In the 2025 job market, standing out is more important and challenging than ever. Canva, the world’s only complete visual communication platform, has released the second edition of its annual report New Year, New Job (“New Year, New Job” in Portuguese), offering a comprehensive look at how artificial intelligence, social media, and accessible design tools are impacting the hiring process. The verdict? Those who embrace growing visual media tools and build a strong professional brand are more likely to stand out.
In Brazil, a country that leads in using social media to advance careers and search for jobs, 91% of candidates have posted about their professional journeys to establish themselves as industry experts, surpassing the global average (87%). Additionally, 91% use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to look for job opportunities, also above the global average (80%), reflecting a trend driven by Generation Z professionals.
Canva’s report also shows that more than half (53%) of candidates in Brazil use social media to promote their current jobs, while 54% actively discuss business trends. This puts Brazilian professionals ahead in creating career-related content compared to other surveyed countries. Reflecting this behavior, 91% of hiring managers in the country review candidates’ social media profiles at least occasionally, while 64% do so most of the time. It’s also noteworthy that 83% of Brazilian hiring managers check LinkedIn profiles, highlighting the crucial role of this social network in candidate evaluation.
In just one year, from 2023 to 2024, Brazilians created over 300 million presentations on Canva, with Instagram Stories being the most used product, surpassing 319 million uses. Brazil is also among the top three countries in using Canva’s documents, presentations, videos, and websites.
These candidates put their skills into action, including using AI for interactive resumes and portfolios, which has caught the attention of hiring managers. In Brazil, 62% of candidates used AI to update their resumes, well above other countries (41% in Spain, 50% in France, 54% in Germany, and 49% in Mexico).
Globally, where 68% of hiring managers review candidates’ social media profiles most of the time, candidates are now leveraging this to their advantage. In Brazil, 65% of candidates and 54% of hiring managers strongly agree that a digital professional brand influences the hiring process.
“While online application processes can sometimes feel like a maze with no exit, embracing visual media and tools like AI represents a new opportunity, allowing people to showcase their skills in non-traditional ways. Increasingly, these tools become allies that help improve job searches, receive more interview invitations, and make applications stand out,” said Lorraine Dooley, Talent Acquisition Lead at Canva.
Over 390 million resume designs were published with Canva in 2024 as professionals worldwide seek to add more creativity to their job applications. The New Year, New Job report by Canva, conducted with 4,200 hiring managers and 6,000 job candidates, shows how creativity trends impact millions of people currently in the job market. The survey was conducted by Sago in Brazil, the US, UK, Australia, India, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico, and Japan.
AI is here to stay—for job seekers and employers
AI has found its place in job searches, and its users have good reason to feel confident: in Brazil, 98% of candidates who used AI to optimize their applications received interview invitations, with 48% of this group receiving them for all positions they applied for. Beyond content creation, AI is also adding speed and inspiration throughout the hiring process, as 57% of job candidates worldwide used AI to create their resumes—a 12% increase from last year. On Canva, Magic Text was used 13.7 million times in resume designs in 2024.
In Brazil, 77% of hiring managers believe candidates should disclose the use of generative AI in application materials, highlighting the country’s strong commitment to transparency.
Globally, AI is used by 38% of job candidates to search for positions, 37% to find visuals for resumes, and 37% to prepare for interviews and research companies. Among hiring managers, 90% use AI in some part of the hiring process, 37% to summarize resumes, and 35% to draft job descriptions.
From ‘bland’ to brilliant: hiring managers want colorful, interactive applications
In a workforce driven by virtual interactions and a visually-oriented Generation Z, job application rules are following the same trend: 65% of hiring managers prefer resumes with interactive features, a 10% increase from 2023. In Brazil, this percentage is similar (64%), indicating a strong shift toward more dynamic application materials.
All surveyed hiring managers who are ‘very satisfied’ with the resumes they see describe them as modern (55%) and interesting (47%), while 62% prefer color over black and white. Additionally, 72% of these recruiters prefer candidates who present a portfolio showcasing their work (via a website or presentation), but only 35% of job candidates use these materials, suggesting many may be missing an opportunity to stand out. Furthermore, 50% of hiring managers favor video cover letters.
The emphasis on creating attractive materials seems to increase when starting a new role, as 68% of job candidates in Brazil consider design skills very important for standing out.
Onboarding takes new shape in the AI era
As AI continues to transform the workplace, HR teams and hiring managers are finding ways to streamline the onboarding process, while new hires use it to make a strong first impression. In Brazil, 92% of hiring managers believe AI facilitates onboarding, and the same percentage (compared to 91% globally) agrees that visual materials enhance this experience. Additionally, 84% (above the global average of 77%) use AI to create visual materials that aid in onboarding new hires.
Canva’s Visual Creation Kit simplifies achieving creative and professional goals for 220 million people worldwide with AI technology. With thousands of resume templates, cover letters, social media posts, and portfolios, a visual documents product, and generative AI tools like Magic Text and Magic Edit, hundreds of millions of people turned to Canva last year to polish their job applications.
To help job candidates kickstart their career goals, Canva has curated essential resources for candidates in one place on the New Year, New Job page. For more information and to explore these resources, visit canva.me/new-year-new-job-2025.
