Anyone who has ever been on a job interview knows that feeling of anxiety that makes your hands sweaty. If you’ve never been to a job interview, you may not yet understand that feeling.
In the next few paragraphs, you will discover job interview statistics that can help you better understand the process, and can make you feel less stressed over interviews.
Key Statistics
- Since 2011, virtual online interviews have risen by nearly 50%.
- 90% of recruiters say that video interviews save time when filling positions.
- Communication is conveyed mostly by facial gestures, and reactions, by 55%.
- Virtual interview text invitations speed up the process, with 84% of job candidates scheduling their job interviews within 24 hours.
- The average number of people who apply for a single job opening is 118.
- 85% of applicants lie on their resumes.
- 92% of businesses are using social media during the hiring process.
- Between 70% and 80% of jobs aren’t advertised or published online or offline.
- By 2025, most of the world’s workforce will be made up of Gen-Z and Millennials.
- 49% of working Americans say they are very satisfied with their jobs.
Top Job Interview Statistics in 2025
1. Since 2011, Virtual Online Interviews Have Risen by Nearly 50%.
The real percentage for the uptake of virtual job interviews since 2011 is 49%.
No wonder usage of online meeting apps like Zoom, Skype, Google Duo, Amazon Chime, and others is up.
The question is, “Is virtual recruiting going to be the “new normal”?” That is the forecast for job interviews in this new age of recruiting and hiring new talent.
This includes telephone interviews, one-way video interviews, and two-way virtual interviews.
(The Undercover Recruiter)
2. 90% of Recruiters Claim that Video Interviews Save Time when Filling Positions.
With this high percentage of recruiters saying video interviews save them time when filling positions, that says a lot about whether virtual and video job interviews will become the “new normal.”
Furthermore, 74% of recruiters claim video interviews make their hiring jobs easier. Also, 66% of applicants prefer to go through a video interview over in-person interviews.
Besides saving them time, 88% of recruiters say this method of interviewing candidates saves them money.
(PGI)
3. Communication Is Conveyed Mostly by Facial Gestures and Reactions, by 55%.
One of the reasons video and virtual job interviews are effective and efficient is because most communications are delivered through the human face.
Only 7% of communication is conveyed through words. Also, 38% of communication is conveyed via your tone of voice.
You may have some negative body language that can impact the efficacy of your job interviews.
For instance, a furrowed brow, frowning, leaning back, and the lack of eye contact conveys negative body language.
Nodding your head, consistent eye contact, leaning forward, and a genuine smile are all examples of positive body language.
(Small Business Association of Michigan)
4. A Recent Study by PwC Revealed that 72% of Executives Think that Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Benefit the Workplace.
The surveyed executives aren’t wrong about this. Through the usage of various forms of automation tools and AI, companies have experienced a 3.7 times rise in recruiter productivity.
This leaves them with time to do other productive tasks.
The latest stats have found that 13% of businesses have been integrating AI in their HR processes. It seems to be improving talent finding efforts.
Moreover, 49% of recruiters are feeling positive about AI in the interview and hiring process.
(INC, LinkedIn)
5. Virtual Interview Text Invitations Speed up The Process, with 84% of Job Candidates Scheduling Their Job Interviews Within 24 Hours.
People who get text notifications for job interviews are eager to schedule their interviews as quickly as 24 hours after they get the notification.
Keep in mind that unless you’re already confident and well-prepared, 24 hours isn’t much time to prepare yourself for a job interview.
Of course, you can choose to schedule a few days ahead, though sometimes the competition is fierce. It depends on the kind of job, where you live, and the level of competition for the role.
(Level Up Leadership)
6. Early in 2020, Fewer than 60% of Businesses Used or Planned to Use Video Job Interviewing.
This data comes from February 2020 interview statistics. This was before the pandemic went into full swing.
Only a couple of months later, 74% of companies were using and planned to use video interviewing as part of their hiring process.
In October 2020, a Gartner survey showed that 89% of businesses claimed they used video interviews for recruiting talent.
While the uptake in video interviewing was forced upon businesses due to the lockdowns and social distancing, they soon realized the benefits during that time.
(Forbes)
7. The Average Number of People Who Apply for A Single Job Opening Is 118.
Out of the average 118 job applicants for a single job, only 20% of them get an initial interview.
Furthermore, 200 people will start the application process, and 100 will complete the process. About 75 out of the 100 to 118 applicants will get screened out by the applicant tracking system (ATS) or a recruiter.
Therefore, only 25 or so resumes are seen by the employer or hiring manager. Then only four to six get a text or call for an interview.
One to three of these applicants will get a final interview invitation, of which one will be offered the position. About 80% of those who get a job offer accept it.
