Recruitment Marketing in 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Attracting Top Talent.

Table of Contents

1. Start with the basics: define the ideal candidate profile
2. Your own career page / job offers page
3. Properly written job offers
4. Choosing portals, publishing ads, and XML integration – automate what you can
5. Paid recruitment campaigns – which source to choose?
6. Social Media – build your visibility
7. Social Media Groups – underrated, but can be effective
8. Using the candidate database – a proven source of candidates
9. Online image – candidates check you out before applying
10. Valuable information for candidates – give something before you ask for a CV
11. AI in recruitment marketing
12. Do you want to act effectively?

What are the ways to effectively source a valuable candidate? This is one of those questions that every person actively looking for employees would like to have an answer to. There are many ways to source candidates, which, depending on the profile of the recruitment being conducted, can be more or less effective and – equally important – more or less costly. How can you go beyond standard ad publishing, and what really is HR marketing in recruitment?

Start with the basics: define the ideal candidate profile

Before you spend your first dollar on advertising or prepare a job ad, ask yourself: Who are we looking for? It is also crucial to distinguish whether you are looking for a blue-collar employee (e.g., operator, warehouse worker, assembler) or a white-collar one (e.g., specialist, engineer, manager). Depending on this, the communication method, the language of the ads, the choice of advertising channels, and the entire campaign style change dramatically. What works for one group may be completely ineffective for the other.

In 2025, effective recruitment campaigns are based on more than just the basic distinction between manual and office workers. Within each of these groups, the following are also important:

• The professional and life goals of the candidates,
• Motivations for changing jobs,
• The places where employees want to work (from cities to specific countries – each country has its own specifics). The better you define the candidate profile, the more accurate and effective your marketing efforts will be.

Your own career page / job offers page

It’s a fact – in 2025, candidates first check out the company and then apply. Or they mass-apply to job offers, as is the case for lower-level positions or when going abroad for work, but they will check you out at the selection stage anyway. That’s why your career page has to make the right impression.

A well-designed career page should:

• Show real photos and the work atmosphere,
• Contain specific information about the recruitment process, its stages, and duration,
• Have answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ),
• Enable quick application (also from a phone),
• Build trust – through case studies and testimonials from current employees. Remember to write the content on the page in a language adapted to the profile of the candidate you are looking for. The more details, the greater the chances of finding a professional!

Pro tip: Implementing analytical tools (e.g., GA4, HotJar) will allow you to analyze where candidates leave the page and what is worth improving.

Properly written job offers

Here’s a basic issue, probably raised by everyone – state the salary you offer. Lack of this information can be a waste of time not only for the candidate but also for you or your recruiters! Too many ads sound like they were copied from a template: “dynamic team,” “friendly atmosphere,” “opportunity for growth,” “fruit Thursdays” are already clichés. Candidates are tired of empty phrases – at best, they ignore them; at worst, they are annoyed and may be discouraged from applying to such an offer. Unfortunately, you will never know if such a candidate was considering working for you or not. Instead:

• Use simple and specific language,
• Show what makes your offer stand out – real benefits, flexibility, company culture, even if it’s not for everyone,
• Give up on 15 requirements – focus on 3-5 key ones,
• Change the order – people usually go to what the company offers, then to the responsibilities, and finally to the requirements. Maybe it’s worth breaking the mold and publishing an offer with this structure? 🙂
• Optimize your ads for SEO – candidates search for jobs just like they search for products. This is especially true for ongoing recruitment in large companies or recruitment agencies.

Choosing portals, publishing ads, and XML integration – automate what you can

Despite the emergence of many alternative recruitment channels, choosing the right portal to publish an ad is still an important part of the strategy. You have to be aware that the portal market is volatile – what works over a few months doesn’t mean it will work for the next six. You can easily name portals that were once pillars in terms of the number and quality of candidates and are now absent from the market or operate on a much smaller scale: Goldenline.pl, Gratka.pl, or Monster.

