Guide
Recruitment video statistics: sourced, dated and checked
Updated
Recruitment video is often sold with numbers nobody can trace. These are the ones that hold, each with its source and year, last checked August 2026.
In short
- 86% of job seekers use social media when they look for work (CareerArc, 2021).
- 46% of Gen Z got a job or an internship through TikTok (Zety, 2025).
- 72% of new hires said the job was very different from the one advertised (The Muse, 2022).
- A company's own technical experts are about 22 points more credible than its CEO (Edelman, 2024).
- The claim that video job posts get 34% more applications has no traceable study behind it.
- Gen Z who landed a job or internship via TikTok (Zety, 2025)
- 46%
- Benchmark cost of one non-executive hire (SHRM, 2025)
- $5,475
- New hires who found the job was not as advertised (The Muse, 2022)
- 72%
- Numbers here without a named source and year
- 0
Candidates research you before they apply
Candidates read about you before they apply, so what they find decides whether an application arrives at all.
- 77% of candidates consider a company's culture before applying, and 86% of job seekers use social media during the search (Glassdoor, 2019; CareerArc, 2021).
- All of that research happens before you ever see the candidate's name.
How candidates check employers
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Consider company culture before applying | 77% | Glassdoor, 5,000+ adults in the US, UK, France and Germany, 2019 |
| Consider mission and purpose before applying | 79% | Glassdoor, 2019 |
| Rate culture above salary for job satisfaction | 56% | Glassdoor, 2019 |
| Job seekers who use social media in their search | 86% | CareerArc, 1,000+ respondents, 2021 |
| Check pay and work-life balance on social media first | 48% | CareerArc, 2021 |
| Gen Z whose decision to apply depends on a company's social media | 95% | Zety, 896 US Gen Z employees, 2025 |
Finding: Consider company culture before applying
- Number
- 77%
- Source
- Glassdoor, 5,000+ adults in the US, UK, France and Germany, 2019
Finding: Consider mission and purpose before applying
- Number
- 79%
- Source
- Glassdoor, 2019
Finding: Rate culture above salary for job satisfaction
- Number
- 56%
- Source
- Glassdoor, 2019
Finding: Job seekers who use social media in their search
- Number
- 86%
- Source
- CareerArc, 1,000+ respondents, 2021
Finding: Check pay and work-life balance on social media first
- Number
- 48%
- Source
- CareerArc, 2021
Finding: Gen Z whose decision to apply depends on a company's social media
- Number
- 95%
- Source
- Zety, 896 US Gen Z employees, 2025
Gen Z looks for work on video apps
The youngest candidates treat video apps as career tools.
- 46% of Gen Z got a job or internship through TikTok (Zety, 2025).
- 52% use TikTok for career advice, against 34% for LinkedIn (Zety, 2025).
- On the other hand, 55% admit they followed misleading career advice from TikTok (Zety, 2025).
- 62% of US adults aged 18 to 29 use TikTok, and about half open it daily (Pew Research Center, 2024).
- Graduating seniors get job-market news mostly from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (iCIMS Class of 2023).
- 43% of seniors skip jobs with no salary range, and 47% would let an AI bot write their resume (iCIMS, 2023).
Where Gen Z goes for career advice
Share of 896 US Gen Z employees surveyed by Zety, 2025.
- TikTok52%
- LinkedIn34%
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What a mis-sold job costs
Honest recruitment video pays off by preventing hires who quit because the job was not as shown.
- A meta-analysis of 40 studies found that realistic job previews lower turnover and improve performance (Phillips, Academy of Management Journal, 1998).
The cost of a job that was not as advertised
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of one non-executive hire | $5,475 | SHRM Benchmarking Report, 2025 |
| Average time to fill a US position | 44 days | SHRM, 2025 |
| New hires who found the job very different than promised | 72% | The Muse, 2,500+ respondents, 2022 |
| Would quit within a month if the job is not as expected | About 20% | The Muse, 2022 |
| Would give it only two to six months | 41% | The Muse, 2022 |
| Say leaving within six months is fine if the job does not match | 80% | The Muse, 2022 |
Finding: Cost of one non-executive hire
- Number
- $5,475
- Source
- SHRM Benchmarking Report, 2025
Finding: Average time to fill a US position
- Number
- 44 days
- Source
- SHRM, 2025
Finding: New hires who found the job very different than promised
- Number
- 72%
- Source
- The Muse, 2,500+ respondents, 2022
Finding: Would quit within a month if the job is not as expected
- Number
- About 20%
- Source
- The Muse, 2022
Finding: Would give it only two to six months
- Number
- 41%
- Source
- The Muse, 2022
Finding: Say leaving within six months is fine if the job does not match
- Number
- 80%
- Source
- The Muse, 2022
Who should be on camera
The person doing the job is more credible than the person running the company.
