Online resume-building platform Resume Genius has released its 2026 Job Seeker Insights Report, based on a survey of 1,000 active U.S. job seekers. The findings show how candidates are experiencing today’s job market, including employer ghosting, mental health strain, artificial intelligence adoption, and pressure to stretch the truth during the application and interview process.
“The hiring process today feels unclear, impersonal, and difficult to trust,” Nathan Soto, career expert at Resume Genius, said in a statement. “People are especially tired of being ghosted during their job searches, and the mental strain it puts on job seekers is impossible to ignore.”
Hiring frustrations and trust in job listings
The survey asked job seekers which parts of the hiring process frustrate them most, along with whether they have encountered job postings they believed were fake or misleading.
The most common hiring frustrations were:
- Not receiving a response after submitting a job application: 55%
- Not hearing back after completing one or more interviews: 44%
- Having long delays between interview stages: 37%
- Being put through too many interview rounds: 31%
- Applying to jobs where the salary isn’t listed: 31%
- Being asked to complete unpaid assignments or tests: 25%
- Receiving automated or AI-generated rejection messages: 24%
- Discovering the role differs significantly from the job posting during the hiring process: 22%
- Being required to complete one-way video or AI-recorded interviews: 19%
When asked whether they had come across job listings they believed were fake, misleading, or never intended to be filled:
- Have suspected this a few or many times: 67%
- Have never suspected this: 14%
- Are not sure: 19%
The survey also asked which details make job postings seem suspicious. The most common red flags were:
- Poor grammar or typos: 52%
- Vague company information: 52%
- Salary that seems too good to be true: 45%
- Salary not disclosed: 41%
- Requests for personal or financial details: 39%
- A provided application that looks AI-generated: 33%
- Requests to move communication off the job platform: 21%
Mental health and the job search
The survey also measured how job seekers say the search is affecting their mental health, along with which parts of the process are contributing most.
When asked how job hunting is affecting their mental health in 2026:
- Negatively: 49%
- No impact: 38%
- Positively: 13%
Among the factors that respondents said had hurt their mental health most:
- Rejections: 47%
- Not hearing back from employers: 46%
- Financial pressure: 45%
- Trying to stay motivated: 45%
- Feeling unqualified: 35%
- None of the above: 12%
Resume pressure and skills manifesting
The report examined how job seekers are adjusting their resumes, including whether they add skills they plan to learn later and how they feel about applicant tracking systems.
“Skills manifesting” is the act of listing skills on a resume that an applicant plans to acquire in the future. Job seekers are using this strategy to stay competitive in a more automated and technical job market.
To understand if this behavior is happening during the job search process, Resume Genius asked whether job seekers had ever added a skill to their resume that they planned to learn later if they got the job:
- Would never add a skill they didn’t already have: 47%
- Have added a skill they planned to learn later: 36%
- Have considered doing this: 17%
By age group, responses were:
- Gen Z: Have added a skill they planned to learn later (44%); have considered it (18%)
- Millennials: Have added a skill they planned to learn later (42%); have considered it (16%)
- Gen X: Have added a skill they planned to learn later (28%); have considered it (19%)
- Baby boomers: Have added a skill they planned to learn later (15%); have considered it (13%)
Among job seekers who said they’ve “manifested” a skill they planned to learn later, the most common skills were:
- AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude: 37%
- Microsoft Office or Google Workspace: 33%
- Design tools like Canva or Figma: 26%
- Management skills or experience: 24%
- Adobe Creative Suite: 19%
- Programming languages like Python or JavaScript: 18%
- Soft skills like communication or leadership: 18%
- Data or analytics tools like Tableau, SQL, or Excel: 17%
- Project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Jira: 15%
- Foreign language skills: 13%
ATS uncertainty
When asked about applicant tracking systems, respondents reported the following:
- Say ATS makes job searching harder: 68%
- Worry their resume will be rejected before a person sees it: 67%
- Feel confident their resume is optimized for ATS: 53%
- Say they don’t understand how ATS works: 50%
The survey also asked which parts of updating a resume are hardest:
- Tailoring it to the job: 41%
- Remembering tasks and achievements from past roles: 39%
- Turning job duties into strong accomplishments: 35%
- Writing strong bullet points: 32%
- Optimizing for ATS: 27%
When asked how long they spend tailoring a resume for one application:
- 10 to 30 minutes: 39%
- 31 to 60 minutes: 23%
- Less than 10 minutes: 20%
- More than one hour: 9%
- Don’t tailor their resume: 9%
AI adoption and AI-related career concerns
The report asked job seekers whether they use AI in the application process, how they use it, and how concerned they are about AI replacing jobs in their field.
Overall:
- Already use AI in the application process: 38%
- Would consider using AI in the application process: 40%
- Total open to using AI: 78%
Among those using AI, the most common uses were:
- Writing resumes: 59%
- Writing cover letters: 48%
- Editing job applications: 40%
- Finding jobs to apply for: 34%
- Preparing for interviews: 34%
- Using AI to answer live interview questions: 22%
- Completing skills tests or assessments: 19%
When asked how concerned they were that AI could automate jobs in their desired field, 80% of job seekers expressed worry about the future. Find the full breakdown below:
- Very concerned: 28%
- Somewhat concerned: 52%
- Not at all concerned: 20%
The report also asked whether concern about AI and the broader job market had influenced job seekers’ career decisions. Respondents said they had taken or seriously considered the following steps:
- Taken a side job to pay the bills: 28%
- Seriously considered changing careers: 26%
- Learned a new skill: 24%
- Seriously considered trade or blue-collar work: 21%
- Gone back to school: 12%
- Worked with a career coach or counselor: 11%
- None of the above: 33%
Interview lies and exaggerations
The report also examined whether job seekers said they had lied or exaggerated during interviews and what topics were most likely to be misrepresented.
When asked whether they had lied in an interview:
- Have lied in an interview: 36%
- Haven’t lied but have considered it: 20%
- Have never lied or considered lying in an interview: 45%
Among job seekers who said they had exaggerated in interviews, the most common topics were:
- Reasons for leaving a previous job: 46%
- Years of experience: 39%
- Proficiency with certain skills or tools: 38%
- Responsibilities in a previous role: 31%
- Interest in the role or company: 30%
- Accomplishments or results: 18%
- Salary expectations or previous pay: 13%
- Long-term career goals: 12%
Methodology: This report is based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. job seekers conducted by Pollfish. Respondents were screened to confirm they were actively searching for a job at the time of the survey.
The survey launched on March 16, 2026, and targeted a sample of 1,000 participants. The sample included job seekers who were employed, self-employed, and temporarily unemployed, reflecting a range of job search experiences. The survey explored topics including resume strategy, ATS concerns, AI use, employer ghosting, interview stress, mental health, and misleading job postings. Resume Genius analyzed the results for overall trends and differences across age and gender. Percentages were rounded to the nearest whole number.
The survey ensured balanced representation across gender and age groups. Pollfish uses Random Device Engagement to support a broad and organic selection process.
Photo credit: Tandem X Visuals/Unsplash
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