For blue-collar candidates, the following will be effective:

• Nationwide portals with high traffic – especially for mass recruitment and offers without language requirements.
• Specialized portals – focused on recruiting people from specific industries or for specific countries, e.g., only for welders, work in Germany, or the Netherlands.
• Job aggregators – job boards focused on collecting as many offers as possible, often combined with paid campaigns. A kind of Google for job seekers. Examples of such portals are Jooble.pl or Indeed.pl.

For white-collar candidates, it’s worth focusing on:

• Pracuj.pl – still the market leader among specialists and managers.
• JustJoin.IT, NoFluffJobs, RocketJobs – for recruitment in the IT and digital industry.
• Other specialized portals, e.g., for sales representatives.

Publishing ads – do it once, and do it right

Every ad should be prepared with a specific candidate persona in mind. Avoid copying the same text to all portals – algorithms promote unique content. Adapt the title and content of the ad to the specific portal – a different language will work on different portals. Besides, portals have their own requirements for what can be in the titles and content of ads. Pay attention to this!

XML – automation that saves time and nerves

XML integration is a particularly important feature for mass recruitment, running many processes in parallel, or needing to react instantly to employee turnover.

• Ads are published automatically on many portals at once – they can come from your website or ATS system, for example.
• You don’t have to make changes manually – updates happen in real-time (usually every few hours).

You will probably need a developer’s help to create an XML file, but it is a one-time task. XML-based actions can save a lot of time.

Paid recruitment campaigns – which source to choose?

Paid promotion of job offers is an absolute standard today – especially if you want to quickly reach specific candidates and stand out in a crowd of similar ads. But the effectiveness of a campaign largely depends on where and to whom you direct it.

You plan actions differently for blue-collar candidates than for white-collar ones. They differ not only in their professional profile but also in their internet usage, device type, habits, and the language they respond to. From our experience, for blue-collar candidates, the best are:

• Facebook Ads – campaigns focused on direct candidate acquisition. Blue-collar candidates most often apply to many companies at once, so their decision-making path is quite short. Ads in the form of graphics or videos, and a simple application path (e.g., a Messenger form or your own Landing Page) work well.
• Google Ads (Search and Performance MAX) – for people actively typing phrases like “warehouse job Poznań,” “welder Germany,” or “car mechanic in the Netherlands.” The ad is generally more expensive than on Facebook Ads, but we reach candidates who are directly interested at that moment.
• TikTok Ads – short, dynamic video formats showing the company “behind the scenes,” accommodation, the team—this works especially well for younger target groups. Lower conversion for candidate acquisition, but a source worth observing and implementing, for example, for branding purposes.

For white-collar candidates, the recommended channels are:

• LinkedIn Ads – precise targeting by position, industry, companies, location; great for specialist and managerial roles.
• Google Ads (Search) – intent-based campaigns, e.g., “frontend developer job Warsaw.”
• Social media remarketing – targeting ads to people who have visited your career page or viewed offers but did not apply. This mainly applies to ads in the Facebook Ads system (Facebook, Instagram).

Regardless of the chosen channel, the key elements are:

• Content personalization – different graphics and messages for different target audiences.
• A quick application path – a maximally simplified form, without unnecessary steps. Especially due to the significant increase in mobile devices.
• Testing and optimization – analyze which ad versions convert best and modify the campaign on the fly.

Social Media – build your visibility

Social media, although we are dealing with an organic decline in reach and the number of reactions, is still one of the most important channels of communication with candidates. Over time, their role has changed – currently, organic, i.e., free, activities are not aimed at acquiring new candidates (although this is also an indirect goal), but at building the candidate’s trust in the company. This is especially important for employment agencies.

Depending on the industry, profession, and above all, the target group, how and where you conduct your activities is important.

Facebook – you’ll find blue-collar workers here

If you are recruiting manual workers with many years of experience, bet on Facebook – that’s where you will find candidates who respond to short messages, educational content about a given profession or workplace, and a simple application path. Instagram, contrary to popular belief, does not currently achieve spectacular results in recruitment activities for this target group.