- A company's own technical experts are 22 points more credible than its CEO (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024).
- Regular employees keep ranking among the most trusted spokespeople, ahead of the CEO (Edelman, 2023).
- 91% of employers already use social media to recruit (CareerArc, 2021).
- Film the engineer, the nurse or the driver who does the job, rather than the chief executive.
Numbers for making the video
These numbers come from general video research rather than recruiting, and they are the ones that change how you make the video.
- There is no reliable public figure for how many employers publish recruitment video, so we do not print one.
- Nobody measures how many candidates watch those videos either. What is measured is where candidates look, which is the table above.
Video and hiring figures
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organisations running virtual interviews by April 2020 | 86% | Gartner, 334 HR leaders, 2020 |
| LinkedIn job posts with no degree requirement | 25% | LinkedIn Future of Recruiting, 2025 |
| Recruiters who think AI can improve how quality of hire is measured | 61% | LinkedIn Future of Recruiting, 2025 |
| Longer view time for captioned video ads | +12% | Facebook, 2016 |
| Engagement for videos under 1 minute | 50%, the best band | Wistia, 14 million videos, 2025 |
| Growth in LinkedIn video watch time | +36% a year | LinkedIn, 2024 |
Finding: Organisations running virtual interviews by April 2020
- Number
- 86%
- Source
- Gartner, 334 HR leaders, 2020
Finding: LinkedIn job posts with no degree requirement
- Number
- 25%
- Source
- LinkedIn Future of Recruiting, 2025
Finding: Recruiters who think AI can improve how quality of hire is measured
- Number
- 61%
- Source
- LinkedIn Future of Recruiting, 2025
Finding: Longer view time for captioned video ads
- Number
- +12%
- Source
- Facebook, 2016
Finding: Engagement for videos under 1 minute
- Number
- 50%, the best band
- Source
- Wistia, 14 million videos, 2025
Finding: Growth in LinkedIn video watch time
- Number
- +36% a year
- Source
- LinkedIn, 2024
3 famous recruiting statistics, checked
These appear on nearly every recruitment video page. We traced where they come from, and the verdict column says what each one is worth.
- The claim that job posts with video get 34% more applications is credited to CareerBuilder everywhere and to a study nowhere. Every citation points to another citation.
- The other two are real, and both are old. Quote them with their year or leave them out.
Where the famous numbers really come from
| Claim | Real origin | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Job posts with video get 34% more applications | Credited to CareerBuilder, never with a year, sample or study | No traceable source |
| A strong employer brand cuts cost per hire 50% and turnover 28% | LinkedIn Talent Solutions paper by Eda Gultekin, December 2011, a survey-based estimate | Real, but from 2011 |
| The average corporate job gets 250 resumes | ERE opinion piece by Dr. John Sullivan, May 2013, no source given. Later repeated by Glassdoor | Old estimate, no source |
Claim: Job posts with video get 34% more applications
- Real origin
- Credited to CareerBuilder, never with a year, sample or study
- Verdict
- No traceable source
Claim: A strong employer brand cuts cost per hire 50% and turnover 28%
- Real origin
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions paper by Eda Gultekin, December 2011, a survey-based estimate
- Verdict
- Real, but from 2011
Claim: The average corporate job gets 250 resumes
- Real origin
- ERE opinion piece by Dr. John Sullivan, May 2013, no source given. Later repeated by Glassdoor
- Verdict
- Old estimate, no source
Sources
Primary sources for every number above, so you can check them yourself.