(Forbes 2, Hire Lehigh)
8. 85% of Applicants Lie on Their Resumes.
It’s unfortunate and disheartening to know that it’s “normal” for people to lie on their resumes. This isn’t just about “little fibs”. It’s also about blatant lies.
They do this because they either have little to no job experience or lack the job skills needed for the role.
So, what you need to know as a job candidate is that interviewers are trained to spot lies and discrepancies in your resume.
In your interview, you will be asked in-depth, open-ended questions that you cannot fake it ‘til you make it with your answers.
Your resume information will be well researched before you start your interview. Don’t lie.
(INC 2, HR Management App)
9. The Average Job Interview Will Last Between 45 Minutes and One Hour.
The truth is that the longer the interviewer talks to you, the better your chances of getting a second interview or an offer.
Not all job interviews last 45 minutes to an hour. Some will last 15 to 30 minutes. It depends on the role for which you’re applying, and what the employer requires.
For instance, face-to-face interviews are more likely to last 30 to 45 minutes. Telephone interviews are usually less than 15 minutes.
The average is 45 minutes to one hour, but you must also consider the industry.
(Reed)
10. 92% of Businesses Are Using Social Media During the Hiring Process.
Are you aware that what you post on social media may impact your chances for a job interview or for getting a job offer? This isn’t anything new.
It’s been going on at least since 2015. Three out of every four hiring managers will check out your social media profiles, besides LinkedIn.
Sometimes, it will affect your chances of getting a job, so keep that in mind before you drunk-post on Instagram or Facebook.
Nowadays, high school and college grads are using Instagram and Facebook as much as LinkedIn for attracting recruiters. They are leveraging their profiles to get the best jobs.
(Forbes 3, The Muse)
11. According to NACE’s Job Outlook Survey from 2017, Roughly 91% of Employers Prefer Job Candidates with Relevant Work Experience.
Work experience matters in most job interviews, depending on the company. Work experience and skills are sometimes placed above a college degree.
This has been a “trending” preference for several years now.
In 2017, 64.5% of employers responded with “I prefer to hire candidates with relevant work experience.”
Another 26.1% said they preferred candidates with any sort of work experience, relevant or not. Only 5.1% said they didn’t have a preference in work experience.
(National Association of Colleges and Employers)
12. Between 70% and 80% of Jobs Aren’t Advertised or Published Online or Offline.
Since up to 80% of job openings are never publicized, how are people finding jobs?
Most job seekers are spending between 70% to 80% of their time surfing the internet for work.
Many jobs are found through personal acquaintances, family members, or friends. Some are found by going door-to-door to businesses to search for a job.
Knocking on business doors used to be the way people found jobs. Calling businesses was also used just a few years ago. So, there are ways to find a job besides searching online.
(Next Gen Personal Finance)
13. More than Three-Quarters of Resumes Get Discarded Because of Unprofessional Email Addresses.
If you’re a job seeker, be aware of your email address.
Statistics show that 76% of all resumes get discarded because email addresses are inappropriate or unprofessional.
Not only that, but also a poorly written email to the employer or hiring manager will get rejected.
If you only have one email address that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate, create a free email using your name as the username for the email.
Your resume will get rejected if your CV or resume looks unprofessional. It’s reported that 43% of CVs are discarded for unprofessional email address usernames.
(Business 2 Community)
14. You Will Go Through 2 to 3 Interviews with A Single Employer Before You Get a Job.
It’s normal for a job candidate to go through at least two or three interviews with one employer before getting a job offer.
Employers commonly interview between six and ten job candidates before narrowing their choices.
Getting called back for a second interview is a good sign, but getting called back for a third is better.
Many times, you will start with a phone interview to confirm your qualifications before an on-site or virtual interview.
Once you move on to the video or virtual interview for the second meeting, you have a better chance of getting a job offer.
Not that every second or third interview guarantees you a job, but it’s a good sign.
(Career Sidekick)
15. Nearly Half of Job Candidates Fail Their Interviews Because They Neglected to Learn More About the Company Before the Interview.
47% of job candidates fail their job interviews due to the lack of information about the company to which they applied.
If you’re a job seeker, take this seriously if you really want a job. You should know about the history of an organization.
When you’re doing research on the company, make sure you check out its competitors, its mission and values, its services and products, its customers, recent news, the culture of the company, and its achievements.
Dig into it and learn a lot, to avoid interview failure.
(Berkley Group)
Hiring Statistics You Need to Know
16. By 2025, Most of The World’s Workforce Will Be Made up Of Gen-Z and Millennials.
According to statistics, by 2025, Millennials will account for 75% of the world’s workforce, and Generation Z will make up 27%.
