What Recruiters Actually Look For in a Resume (2025 Data)

The 6-Second Resume Scan

Eye-tracking studies consistently show that recruiters spend just 6-7 seconds on their initial resume review. In that brief window, they're making a snap decision: worth reading further, or move to the next candidate?

Understanding what catches their eye in those crucial seconds can dramatically improve your chances.

What Recruiters Look at First

1. Current/Most Recent Job Title

Recruiters immediately look for relevance. Your most recent title signals whether you're at the right level and in the right field.

What they're thinking: "Is this person currently doing something similar to what we need?"

2. Company Names

Recognizable companies catch attention - not just big names, but companies known in your industry.

What they're thinking: "Do I recognize any of these employers? Are they reputable?"

3. Contact Info and LinkedIn

A quick scan to ensure you're reachable and have a professional presence.

What they're thinking: "Can I easily contact this person? Does their LinkedIn tell me more?"

4. Education (For Entry-Level)

For new graduates, education is weighted heavily. For experienced professionals, it matters less.

What they're thinking: "Do they have the required degree? Where did they study?"

5. Key Skills Section

A well-organized skills section lets recruiters quickly verify you have required capabilities.

What they're thinking: "Do they have the must-have skills for this role?"

Red Flags Recruiters Watch For

Immediate Disqualifiers

• Typos and grammatical errors: Signals carelessness
• Unprofessional email address: partyanimal@email.com doesn't inspire confidence
• Unexplained employment gaps: Raises questions about reliability
• Job hopping without progression: Multiple short stints with no advancement

Yellow Flags (Concerning but Not Fatal)

• Overqualification: May expect too much salary or get bored
• Career trajectory doesn't match role: Moving backward or sideways
• Generic resume: Clearly not tailored to the position
• Missing key requirements: Absent skills that were listed as required

The Resume Length Debate

One Page

Best for:

• Entry-level candidates
• Career changers with limited relevant experience
• Anyone with less than 10 years of experience

Two Pages

Best for:

• Senior professionals with 10+ years
• Technical roles requiring detailed skill lists
• Academic or research positions
• Executives with board experience

The Real Rule

Recruiters don't count pages - they count relevance. A tight one-page resume beats a padded two-page resume. A comprehensive two-page resume for a senior role is better than cramming everything onto one page.

Industry-Specific Preferences

Tech/Engineering

• GitHub links and portfolio projects
• Specific technologies and versions
• Quantified impact (performance improvements, scale)
• Clean, simple formatting (no fancy design)

Marketing/Creative

• Portfolio links are essential
• Metrics and ROI for campaigns
• Brand names and recognizable campaigns
• More creative formatting is acceptable

Finance/Consulting

• Deal sizes and transaction values
• Brand-name firms and clients
• Very traditional formatting
• Education and certifications prominent

Healthcare

• Licenses and certifications upfront
• Specific clinical experience
• Patient care metrics
• Compliance and regulatory knowledge

ATS vs Human Review Differences

What ATS Looks For

• Exact keyword matches
• Parseable formatting
• Standard section headers
• Skills listed explicitly

What Humans Look For

• Overall career narrative
• Progression and growth
• Cultural fit signals
• Writing quality and communication ability
• Interesting accomplishments

The challenge: Your resume needs to satisfy both. Optimize for ATS without sacrificing human readability.

Insights from Real Recruiters

"I can tell in 5 seconds if someone has tailored their resume or sent a generic one. The tailored ones always get a closer look."
- Tech Recruiter, Fortune 500

"Quantified achievements are what make me stop scrolling. 'Increased sales by 40%' is infinitely better than 'responsible for sales growth.'"
- Sales Recruiting Manager

"The biggest mistake I see is burying relevant experience. Put your most impressive, relevant stuff at the top."
- Healthcare Recruiter

How to Make Your Resume Recruiter-Proof

The Top-Third Rule

The top third of your resume gets the most attention. Make it count:

• Professional summary with key qualifications
• Core skills section with must-haves
• Most recent, most relevant role

The Squint Test

Squint at your resume from arm's length. Can you identify the key sections? Is there enough white space? Does anything stand out?

The So What Test

For every bullet point, ask "So what?" If you can't answer with a business impact, rewrite it.

• Weak: "Managed social media accounts"
• Strong: "Grew social following by 200% and generated 50+ qualified leads per month"

The Read-Aloud Test

Read your resume out loud. Awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, and jargon become obvious when spoken.

Remember: recruiters are humans with limited time. Make their job easy by presenting your qualifications clearly, concisely, and compellingly.