TheLadders Reveals That Job Seekers Have Six Seconds To Succeed

NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new study announced today by TheLadders, the most comprehensive job-matching service for career-driven professionals, recruiters spend just six seconds reviewing a resume before deciding if the candidate is a good fit. Despite most recruiters self-reporting that they spend at least four minutes reviewing a resume, the results revealed that they devote only a fraction of that time. Assessing dozens of professional recruiters during a 10-week period, the first formal, quantitative study of recruiters' on-the-job behavior is available for download at TheLadders Blog.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120321/NY74024 )

"We knew that the resume is obviously the cornerstone of the job-search process, but we wanted to really understand and facilitate the most meaningful connections between recruiters and job seekers," said Alex Douzet, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of TheLadders. "Our groundbreaking eye-tracking study provides valuable insight around a fundamental question: 'How do recruiters and hiring managers actually make decisions about candidates?' Now that we know, we can more efficiently and effectively help our more-than 5 million members find the right match."

The findings provided specific data regarding the following:

• Individual resumes and online profile details, viewed by participating recruiters
• Specific items that captured recruiters' attention during reviews
• How long recruiters spent viewing each item
• How quickly their eyes moved from item to item
• What content was overlooked

Using "eye tracking," a scientific technique that implements technology to analyze where and how-long a person focuses when digesting information, TheLadders recorded recruiter behavior as they viewed online profiles, different types of resumes, and other forms of candidate information. One part of the study -- "gaze tracking" technology -- showed that recruiters spent almost 80% of their resume-review time on the following data points, respectively: name, current title/company, previous title/company, previous position's start and end dates, current position's start and end dates, and education.

On an ongoing basis, TheLadders conducts primary user-experience research and analyzes quantitative data provided by its more-than 5 million members to educate the company about current behavioral trends in the job-search process. TheLadders uses this research to gain valuable insights, which it uses to improve the customer experience and provide expert advice to the marketplace. The whitepaper detailing the eye-tracking study, including gaze-tracking and heat-map images, can be downloaded at TheLadders Blog.

About TheLadders

With more than 5 million members, TheLadders has been committed to finding the right person for the right job since 2003. With a unique suite of personalized products and resume services, this career-focused online service helps job seekers connect with employers and recruiters more effectively and efficiently. Given its heritage as the leader in the $100K+ job search, TheLadders is dedicated to the science behind the job search and optimally positioned to help all career-driven professionals in finding the right jobs. Expanding services to include sub-$100K+ positions allows recruiters and employers more options when looking to hire professionals at other stages of their careers. TheLadders is headquartered in New York with offices in London. For more information, visit TheLadders Blog and theladders.com. Your career is our job.™

SOURCE TheLadders

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