29 Fun Facts about the Job Market!

Searching for a new career can be tough. Exhaustingly searching through online job postings from different sources does not seem to differentiate you enough from other applicants. But did you know that the majority of jobs in the market are not advertised online? To help boost your motivation and push you to achieve, I have researched and assembled a few fun facts about the job market. The figures definitely look quite interesting!

Did you know that…?

• There were 3.6 million job openings at the end of 2012. About 80% of available jobs are never advertised.
• The average time spent by recruiters looking at a resume: 5 to 7 seconds.
• 76% of resumes are discarded for an unprofessional email address.
• 88% rejection rate when you include a photo on your resume.
• The average number of people who apply for any given job: 118. Twenty-percent of those applicants get an interview.
• Only 35% of applicants are actually qualified for the jobs they apply to.

That being said…

• Talent-Management Software, the robots that read your resume, are able to quickly eliminate 75% of the applicants.
• 427,000 resumes are posted each week on Monster.
• 68% of employers will find you on Facebook.
• 18,400,000 applicants found their job on Facebook.
• 10,200,000 applicants found their job on LinkedIn.
• 8,000,000 applicants found their job on Twitter
• 89% of recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn.
• 93% of recruiters are likely to look at a candidate’s social media profile.

This is a pretty interesting one:

• 43% of job seekers have used their mobile device to engage in a job search with 7% of all job seekers conducting their job search online while in the restroom.
• While the average length of an interview is 40 minutes, 33% of 2000 surveyed bosses indicated they know within the first 90 seconds if they will hire that candidate.

Why and how do they know whether you are a good fit in about 2 minutes? We have provided you with some fun numbers to wrap your head around:

• 70% indicated applicants were too fashionable or trendy.
• 67% indicated failure to make eye contact.
• 55% the way the candidate dressed, acted or walked through the door.
• 47% is due to having little or no knowledge of the company.
• 38% was a tie between quality of voice and overall confidence; and lack of a smile.
• 33% for bad posture.
• 26% because the handshake was too weak.
• 21% for crossing their arms over their chest during the interview.

So what are some of the qualities employers are looking for before presenting an offer:

• 36% look for multitasking skills
• 31% look for initiative
• 21% look for creative thinking
• 12% look for something extra in the candidate