What does that mean for companies hiring them?
First, both of these generations prioritize transparency, honesty, communication, and economic security.
Therefore, businesses need to update their methods of retention to fit the new age of the global workforce.
(Deloitte, The JW Method)
17. Referrals Are Five Times More Effective than All Other Hiring Methods.
Referrals are the most cost-effective method of hiring along with being the fastest method.
According to the research, candidates who are referred to a job are more skilled or at least better quality hires than companies find through other hiring methods.
According to Kara Yarnot, the founder of Meritage Talent Solutions, having a great referral program can turn your employees into recruiters.
Not only is hiring from a referral pool of candidates cheaper and faster, they are more likely to stay with the company longer.
(LinkedIn 2)
18. Female Applicants Who Have Children Are 36% Less Apt to Get Called for An Interview than Male Job Applicants.
Not only are women with children less apt to get invited for an interview, 30% of women are less likely to even be considered in the hiring process than men with the same skills.
Gender inequality is also higher when job candidates have fewer skills or qualifications for a job.
One study showed that women who are overqualified for a role are also overlooked more often than men.
They are referring to this as gender penalization for having more knowledge and skills related to a job.
(Phys.org)
19. In 2021, The Average Cost per Hire for Non-Executive Roles Amounted to $4,425.
The per hire cost in 2019 was $4,129. Therefore, it now costs more per hire in 2021 than in 2019.
When you’re considering executive-level roles, the average cost per hire is significantly higher, at $14,936.
The pandemic has caused hiring problems and retention in the modern workplace.
Besides the Great Resignation, Millennials are 60% more apt to quit their jobs within the first year. It’s believed that these hiring issues are also due to remote work offerings.
(Recruiter)
20. 63% of Recruiters Say that A Barrier to Finding Qualified Talent Is Due to The Inability to Find Enough Suitable Job Candidates.
Studies show that the main barriers for recruiters are not being able to locate suitable candidates to fill their open positions, and job candidates who don’t respond to emails or phone calls.
Also, 80% of employers said there are too many junk resumes on job boards, stating it as a barrier for them to find talent.
Recruiters also mention that there are too many junk resumes that come from job boards. When it comes to not finding suitable job candidates, 26% of employers consider that a barrier.
It seems the barriers between employers and recruiters vary.
(MRINetwork)
21. Jobs Requiring the Combination of Social and Analytical Skills Rose by 94% Since 1980.
Jobs today require that you have solid analytical skills, but also social skills. Essentially, the research addressed occupations where high analytical and social skills are necessary.
It’s within these parameters that these kinds of jobs experienced the highest growth between 1980 and 2015.
Also, jobs that require stronger social skills, like communication and interpersonal skills, rose by 83%.
When looking at occupations where high-level analytical skills are needed like computer usage and quantitative analytical skills, rose by 77%.
In contrast, occupations that require highly physical and manual skills rose by only 18% in this period.
(Pew Research, MIT)
22. At The End of 2021, the United States Unemployment Rate Was 3.9%, According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
In June 2022, the BLS showed an unemployment rate of 3.6%, which is a slight drop from December 2021.
The number of unemployed people in June 2022 accounted for 5.9 million. Just before the pandemic lockdowns in February 2020, the unemployment rate was 3.5% with 5.7 million unemployed people.
Among the Caucasian workforce, the unemployment rate was 3.3% in June 2022. Also, among the African-American or Black workforce, the unemployment rate was 5.8%.
The Asian workforce unemployment rate for June 2022 came to 3.0%. Finally, among the Latino workforce, June 2022’s unemployment rate was 4.3%.
(Investopedia, BLS)
23. The Highest Rate of Underemployment and Unemployment Is Among the Millennial Population.
Millennials are made up of those born between 1981 and 1996. A shocking 34% of Millennials with high-level degrees (PhD) are underemployed. Another 30% of those with master’s degrees are also underemployed.
The Millennial generation is considered the most educated generation with nearly 79% of them having at least a bachelor’s degree.
Furthermore, Millennials and Generation Z are becoming more overwhelmed and stressed out in the workplace.
(The Atlantic, CNBC)
24. 49% of Working Americans Say They Are Very Satisfied with Their Jobs.
According to statistics from Pew Research, nearly half of American workers are very satisfied with their current jobs.
Another three out of ten are somewhat satisfied, and the rest are either somewhat dissatisfied (9%), or very dissatisfied (6%).
Job satisfaction among Americans making at least $75,000 per year is higher at 59%. Of those households making between $30,000 and $74,999, 45% report being very satisfied.
