2025 has been a challenging year for job hunters.
Anyone who has been looking for a new role this year will know how different it has felt. Expectations have shifted around what a CV should look like. The latest Huntr data backs this up and explains why so many strong candidates felt they were getting nowhere.
Most people only look at their CV when it is already too late. A deadline comes up, they need to apply quickly, and that is the moment they realise the CV has not been updated in years. People rely on an old CV because it worked last time, then wonder why it is not working now. The reality is that hiring expectations have moved on, and the wording that passed a few years ago does not carry the same weight today.
This edition looks at what has changed, what hiring teams expect now, and what you can put in place before you start applying in 2026.
What the Latest Data Shows
If you felt like 2025 was harder than it should have been, the data backs you up. Huntr analysed more than 461,000 applications and the trends are very clear.
The first thing that stood out for me was how long it is now taking to hear anything back.
Half of job seekers receive their first interview in just over 22 days, and many wait far longer. Those in the 75th percentile are waiting almost two months, and the unlucky few in the 90th percentile are waiting close to four months before anyone contacts them. That is a long time to sit wondering whether your CV is even being read.
The second thing the report shows is how many applications people are sending. Half of job seekers submit four or fewer applications a week, but the most active group are sending nine a week. The top ten percent are sending nineteen applications every single week, nearly five times the median. When the volume is that high, it naturally raises expectations on the employer side. They receive more CVs, so they become more selective, and wording matters more than it used to.
The data also shows the impact of targeting. Huntr tracked nearly 38,000 targeted CVs and found they lead to more than double the success rate. Targeted CVs reach interview stages at 5.75% compared to 2.68% for generic ones, a 115% improvement. This tells us something important about expectations. Hiring teams are clearly rewarding relevance.
Hiring teams expect more, competition is higher, and a CV that worked a few years ago is unlikely to hold up now.
Why January Catches People Out
If you are planning to look for a new role in January, you are in good company. It is the month when motivation is high and people feel ready for something different. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it is a good time to start because hiring starts to move again after the holidays.
The challenge is that expectations are different now. Many people step into January assuming things will pick up quickly, only to find that the hiring pace feels slower than expected. This is usually the moment when an old CV meets today’s standards, and the two do not match.
What I see each year is not a lack of talent. It is the gap between how a CV is written and what hiring teams now look for. They want wording that makes sense straight away, clear examples of impact, and a message that feels relevant to the role. When a CV still reads like it did a few years ago, it struggles to create that first impression.
None of this should put you off applying in January. If anything, it is the opposite. With a bit of preparation, you can start the year in a much stronger position.
Why So Many CVs Struggle Right Now
A big theme this year has been the gap between what people think hiring teams want and what they actually look for. Most CVs I see come from people with strong experience, yet the way things are written makes it hard for that experience to land.
One of the clearest findings in the Huntr report is how much hiring teams now focus on the quality of information. CVs that lead to interviews tend to have stronger examples, clearer achievements, and better use of space. The ones that do not progress usually rely on long skill lists, generic responsibilities, and wording that does not explain the impact of the work .
Another shift in 2025 has been the pace at which hiring teams review CVs. They skim quickly simply because of the volume coming through. This means anything vague, crowded, or written in a way that forces them to work harder gets overlooked. It is not because the experience is weak. It is because the message is not landing fast enough.
What I see every week is that the smallest changes often make the biggest difference. A CV can have years of solid experience behind it, but if the wording feels dated or blends into every other application, it struggles. Once the writing reflects how you work today, not how you described yourself years ago, the whole document feels stronger.
The encouraging thing is that none of this requires a full reinvention. It is usually about bringing your experience into a format that matches what hiring teams expect now.
A Helpful Starting Point Before the New Year
If you are thinking about updating your CV, the hardest part is usually knowing where to start. Most people open the document, look at the wording, and immediately feel unsure about what to keep, what to change, or whether it still reflects who they are today.
To help you kick off the new year, our team has developed a CV Scanner, and we are giving you the chance to use it first. It reviews the wording in your CV and highlights the parts that might be holding it back, such as generic phrases, filler language, pronouns, or anything that makes your experience harder to see. It gives you a clearer picture of how your CV reads today, before you begin making any updates.
If you want to try it, you can use it here:
What This Means for Your Plans in 2026
If you are thinking about making a move in 2026, the shift in expectations this year is worth paying attention to. The Huntr report makes it clear how hiring teams scan CVs. The CVs that progress tend to explain achievements in more detail, with clearer examples of impact, while the ones that do not progress often rely on long lists of responsibilities or broad skill sections that do not say much about the work behind them.
The report also shows that detail matters more than people realise. CVs that led to interviews had slightly longer education sections, fewer but better-written achievements, and stronger evidence of career progression. In contrast, the CVs that did not lead anywhere usually leaned on extra certifications or longer skill lists instead of showing how their experience made a difference.
All of this points to one thing. Hiring teams expect CVs that explain value. They want to understand what you delivered. The way you write your experience has become just as important as the experience itself.
A Few Thoughts to End the Year
Thank you for reading and for staying with this newsletter throughout the year. 2025 has been tough for a lot of job hunters, and the data shows you were not imagining it. Expectations have shifted, the bar for CVs has gone up, and the way hiring teams read applications has changed again.
The good news is that if you are planning a fresh start in 2026, you do not have to rush into it. A bit of preparation now means you begin the year with a CV that reflects where you are today and what employers are looking for. It makes the whole process feel more organised and far less overwhelming.
If you try the CV Scanner and want support after that, you can reply to this email. January is always the busiest for us CV writers, and spaces fill quickly, so please get in touch ASAP.
Wishing you a good end to the year and a strong start to 2026,
Dave Crumby
Your Career Optimiser | Certified CV Writer