16 Powerful Job Interview Statistics

Here are some insightful job statistics from for everyone, from workers to entrepreneurs. 

1. 85% of applicants lie on their resumes.

(INC) 

Lying on resume statistics from HR company Hire Right suggest that telling porkies on a resume is something that more than the vast majority of workers do. The main reason for such a high level of fibbing has to do with modern recruitment techniques. A detailed investigation of resume fraud statistics shows people are using lies to counteract the effect of automated application filtering technology. 

2. What percentage of applicants get an interview? Approximately 20% of applicants.

(Interview Success Formula)

Interview statistics from Interview Success Formula suggests that around one in five applicants get an interview, usually by phone or in person. 

3. Talent management software weeds out 50% of applications before human review.

(Interview Success Formula)

Here’s one of the most remarkable job interview facts: 

Most companies use “talent management” software to weed out half of applicants before a human even looks at their covering letter. The purpose is to make the recruitment process smoother, but it can mean that some suitable candidates slip through the net. 

4. The average candidate must wait between 24 hours and two weeks for a verdict.

(Interview Success Formula)

How quickly do interviewers reach decisions? 

As it turns out, the interviewee must wait between a day and a fortnight to find out whether they got the job. Many winning candidates can simply assume they haven’t got the job when, in fact, they have and just need to wait beyond the 48-hour golden window. 

5. The average interview lasts 40 minutes.

(Interview Success Formula)

The length of an interview depends heavily on the nature of the job in question. According to job interview statistics, some can last as little as ten minutes while others can span several days, especially for highly technical roles or roles that require a person to take on a significant degree of responsibility. 

That being said:

The average interview length is 40 minutes. Some of the most common talking points include things like what a candidate disliked about past employment and the significant challenges they faced.

6. 81% of people lie during job interviews.

(KSL) 

According to interview questions statistics, eight out of ten people lie at some point in the traditional interview process. 

The reason for this is that honesty doesn’t pay. If an interviewer asks a candidate if they have a specific skill but they don’t, the candidate knows they will not get the job if they give a truthful answer. So, they lie. 

7. 4 to 6 people are typically interviewed for each available job. 

(INC)

How many candidates do recruiters interview? 

While the exact figure depends on the size of the company and the type of job, the average number of interviews per job tends to be between 4 to 6 people (for on-site interviews). The ratio of people who apply for jobs compared to how many get an interview can be as high as 30. 

8. 36% of employers look for multitasking skills.

(Forbes)

Demonstrating that you can do multiple things at the same time is absolutely crucial for job interview success. According to job interview statistics, more than one-third of employers want people with highly developed multitasking skills. Just 31% said they wanted people who took the initiative, and only 21% wanted creative thinking skills. 

9. 47% of employers would reject candidates who didn’t know much about the company.

(Twin Employment and Training)

If you’re looking for interview facts that could help you get the job you want, this one might help. 

The thing is:

It pays to know something about the organisation offering the job before you go to the interview. Nearly half of all interviewers said that they would not give a candidate a job if they didn’t know about the company. 

10. 40% of interviewers believe that not smiling is sufficient reason to reject a candidate.

(Twin Employment and Training)

If you don’t smile much, it could hurt your chances of finding work. First impression job interview statistics suggest that two-fifths of all interviewers believe that insufficient smiling is reason enough to deny a candidate a job. Despite their importance, experience and qualifications take a back seat. 

11. 20% of interviewers said they rejected applicants if they crossed their arms when applying for a role. 

(Twin Employment and Training)

Crossing your arms is one of the biggest job interview fails, at least according to the people tasked with hiring you. One-fifth of all interviewers said that crossing of the arms was a big no-no and would cause them to reject the applicant. 

The success rate of job interview candidates, therefore, depends heavily on body language. 

12. 65% of interviewers said lack of eye contact led them to reject a candidate.

(Twin Employment and Training)

While you might think that what you say is the most crucial aspect of the interview process, psychology facts during interview sessions reveal that body language might be the determining factor. Face to face interview statistics show that 65% of hiring managers will reject a candidate for lack of eye contact. 

Key takeaway:

Confidence is critical. Being clear on your list of weaknesses for job interview, as well as strengths, puts you in the best position for success. 

13. Only 20% of all available jobs are advertised.

(Forbes)

Why is the job interview success rate so low compared to the employment rate?

Part of the answer might be related to the number of roles that are never advertised. Recent data suggests that organisations do not promote the vast majority of available jobs. Instead, they either find the people they need through their network of contacts or hire from within. 

Furthermore, an external interviewee may unwittingly be up against existing employees. 

14. Of the 4 to 6 people called to interview, only one will get the job.

(INC)

How many applicants usually get interviews? 

The answer is somewhere between 4 and 6. Out of those applicants, however, it is only usually one that is offered a job, even if many applicants can perform the role. Most interviewers use their instinct when it is a dead heat between different candidates, selecting the one they believe will offer the most value in the future. 

15. 40% of hiring managers spend less than a 1 minute reviewing your resume.

(Fool)

If you ever wanted resume statistics to force you into making your resume more concise, look no further! Data from Career Builder suggest that two fifths of hiring managers spend less than sixty seconds processing your application. So, applicants need to find ways to create an impact from the get-go.

16. 77% of hiring managers automatically reject resumes because of typos and grammatical errors.

(Career Builder) 

Interviewers scan resumes looking for anything that could tell them more about the quality of the applicant. Unfortunately, that means they can sometimes take shortcuts, including looking for typos and grammatical errors. So, candidates should always proofread their writing carefully.