Finally, 39% of households making under $30,000 claim to be very satisfied. So, while it seems that some Americans are overall very happy with their jobs, income level matters.
(Pew Research 2)
25. Between 1980 and 2015, the Average Weeks Work Went from 43 Hours to 46.8 Hours.
We all know that many salaried employees work over 60 hours per week, at least sometimes.
But, between 1980 and 2015, the average hours per week worked grew by 3.8 hours. Over one year, 46.8 hours represents another month of work each year.
Therefore, this tells us that Americans are working more now than ever. In 1980, the average work week was 38.1.
That number didn’t grow as much, but accounted for 38.7 hours by 2015. Generally speaking, American workers are spending more time at work.
(Pew Research 3)
Statistics About Making a Good First Impression
26. 10% of Job Candidates Don’t Get Through the Interview Process Due to Having a Weak Handshake and Poor Sitting Posture.
While a weak handshake and bad posture can make or break a job interview 10% of the time, there are other reasons you might get rejected for a job.
Roughly 60% of job candidates say that they failed job interviews mostly due to non-verbal factors.
Of the non-verbal factors that caused them to fail their job interviews, 25% weren’t dressed properly.
Another 40% said the recruiter’s feedback said they appeared to be disinterested in the interview.
Being late accounted for 32% of job interview failures, and 30% failed due to lack of eye contact.
(PR Newswire)
27. 71% of Hiring Managers Would Disqualify Someone Who Didn’t Meet the Dress Code Protocol.
While the new generation of hiring managers and employers are relaxing their dress code ideals, there are still those who believe that first impressions are important.
If you want to make a good impression in your job interviews, read the company’s dress code and follow it.
Even if the dress code is relaxed in the workplace, looking sharp and professional is a good rule of thumb. Also, you may not need to dress up for some job interviews.
You might be surprised at how much you can learn about a company’s dress code with a little research.
(INC 3)
28. 39% of Job Candidates Get Rejected Because of Their Lack of Confidence.
One of the reasons job interview practice is stressed is because it helps you build up your confidence.
When the lack of confidence puts your chances of getting a job at risk, you need to practice until you’re comfortable with answering interview questions.
There are so many resources online that can help prepare you for job interviews that you have no excuse not to gain confidence through study and practice.
You need to be prepared for behavioral questions, which is where practice helps the most.
(PSI Personnel)
29. 67% of Hiring Managers Say that Lack of Eye Contact Makes Them Less Likely to Hire Someone.
We already covered the importance of eye contact, but we didn’t specifically mention the extent of its importance in getting through an interview.
Eye contact isn’t the only thing that makes recruiters not want to hire someone.
Not smiling (38%), being fidgety (33%), and playing with their hair (21%) are also things that could make or break your job interview.
Moreover, crossing your arms across your chest (21%) is body language that says you’re closed off. Also, avoid making too many hand gestures (9%).
(Plan Sponsor)
30. 94% of Job Seekers Desire Job Interview Feedback.
While 94% of job seekers want feedback after a job interview, only 41% have gotten feedback before.
It should be common for interviewers to provide feedback to job candidates. Instead, it’s rare.
Not only is this a helpful thing to do for the job applicant, it’s also a great way to streamline the hiring process in the future.
It’s wise for companies to keep a record of job candidate feedback, so employers can improve and update the interview questions and process.
(LinkedIn 3)
FAQs
How Many Job Applicants Get Job Interviews?
Due to differences in industry, job interview methods, and other factors, it’s difficult to pin down the exact number of applicants that get job interviews.
That said, only about 20% of applicants get called for an interview.
If we go by the number in the above statistics, only 17 out of 118 job candidates will get invited to interview.
How Many Stages Are There in The Interview Process?
Job interviews are often broken down into five stages. These stages are introductions, opening, body, closing, and termination.
Contact with an employer is the first stage (introductions).
The opening stage is usually a few positive questions.
The body of the interview is focused on gathering information.
The closing stage is self-explanatory and when the interview closes out the interview.
Finally, the termination stage ends the interview session.
How Long Should Question Responses Be?
You should keep your answers to the interview questions succinct and 2 minutes or less.
You shouldn’t need to elaborate unless you’re asked to give more information.
Stick to answering what’s asked, and don’t offer extraneous information.
Conclusion
These job interview statistics should help you understand the process and what to expect from an interview.
Do your research, dress professionally, avoid fidgeting, maintain eye contact, and smile. Be interested and engaged during the interview.
Remember that the process of interviewing varies by industry and occupation.
The introduction stage of the interview process is where you make your first impression, so make it good. Put your best efforts into it.
