Eye Tracking Study

In 2018, Ladders tracked the eye movements of recruiters as they looked at resumes – here are the takeaways.

1. Recruiters tended to read down the left hand side of the resume, following an “E” shaped format when they scanned across looking for key information.

2. Recruiters tended to focus on job titles more than any other element, so make sure yours accurately depicts what you do. If your work calls you a “Digital Overlord” when most places would call you a “Website Manager”, I’d recommend using the more widely understood title – although some of these weirdest job titles are pretty stellar.

3. Resumes that stood out had a “mission statement” at the top – see my summary statement post for more help on how to create one!

4. Recruiters get overwhelmed, so having a lack of white space led to a courtesy scan before moving on – keep your resume legible and inviting.

5. It’s common to “stuff” a resume with keywords to help against the ATS, but when a recruiter looks at it next, it’s obvious. Add keywords, but keep them in context.

Most of this sounds obvious, but resumes can sometimes be a different way of writing, so let me know if you need any help!