LinkedIn – connect with white-collar specialists

For white-collar candidates, LinkedIn or Instagram will be more effective, where it is worth publishing expert content, showing the organizational culture, and sharing statements from company leaders.

Interestingly, LinkedIn, especially in Western European countries, is also gaining increasing popularity among blue-collar workers.

What’s best to publish?

Regardless of the target group, your profiles should be active, authentic, and above all, useful. Publish:

• Ads with an attractive CTA and graphics – preferably not from the internet, but a real photo or video from your company,
• Behind-the-scenes of work and onboarding of new people,
• Video showcases of departments or positions,
• Real opinions and statements from employees.

Remember: a candidate doesn’t have to click “Apply” right away. If you start building a relationship with them earlier, they will choose your company when they are ready for a change.

Social Media Groups – underrated, but can be effective

Thematic groups on Facebook can be (but don’t have to be) an effective tool for acquiring candidates—as long as you use them wisely.

For blue-collar candidates, local groups, related to a specific profession or workplace (e.g., “Work Germany – no language,” “Warehouse workers Warsaw and surroundings”), where users often look for “here and now” offers, work perfectly. The key here is the simplicity of the message, attractive graphics, and clear information on how to apply – preferably in the form of a short post with a link or phone number.

Before you decide to add offers to Facebook groups, do thorough research on the groups where the people you want as your candidates are most likely to be. If you can’t find suitable ones, just give up – it’s not worth wasting time on unnecessary activities!

Presence in groups requires regularity and authenticity. The more active you are as a brand (or recruiter), the greater the trust and the better the reception of your offers.

Using your candidate database – a proven source of candidates

In a time when advertising costs, and thus the cost of acquiring a candidate, are rising, your own candidate database becomes one of the most valuable assets of the HR department. Instead of starting every recruitment from scratch, it is worth reaching out to people who have previously expressed interest in working for your company. Also because, for some of these people, you have already verified their skills and predispositions.

You can carry out many activities with such a database:

• Mailings with new job offers – segmented by position, location, or preference.
• SMS campaigns – fast and effective for urgent recruitments, especially in the blue-collar sector. Try to segment the audience to reach only those interested in working in a specific profession or country. Otherwise, you may be unnecessarily burning your budget.
• Remarketing on social media and Google – targeted only to people who have visited the career page, job offers page, or filled out a form.

However, it is extremely important to ensure that you have the appropriate GDPR consents before starting marketing activities – both for processing data for recruitment purposes and for marketing purposes (if you plan to send job offers via email, for example). It is worth ensuring the proper content of checkboxes and clear data processing rules at the application stage.

A well-managed candidate database not only saves time and budget but also provides an opportunity to build lasting relationships with candidates who may join your team today or in six months.

Online image – candidates check you out before applying

Regardless of whether you are recruiting for manual positions or looking for IT specialists, engineers, or managers – one thing is certain: candidates check your company on the internet. And often, what they find determines whether they click the “Apply” button at all.

For blue-collar candidates, the key factors are: employer reviews (e.g., on GoWork), clear information about employment conditions, solvency, and atmosphere. Here it is worth ensuring visibility on Google, consistent communication on social media, and timely responses to comments – including critical ones.

On the other hand, white-collar professionals expect more – an authentic insight into the organizational culture, process transparency, statements from leaders, or presence in industry media. A well-designed LinkedIn profile, publications by company experts, published podcasts, or online events are concrete signals: “This is a great place to work.”

It is worth taking care of:

• Reviews and recommendations – both on job portals and on Google or LinkedIn. Create a process for collecting opinions and feedback from employees! Satisfied employees are the best advertisement for starting to work for you.
• A consistent employer brand message – on the career page, in social media, and in ads, follow the same slogans and convey the same information.
• Online activity – expert posts, comments, webinars, and showing the company’s work from the inside.
• Responding to comments – a quick, professional, and specific response builds trust. Don’t be afraid to admit a mistake, but also be tough in fighting unjustified hate.

