop Commenter

Wow, seven whole seconds, what a luxury.

jake_martin162mo ago

Right? Seven seconds feels like forever sometimes. I had a similar thing happen last week and just closing my eyes for a few breaths actually helped. It stopped me from firing off a reply I'd regret. That tiny pause can totally change how you react.

iris3942mo ago

Seven seconds is a luxury? (That’s kind of a sad statement about life now, honestly.)