Sources used on this page
| Source | Year | Sample or note |
|---|---|---|
| Zety, Gen Z Career Trends Report | 2025 | 896 US Gen Z employees |
| Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use | 2024 | US adults |
| Glassdoor, Mission and Culture Survey | 2019 | 5,000+ adults in four countries |
| CareerArc, Future of Recruiting Study | 2021 | 1,000+ job seekers and HR professionals |
| iCIMS, Class of 2023 Report | 2023 | Graduating college seniors |
| SHRM, Benchmarking Report | 2025 | Hiring cost and time to fill |
| The Muse, shift shock survey | 2022 | 2,500+ respondents |
| Phillips, Effects of realistic job previews, Academy of Management Journal | 1998 | Meta-analysis of 40 studies |
| Edelman Trust Barometer; Gartner HR poll | 2023 and 2024; 2020 | Trust survey; 334 HR leaders |
| LinkedIn Future of Recruiting; LinkedIn video announcements | 2025; 2024 | Report; platform data |
| Wistia, State of Video Report; Facebook caption tests | 2025; 2016 | 14 million videos; internal tests |
| Myth tracing: ERE; LinkedIn Talent Solutions; CareerBuilder claim | May 2013; December 2011; none | No original found for the CareerBuilder claim |
Source: Zety, Gen Z Career Trends Report
- Year
- 2025
- Sample or note
- 896 US Gen Z employees
Source: Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use
- Year
- 2024
- Sample or note
- US adults
Source: Glassdoor, Mission and Culture Survey
- Year
- 2019
- Sample or note
- 5,000+ adults in four countries
Source: CareerArc, Future of Recruiting Study
- Year
- 2021
- Sample or note
- 1,000+ job seekers and HR professionals
Source: iCIMS, Class of 2023 Report
- Year
- 2023
- Sample or note
- Graduating college seniors
Source: SHRM, Benchmarking Report
- Year
- 2025
- Sample or note
- Hiring cost and time to fill
Source: The Muse, shift shock survey
- Year
- 2022
- Sample or note
- 2,500+ respondents
Source: Phillips, Effects of realistic job previews, Academy of Management Journal
- Year
- 1998
- Sample or note
- Meta-analysis of 40 studies
Source: Edelman Trust Barometer; Gartner HR poll
- Year
- 2023 and 2024; 2020
- Sample or note
- Trust survey; 334 HR leaders
Source: LinkedIn Future of Recruiting; LinkedIn video announcements
- Year
- 2025; 2024
- Sample or note
- Report; platform data
Source: Wistia, State of Video Report; Facebook caption tests
- Year
- 2025; 2016
- Sample or note
- 14 million videos; internal tests
Source: Myth tracing: ERE; LinkedIn Talent Solutions; CareerBuilder claim
- Year
- May 2013; December 2011; none
- Sample or note
- No original found for the CareerBuilder claim
Where Cutroom fits
The evidence points to one kind of video: a real employee, talking about the real job, short and captioned.
- The employee films one clip on a phone, up to 3 minutes long.
- Film one real working day rather than a culture film. It is quicker to make, and it is what candidates say they want to see.
- Cutroom adds a hook, b-roll over the words that describe the work, and captions for feeds that play muted.
- You get a 9:16 MP4 back in about a minute, and you change it by editing the words.
- It only takes clips up to 3 minutes, only exports 9:16 video, and makes no promise about how many applications you will get.
Cutroom prices
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Your first video | Free. 600 credits, no card, 7 days, with a Cutroom mark |
| Editing one clip | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per finished minute |
| One 30-second video | About 110 credits |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, no mark |
What: Your first video
- Cost
- Free. 600 credits, no card, 7 days, with a Cutroom mark
What: Editing one clip
- Cost
- 100 credits
What: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per finished minute
What: One 30-second video
- Cost
- About 110 credits
What: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, no mark
Questions people ask
- Do job posts with video really get 34% more applications?
- Nobody can show the study. It is credited to CareerBuilder on hundreds of pages, always without a date, sample or link. Traceable evidence instead: realistic job previews reduce turnover (Academy of Management Journal, 1998), and 46% of Gen Z landed work through TikTok (Zety, 2025).
- Which recruitment video statistics are reliable?
- The ones with a named source, a year and a sample size: Zety's 2025 survey of 896 Gen Z workers, Pew Research Center 2024, Glassdoor's 2019 survey of 5,000+ adults, The Muse's 2022 survey and the 1998 Phillips meta-analysis.
- Who should present a recruitment video, the CEO or an employee?
- The employee doing the job. Edelman found a company's own technical experts about 22 points more credible than the CEO (2024), so a weekly clip from someone on the team does more than a polished CEO film.
- How long should a recruitment video be?
- Under a minute. Videos that short average 50% engagement, the best band across Wistia's 14 million videos (2025). Add captions: they gave about 12% more view time in muted feeds (Facebook, 2016).
- Why do honest job previews matter?
- Because 72% of new hires say the job was not as advertised (The Muse, 2022), about a fifth would quit within a month, and a non-executive hire costs $5,475 (SHRM, 2025). Realistic previews lower voluntary turnover (Phillips, 1998).
- What does a recruitment video cost with Cutroom?
- About 110 credits per finished 30-second video: 100 to edit plus 20 per finished minute to export. Your first video is free: 600 credits, no card, 7 days. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, and you cancel in one click.
Candidates check you on video before they apply, and your own team is the most credible voice. Your first video is free.