The job search course of in the present day is extra advanced 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 by way of 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 below are the age teams surveyed:
Child Boomers: 60-78 years previous
Gen X: 44-59 years previous
Millennials: 28-43 years previous
Gen Z: 18-27 years previous
Key Findings: Job Search Statistics
67% of job seekers responding to the survey consider corporations should not being sincere about their true hiring intentions.
Solely 22% suppose the job search course of is clear and honest.
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 essential to touchdown a job interview.
63% consider employers should not clear about what to anticipate throughout the interview course of.
Solely 19% really feel assured that submitting an utility 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 throughout the utility course of.
58% consider touchdown an interview by way of conventional job boards is almost unattainable.
47% would settle for a decrease wage if the hiring course of was respectful and well-communicated.
Solely 35% consider that compensation aligns effectively with {qualifications} and expertise.
51% say hiring managers make it obscure compensation for open positions.
62% report {that a} lack of suggestions from hiring corporations 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% consider 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 change into more and more irritating, opaque, and mentally taxing for candidates throughout all generations. A broad dissatisfaction with conventional job utility strategies, significantly job boards, has left many job seekers feeling discouraged and skeptical of employer hiring practices.
To begin, greater than half (58%) of all respondents report that securing an interview and even receiving a response by way of conventional job boards feels practically unattainable. Many job seekers are shifting towards networking, referrals, and social media to seek out job alternatives as a substitute.
A staggering 67% consider corporations 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
Probably the most irritating facets of job looking out in the present day is ghost hiring — when corporations hold job postings lively 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 utility standing.
With 66% of job seekers encountering ghost hiring, corporations 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 throughout 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 and not using a private connection is almost unattainable.
63% consider employers should not clear about what to anticipate throughout the interview course of.
Solely 19% really feel assured that submitting an utility alone can result in an interview.
To enhance the candidate expertise, employers ought to streamline their interview processes, set clear expectations, and guarantee honest hiring practices that concentrate on {qualifications} quite than networking benefits.
The Significance of {Qualifications} and Compensation
Job seekers are more and more dissatisfied with compensation buildings and pay transparency.
Solely 35% consider 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 supply aggressive and clearly communicated salaries threat dropping prime expertise, whereas those that emphasize equity and transparency might 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% consider 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 optimistic worker engagement, and keep away from over-relying on social media for hiring choices.
Bettering 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 adjustments now will stand out in a aggressive market and entice prime expertise.
Key takeaways for employers:
Remove 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.
Give attention to equity by evaluating candidates primarily based on abilities and expertise quite than private connections.
By addressing these challenges, corporations can create a extra optimistic 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 subject and has authored a dozen books about advertising, branding, and social media, together with the extremely common Final Information to E-mail Advertising, 30-Minute Social Media Advertising, Content material Advertising for Dummies, Running a blog All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Simple Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content material could be discovered on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and extra. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Inventive, 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 Occasions, Cox Communications, and lots of extra giant and small corporations all over the world. Susan additionally speaks about advertising, branding and social media at occasions all over the world and is continuously interviewed by tv, on-line, radio, and print media organizations about these subjects. 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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