Recruitment in 2025 is anything but simple. The pool of available talent is shrinking, competition for skilled people is tougher than ever, and budgets remain tight.
Yet the pressure hasn’t eased. You’re still expected to fill roles faster, find the ideal candidate, and keep costs down. Sound familiar? You’re not the only one. Hiring managers across the world tell us the same thing: “We’re being asked to do more with less.”
So, what can you do when vacancies keep piling up but the budget refuses to budge? The answer isn’t to spend more — it’s to spend smarter.
In this piece, we’ll look at what truly makes a difference in today’s hiring landscape and share practical, proven steps every recruiter can apply straight away.
As a global job aggregator operating across 66 countries and sourcing data from more than 140,000 platforms, Jooble has a front-row view of what recruiters across Europe are up against.
In France, for example, hiring activity surged in recent years — fuelled by pent-up demand after the pandemic. But 2025 is telling a different story. According to France Travail, hiring intentions now stand at around 2.4 million, a drop of 12.5% compared with 2024. The decline reflects a cooling market as that post-pandemic demand fades and uncertainty grows around the wider economic and political outlook.
Across France, around half of all recruitment projects are now considered “hard to fill.” At the same time, economic uncertainty means finance teams are examining every euro of spend.
The traditional approach — posting a vacancy and waiting for applicants — simply isn’t cutting it anymore. Job seekers browse listings the way they scroll social media: fast, distracted and surrounded by other options. You’ve got between three and ten seconds to catch their eye. That’s your moment — use it well.
Here’s the reality: it’s not that candidates aren’t interested in your company — they simply don’t understand what’s in it for them.
At Jooble, we’ve studied how millions of job seekers behave — and the pattern couldn’t be clearer. Candidates want quick, straightforward answers to a few key questions:
If those details aren’t easy to find within seconds, most job seekers simply move on.
Read also: How Jooble Increased Email Clicks by 20%
Jooble can make sure your listings reach the right audience. We source roles from more than 140,000 platforms across 66 countries, connecting you with qualified candidates worldwide. But reach alone isn’t enough — if your advert is vague or unclear, even the best placement won’t make it work.
To prove the point, we tested smart tags that highlight key details — such as contract type, salary range and remote options — directly in search results. In France, this simple change led to a 7% rise in conversions and a 3% lift in clicks.
All we did was answer candidates’ questions upfront, so they didn’t have to dig for the information themselves.
It’s time to face a topic many employers still find awkward — salary transparency. A surprising number of companies continue to leave pay details out of their job adverts, but Jooble’s data tells a clear story: listings that include salary information attract 31% more clicks. Leave it out, and you risk losing both trust and traffic.
And change is on the horizon. From 2026, the EU Pay Transparency Directive will make it compulsory for employers to include salary ranges in job postings. Those already embracing transparency are not only seeing stronger engagement today — they’ll also be better prepared when the new rules take effect.
One of our clients once advertised a role titled “Digital Rockstar.” Creative, yes — but completely ineffective. Hardly anyone searches for “rockstar” when job-hunting; they’re typing “Digital Marketing Manager” into Google.
After swapping the title for something candidates actually search for, their click-through rate rose by 26%. Sometimes, the smallest tweak makes the biggest impact.
Simple rule: keep your job titles clear, searchable, and under 50 characters. The goal isn’t to be clever — it’s to be found.
Most people start looking for a new role the same way they search for anything online — by typing a job title into Google or a job site. More than 70% of job seekers use straightforward titles like “Marketing Manager,” “Software Engineer,” or “Data Analyst.” Fewer than 5% search using creative labels such as “guru,” “ninja,” or “rockstar.”
That’s because job platforms and search engines depend on keyword relevance and semantic matching to show results. When an employer posts a vacancy for a “Digital Rockstar,” algorithms can’t easily connect it with candidates searching for “Digital Marketing Manager.”
Read also: The Secret to Job Ads That Candidates Actually Click: A Recruiter’s Guide
Search engines treat job titles and descriptions much like they do any other web page. If your advert doesn’t contain the same words job seekers are typing into the search bar, it simply won’t appear.
Using the right keywords isn’t about sounding dull — it’s about being found. Relevant phrasing helps your listing rank higher on job boards and in Google for Jobs.
Including recognised industry terms such as “SEO,” “PPC,” or “CRM” can lift your advert’s visibility by as much as 35–40%.
Recruitment marketing is moving firmly towards performance-based models — where you pay only for real outcomes: clicks, completed applications, and measurable results.
The advantages are clear:
It’s recruitment spending that finally works as hard as you do.
Every extra step in an application process is another chance to lose a good candidate.
We’ve all seen it happen: someone clicks Apply, gets redirected to another website, hits a login page — and decides it’s not worth the effort.
That’s why Jooble introduced Apply on Jooble — a streamlined process that cuts friction, boosts completion rates and drives stronger conversions for recruiters and agencies. Candidates can apply directly within Jooble, with no redirects or unnecessary clicks.
For recruiters, applications arrive instantly — either by email or straight into their ATS — neatly formatted and ready to review.
This approach has been particularly valuable for clients who need organised, consistent application data. It guarantees a standardised format and high-quality information, helping teams make quicker, better-informed hiring decisions.
To help you stay on budget, here’s a quick summary of the key strategies we covered earlier — practical steps you can start applying straight away.
Here’s what to focus on if you want to attract candidates without overspending:
Recruitment doesn’t need to be a guessing game. At Jooble, we blend broad reach with real-time intelligence, giving you the data you need to make confident decisions.
Whether you’re filling a single vacancy or expanding an entire team, Jooble helps you stay in control — of your results, your candidates, and your budget.
Ready to See It in Action?
📩 Get in touch: sales.teamwork@jooble.team
With Jooble, recruitment becomes measurable, transparent and efficient. We combine wide reach with real-time insights to help you attract the right talent, optimise your campaigns, and stay firmly in control of both your hiring results and your budget.
