The job search course of immediately is extra complicated and difficult than ever earlier than. Job seekers throughout all generations — Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Child Boomers — are navigating a hiring panorama stuffed with uncertainty, frustration, and a rising lack of belief in employers.
From struggles with securing interviews via conventional job boards to the rise of ghost hiring, candidates face important obstacles of their seek for significant careers not to mention their subsequent jobs.
A January 2025 research by Checkr surveyed 3,000 grownup American job seekers who actively looked for jobs within the prior six months. The outcomes of the analysis present key insights into their experiences, issues, and expectations for the hiring course of – insights that each employers and different job seekers ought to word.
Earlier than diving into the important thing findings, listed here are the age teams surveyed:
- Child Boomers: 60-78 years outdated
- Gen X: 44-59 years outdated
- Millennials: 28-43 years outdated
- Gen Z: 18-27 years outdated
Key Findings: Job Search Statistics
- 67% of job seekers responding to the survey imagine firms should not being trustworthy about their true hiring intentions.
- Solely 22% assume the job search course of is clear and truthful.
- 66% have skilled ghost hiring.
- 83% say ghost hiring causes an excessive lack of belief between candidates and employers.
- 61% say having a private connection is vital to touchdown a job interview.
- 63% imagine employers should not clear about what to anticipate in the course of the interview course of.
- Solely 19% really feel assured that submitting an software alone can result in an interview.
- 48% discover social media platforms useful for interview preparation.
- 49% will keep away from making use of to an organization once more in the event that they really feel communication was poor in the course of the software course of.
- 58% imagine touchdown an interview via conventional job boards is sort of unattainable.
- 47% would settle for a decrease wage if the hiring course of was respectful and well-communicated.
- Solely 35% imagine that compensation aligns properly with {qualifications} and expertise.
- 51% say hiring managers make it obscure compensation for open positions.
- 62% report {that a} lack of suggestions from hiring firms negatively impacts their confidence.
- 46% say social media has helped them uncover job listings unavailable on conventional job boards.
- 50% depend on employee-generated content material about an employer earlier than an interview.
- 39% imagine employers place an excessive amount of emphasis on candidates’ social media profiles throughout hiring.
- 52% of job seekers really feel that the job search course of lacks equity and transparency.
How Job Seekers Really feel in regards to the Job Search Course of
The job search course of in America has develop into more and more irritating, opaque, and mentally taxing for candidates throughout all generations. A broad dissatisfaction with conventional job software strategies, significantly job boards, has left many job seekers feeling discouraged and skeptical of employer hiring practices.
To start out, greater than half (58%) of all respondents report that securing an interview and even receiving a response via conventional job boards feels almost unattainable. Many job seekers are shifting towards networking, referrals, and social media to search out job alternatives as an alternative.
A staggering 67% imagine firms should not clear about their true hiring intentions. This lack of readability wastes candidates’ time and reduces belief within the hiring course of.
Moreover, 62% of job seekers report {that a} lack of suggestions from employers negatively impacts their confidence and psychological well being. Millennials (65%) and Gen Z (66%) report the best emotional toll, whereas Child Boomers (56%) are barely much less affected. This highlights the necessity for employers to prioritize communication and responsiveness.
Ghost Hiring’s Impression on Job Searches
Some of the irritating features of job looking out immediately is ghost hiring — when firms maintain job postings energetic regardless of having no intention of filling the roles.
- 66% of job seekers report making use of for jobs that appeared open however had been later discovered to be inactive (i.e., ghost hiring).
- 83% say ghost hiring has created an excessive lack of belief in employers.
- 49% of candidates won’t ever apply to an organization once more if it fails to replace them on their software standing.
With 66% of job seekers encountering ghost hiring, firms should prioritize transparency and shut inactive job listings to rebuild belief and retain applicant curiosity.
Navigating the Interview Course of
Job seekers face important obstacles in the course of the interview course of, together with extreme interview rounds, lack of transparency, and a heavy reliance on private connections.
- 61% say securing an in-person interview with out a private connection is sort of unattainable.
- 63% imagine employers should not clear about what to anticipate in the course of the interview course of.
- Solely 19% really feel assured that submitting an software alone can result in an interview.
To enhance the candidate expertise, employers ought to streamline their interview processes, set clear expectations, and guarantee truthful hiring practices that target {qualifications} moderately than networking benefits.
The Significance of {Qualifications} and Compensation
Job seekers are more and more dissatisfied with compensation buildings and pay transparency.
- Solely 35% imagine employer compensation aligns with job necessities and expertise.
- 51% say hiring managers fail to obviously talk wage particulars in job listings.
- 47% would settle for a decrease beginning wage if the hiring course of was respectful and well-communicated.
Employers who fail to offer aggressive and clearly communicated salaries danger dropping high expertise, whereas those that emphasize equity and transparency could entice and retain extra candidates.
The Impact of Social Media for Job Seekers
Social media performs an integral position in job looking out, from networking to interview preparation and employer popularity evaluation.
- 48% discover social media useful for interview preparation.
- 46% say social media has helped them uncover jobs unavailable on conventional job boards.
- 50% depend on employee-generated content material about an employer earlier than an interview.
- 39% imagine employers place an excessive amount of emphasis on candidates’ social media profiles throughout hiring.
Employers ought to acknowledge the rising affect of social media on job seekers and guarantee transparency, encourage constructive worker engagement, and keep away from over-relying on social media for hiring selections.
Enhancing the Job Search Course of in 2025 and Past
The findings of this report spotlight widespread dissatisfaction with the job search expertise, from ghost hiring and unclear compensation to poor communication and extreme reliance on networking.
The employers who acknowledge what’s damaged and make modifications now will stand out in a aggressive market and entice high expertise.
Key takeaways for employers:
- Eradicate ghost hiring by closing inactive job postings.
- Enhance communication by offering candidates with standing updates.
- Improve transparency in interview processes and compensation buildings.
- Leverage social media to attach with job seekers successfully.
- Concentrate on equity by evaluating candidates primarily based on expertise and expertise moderately than private connections.
By addressing these challenges, firms can create a extra constructive and efficient hiring course of that advantages each job seekers and employers.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Girls on Enterprise. She is a 30-year veteran of the advertising discipline and has authored a dozen books about advertising, branding, and social media, together with the extremely well-liked Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content material may be discovered on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and extra. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a advertising communications firm. She has labored in company advertising roles and thru shopper relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Instances, Cox Communications, and lots of extra massive and small firms around the globe. Susan additionally speaks about advertising, branding and social media at occasions around the globe and is regularly interviewed by tv, on-line, radio, and print media organizations about these matters. She holds an MBA in Administration and Technique and a Bachelor of Science diploma in Advertising and is a Licensed Skilled Profession Coach (CPCC).
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