What Recruiters Notice in 6 Seconds — Eye-Tracking Study Results
Sunil Kalikayi4/8/20265 min read
The 6-Second Finding
TheLadders eye-tracking study found the average initial resume review is 6–8 seconds. In that window, recruiters look at: name, current title, current company, previous company, education, employment duration. That's it.
The F-Pattern Scan
Recruiters read across the top (your name and title), then scan down the left edge (company names and section headers). They rarely read full bullet points on first pass. Put your strongest content at the top of each section.
What Gets Ignored
Long summaries (beyond 3 lines), bullet points beyond the first 2 per role, anything below the page fold (on a 2-page resume), skills listed alphabetically without grouping, and any visual decoration without functional purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The 6-Second Simulator shows exactly what gets noticed first.
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