Your online image is not an addition to recruitment – it precedes it. Therefore, even the best ad won’t help if a candidate, after typing in the company name, finds chaos, mostly negative opinions, or… nothing. The effectiveness of your recruitment depends on how you look online.

Valuable information for candidates – give something before you ask for a CV

Recruitment today is not just about “selling an ad,” but above all about building relationships and trust. Candidates – both from technical and office industries – are increasingly looking for information about the company, work culture, and recruitment process even before they decide to apply. And it is the content you publish that can determine their decision.

For blue-collar candidates, the following will work well:

• Short videos showing accommodation, the workplace, the team.
• Guide-style articles, e.g., “What to take with you when going to work in Germany?”, “Traffic fines in the Netherlands,” or “Where is the best place to shop in Iceland?”.
• An FAQ on the career page – in clear language, without corporate jargon. A simple and clear answer to the questions candidates ask.

For white-collar candidates, it is worth preparing:

• Videos presenting teams, the office, work tools, and collaboration methods.
• Expert blog articles: about the role of a given position, projects carried out in the company, the tools the team uses.
• Webinars with leaders or current employees – especially effective for recruitment in IT, finance, or marketing.
• Case studies – “What does the onboarding process look like?”, “What challenges do we work on?”, “How did we help client X?” What’s important—you don’t have to create an extensive blog or YouTube channel right away. Regularity and consistency are enough. You can publish good content on:
• The career page,
• The company’s social media,
• Mailings to candidates from the database,
• Industry or job groups. What you publish today as helpful information may attract a great employee tomorrow. Educate, show behind-the-scenes work, respond to the real needs of candidates.

AI in recruitment marketing

The year 2025 is the moment when artificial intelligence has ceased to be a novelty and has become a daily tool in recruitment marketing. Well-implemented AI solutions help not only to save time and budget, but above all to more accurately reach the right candidates – in both blue– and white-collar recruitment.

Where exactly does AI make a difference?

• Creating ad content – AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Copy.ai) can help generate initial versions of ads, tailored to different positions and target groups. This is particularly useful for a large number of recruitments.
• Analyzing candidate data – AI in ATS systems allows for quick segmentation of the candidate database, assessment of application quality, and automatic matching of candidates to current offers. Combining AI with automation also helps to reach, for example, candidates who applied to us for an offer a year ago and meet the requirements for a current recruitment. Such a candidate can then receive an email / SMS message with a job proposal.
• Recruitment chatbots – available on the career page or Messenger, they can answer candidates’ questions 24/7, pre-qualify them, and reduce contact time to a minimum. Artificial intelligence does not replace a recruiter or marketer, but it gives them an advantage that cannot be ignored. It automates tedious tasks, analyzes data faster than a human, and allows for scaling of marketing activities – its careful supervision is important so that the entire process runs without a loss of quality.

Want to be effective?

Recruitment marketing in 2025 is no longer a single ad or a random sponsored campaign – it’s a well-thought-out strategy where every element matters: from the language of the offer, through the choice of channels, to the quality of the creative and the response time to a candidate’s question. It is also a way of thinking about recruitment as a process that requires the involvement not only of the HR department but also of marketing, managers, and the entire organization.

If you want to effectively attract valuable candidates, you must learn to think like a marketer and act like an experienced recruiter – combining data, technology, and human relationships into one coherent process. Candidates, regardless of whether we are talking about a CNC operator or a Project Manager, expect specifics, authenticity, and clear communication today. Such an effect cannot be achieved without a clear action plan.

The good news? You don’t have to do everything at once. Just start by organizing your career page, optimizing your ads, or testing your first campaign. And if you want to speed up the whole process and have a partner by your side to guide you through this world – OMG is here to help.