Resume Eye-Tracking Study: Where Recruiters Actually Look (And What the Research Really Shows)
You've spent hours perfecting your resume. But eye-tracking research reveals that most of it may never be seen. Multiple studies show consistent patterns in where recruiters look — even if they disagree on exactly how long. Here's what the science actually tells us.
The Eye-Tracking Research Behind Resume Scanning
In 2018, TheLadders published a groundbreaking study that changed how we understand resume screening. They equipped 30 professional recruiters with eye-tracking technology and monitored their behavior over 10 weeks as they reviewed hundreds of resumes.
The technology tracked exactly where recruiters looked, how long they focused on each area, and in what order they processed information. The results were turned into heat maps—visual representations showing hot spots (high attention) and cold spots (ignored areas).
This wasn't the first such study. TheLadders conducted similar research in 2012, finding recruiters spent about 6 seconds per resume. The 2018 update showed a slight improvement to 7.4 seconds—but the core scanning patterns remained remarkably consistent.
More recently, Jerry Lee of Wonsulting conducted a 2025 eye-tracking experiment with recruiters wearing hidden tracking equipment. His findings reinforced the F-pattern and the importance of quantified achievements, suggesting these patterns persist across different methodologies and time periods.
What Critics Say: Research Limitations
Let's be honest about the limitations. The TheLadders study has been criticized on several grounds:
- Small sample size: 30 recruiters isn't a large sample, and we don't know how they were selected or if they represent the broader recruiting population.
- Unknown context: The study doesn't disclose what types of jobs recruiters were screening for, or what instructions they were given. Screening for a warehouse role is different from screening for a VP position.
- Proprietary methodology: The full methodology was never published in a peer-reviewed journal, making it difficult to evaluate or replicate.
- Commercial interest: TheLadders is a job search company — they had a business incentive to produce attention-grabbing findings.
Some recruiters push back on the 7.4-second figure entirely, arguing that real screening times vary dramatically based on role complexity, application volume, and screening stage. A first-pass ATS screen is different from a hiring manager's deep review.
What's actually defensible
Despite these limitations, certain findings are consistent across multiple studies and align with broader research on reading behavior:
- The F-pattern: This scanning behavior has been documented by the Nielsen Norman Group across web content generally, not just resumes. It's a well-established phenomenon.
- Top-left dominance: Multiple eye-tracking studies show the top-left quadrant receives disproportionate attention.
- Six fixation points: The specific areas recruiters fixate on (name, title, company, dates, previous role, education) are consistent across studies.
- Dense text gets skipped: This aligns with general reading research — people skip over text blocks in favor of scannable content.
The takeaway: don't obsess over the exact timing. Focus instead on where attention goes — that's the actionable insight.
The F-Pattern: What's Actually Consistent Across Studies
Eye-tracking research consistently shows recruiters follow an F-shaped reading pattern. This pattern, first identified in web usability research by the Nielsen Norman Group, applies directly to resume scanning.
██████████████████████████████ ← Top bar: Name, title (HIGH attention) ██████████████████████████████ ████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░ ← Second bar: Current job (MEDIUM-HIGH) ████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ← Vertical stem: Quick scan down left ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ← Bottom: Rarely seen ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ← Bottom-right: Almost never seen
The F-pattern consists of three components:
- First horizontal movement: Recruiters read across the top of the resume, capturing your name, contact information, and headline or current title. This is the highest-attention zone.
- Second horizontal movement: They move down slightly and scan another horizontal line, usually shorter than the first. This typically captures your current or most recent job title and company.
- Vertical movement: Finally, they scan down the left side of the document in a vertical movement, picking up section headers and the first few words of each line.
The implication is clear: the top-left quadrant of your resume receives the most attention. Content placed in the bottom-right is essentially invisible during initial screening.
The Six Things Recruiters Actually Look At
The eye-tracking data identified six specific fixation points that capture nearly 80% of recruiter attention during initial screening. In order of priority:
-
Your Name
The first fixation point. Recruiters look at your name to orient themselves on the document. Make sure it's prominent, properly sized, and positioned at the top-left. -
Current Job Title
Immediately after your name, recruiters look for what you currently do. This is their primary filter for relevance. If your title doesn't match what they're hiring for, they may stop here. -
Current Company
Where you work matters. Recognizable company names create instant credibility. If your company isn't well-known, ensure your title clearly communicates your level. -
Employment Dates
Recruiters glance at dates to assess tenure and identify any gaps. They typically look at the right side of the experience section for this information. -
Previous Job Title & Company
Your career trajectory matters. Recruiters check your previous role to understand your progression and verify the relevance of your experience. -
Education
A brief glance at education, primarily to check for degree completion and institution name. For experienced professionals, this receives minimal attention.
Everything else—your carefully crafted bullet points, your skills section, your achievements—gets scanned only if these six elements pass the initial filter.
What Gets Completely Ignored
The heat maps also reveal what recruiters don't look at:
| Resume Element | Attention Level | Why It's Ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom third of page one | Very Low | F-pattern scanning doesn't reach this far |
| Page two (and beyond) | Almost None | Rarely viewed during initial screening |
| Right side of resume | Low | Eye movement favors left alignment |
| Long paragraphs | Skipped | Dense text blocks are skimmed over |
| Skills sections at bottom | Minimal | Often never reached in 7.4 seconds |
| Objective statements | Skipped | Generic content provides no value |
The lesson: location matters more than content quality. A brilliant achievement buried on page two might as well not exist. A mediocre bullet point at the top of page one will always outperform it.
How to Optimize Your Resume Based on Eye-Tracking Data
Armed with this research, you can make strategic changes to ensure your resume performs in the 7.4-second scan:
1. Front-Load Critical Information
Your name, target job title, and current role must be immediately visible in the top third of your resume. Don't bury your most impressive current title below a summary paragraph.
2. Use the Left Side Strategically
Start every bullet point with an action verb or quantified achievement. The first 2-3 words of each line are the only words guaranteed to be seen during vertical scanning.
3. Keep It to One Page (When Possible)
Page two receives almost no attention during initial screening. If you have 10+ years of experience, a second page is acceptable—but assume it won't be read until after you've passed the first filter.
4. Use Clear Section Headers
Recruiters use section headers to navigate. Make them bold, slightly larger, and consistently formatted. This helps them find relevant information quickly.
5. Eliminate Dense Text Blocks
Long paragraphs are skipped entirely. Use bullet points, keep them to 1-2 lines each, and ensure adequate white space between sections.
6. Put Your Best Achievements First
Within each job entry, your first bullet point receives the most attention. Make it your most impressive, quantified achievement—not a generic job description.
See Your Resume Through a Recruiter's Eyes
Stop guessing where recruiters look. Our free heat map tool shows you exactly what gets seen—and what gets ignored—on your specific resume.
Join Waitlist →The Bottom Line
Eye-tracking research hasn't given us a magic number. The "7.4 seconds" figure is contextual and debated. What the research has given us is clarity on where attention goes: the F-pattern, the six fixation points, and the dominance of the top-left quadrant.
Your job isn't to write a comprehensive career history. It's to design a document that delivers the right information to the right place — assuming limited time and scanning behavior. The exact number of seconds matters less than the pattern.
The recruiters scanning your resume aren't reading it — they're processing it. Design accordingly.
Sources: TheLadders Eye-Tracking Study (2012, 2018) • Nielsen Norman Group F-Pattern Research • Wonsulting Eye-Tracker Experiment (2025)
Note: This article synthesizes multiple studies with varying methodologies. We've tried to distinguish between well-supported findings and those with important caveats. If you're aware of additional eye-tracking research we should include, let us know.