We Analyzed 30,688 Resumes Against the Jobs They Targeted. The Average Matched Just 48.3%.
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 48.3% of the job it was analyzed against (median 45%).
- 53.8% of resumes matched less than half of their target job's requirements.
- 17.7% matched under 30% — essentially a generic resume sent to a specific role.
- Only 9.8% 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: 30,688 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 30,688 resumes. The peak sits in the 30–49% range — most resumes are far closer to "generic" than "tailored."
Why a 48% match is so costly
Put our three studies together and the job-search funnel comes into focus. Most resumes are generic and under-quantified (94% lean on buzzwords; 31% have zero numbers). Sent to a specific job, that generic resume matches just 48.3% of what's asked. And a low-match application is exactly the kind that lands in the 89%-rejection pile — where rejections outnumber interview invitations 47 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 30,688 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 (138,848 resumes) · The Job-Search Inbox Study (14,136 emails) · All studies
