We Analyzed 111,219 Resumes Against the Jobs They Targeted. The Average Matched Just 47.4%.
When we score a resume against the specific job it's aimed at, the typical resume covers fewer than half of what the posting actually asks for. This is "the tailoring gap" — and it's the quiet reason so many applications go nowhere.
Key findings
- The average resume matched just 47.4% of the job it was analyzed against (median 48%).
- 51.7% of resumes matched less than half of their target job's requirements.
- 22.1% matched under 30% — essentially a generic resume sent to a specific role.
- Only 6.9% of resumes were a strong match (80%+).
- Tailoring isn't optional: a generic resume is a low-match resume, and low-match resumes lose.
Methodology & data (read this)
- Sample: 111,219 resumes that were analyzed against a specific target job on Resumly. The match score (0–100) reflects how much of the job's key requirements and keywords the resume covers.
- What it is / isn't: a measure of fit between a resume and one job — not a judgment of the resume's overall quality (see our ATS study for that).
- Privacy: fully aggregate and anonymized — only the numeric match scores are used; no resume text, job descriptions, or personal data appear here.
- Skew: the sample reflects Resumly's audience, which leans tech and early-career.
How well resumes actually match their target job
Distribution of match scores across 111,219 resumes. The peak sits in the 30–49% range — most resumes are far closer to "generic" than "tailored."
| Match score | Resumes | % of sample |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 5,055 | 4.5% |
| 10-19 | 9,872 | 8.9% |
| 20-29 | 9,616 | 8.6% |
| 30-39 | 18,430 | 16.6% |
| 40-49 | 14,498 | 13.0% |
| 50-59 | 20,677 | 18.6% |
| 60-69 | 12,754 | 11.5% |
| 70-79 | 12,661 | 11.4% |
| 80-89 | 5,741 | 5.2% |
| 90-99 | 1,848 | 1.7% |
Why a 47% match is so costly
Put our studies together and the job-search funnel comes into focus. Most resumes are generic and under-quantified (94% lean on buzzwords; 32% have zero numbers). Sent to a specific job, that generic resume matches just 47.4% of what's asked. And a low-match application is exactly the kind that lands in the 78.3%-rejection pile — where rejections outnumber interview invitations 24 to 1. The fix is the same at every stage: tailor the resume to the job, add the missing keywords, and quantify the wins.
How to cite this study
Resumly (2026). The Tailoring Gap: resume-to-job match across 111,219 resumes. Retrieved from https://www.resumly.ai/research/resume-job-match-studyJournalists & researchers: cite these figures with a link. Custom data cut on request — hello@resumly.ai.
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Check my resume free →More research: The ATS Resume Study (336,637 resumes) · The Job-Search Inbox Study (154,128 emails) · What Stops Job Applications (95,495 attempts) · All studies
