Private sector

How to get job ads seen by top candidates in 2025

Hiring today is about visibility and impact. It’s not enough to post a job, your message needs to reach the right people, at the right time, in the right places.

The average human attention span is just 8 seconds, shorter than a goldfish. That’s the window you have to make your job ad count.

Attention is the currency. And traditional job ads are losing value fast. That’s why high-performing talent teams are shifting how they think. Recruitment is no longer about simply broadcasting jobs. It’s about capturing attention, building engagement, and earning interest before a candidate ever clicks ‘apply’.

And if you’re wondering how to get job ads seen by top candidates, the solution is not more spend on the firehose methods. It’s a better strategy.

Why most job ads go unseen and how to fix it

The noisy digital landscape is working against you. Why? The average person sees over 6,000 ads per day. That includes your candidates. And if your job ad is bland, buried on a board, or stuck in a format that hasn’t changed since 2013, it won’t be seen. Or worse, it will be ignored.

Your roles are competing with Netflix, social feeds, influencer content, and hundreds of other companies trying to hire the same people.

To win attention, your recruitment campaigns need to cut through. That means:

  • Strong visual creative
  • Clear, benefit-led messaging
  • Personalised targeting
  • Right place, right time delivery

And crucially, it requires consistency. Candidates may not apply the first time they see your ad. But familiarity builds trust, and trust drives action.

Why AI job ad targeting and timing outperform traditional methods

Posting a job isn’t enough. It’s about when and where your audience sees it, and how relevant it feels in that moment.

As many as 70% of the workforce are passive candidates. That means they aren’t actively looking for a new job and therefore most likely aren’t checking job boards daily, but they’re probably open to better opportunities.

To reach them, you need AI-powered job ad targeting that focuses on behaviour, context, and timing. This is how the smartest teams attract high-quality candidates before the competition even knows they’re looking. It’s not about volume. It’s about visibility, precision and relevance.

The content of your ad is just as important as the targeting

If your ad reads like every other job description - full of corporate jargon, bullet points and generic benefits - it’s not going to convert. People want to see themselves in your ad. They want clarity, authenticity and a reason to care.

The most effective recruitment ads:

  • Speak like humans, not HR teams
  • Lead with what matters to the candidate
  • Include creative that reflects the brand and role
  • Tell a story in seconds

Multichannel means more attention, more often

Your ideal candidates don’t live in one place online. They scroll Instagram, browse Reddit, watch YouTube, and search on Google, often in the same hour.

If your recruitment strategy only covers job boards or one paid social channel, you’re invisible most of the time.

Why multichannel campaigns work:

  • Reach candidates in the flow of their day
  • Reinforce your message with repetition
  • Give your brand visibility across touchpoints

Companies that use multichannel recruitment marketing see significantly higher applicant engagement and better quality-of-hire outcomes. And it’s not just about quantity. It’s about reach, relevance, and recall. Being present across platforms means you stay front of mind.

How to make your job ads stand out and convert

·     Start with a clear value proposition - tell candidates what’s in it for them, fast

·     Use short-form copy with visual punch -attention spans are short

·     Prioritise creative - your visuals are what get people to stop scrolling

·     Optimise for mobile - over 70% of applications now happen on mobile

·     Test and iterate - small changes in CTA, image or copy can make a big difference

·     Layer in retargeting - people rarely apply the first time they see a job

·     Use an AI-powered recruitment marketing platform to automate campaign setup and targeting

·     Optimise job ad performance across social, search, and programmatic  

Most importantly, be consistent. Attention is cumulative. Every impression, click, and scroll builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. And trust builds response.

Rethink your approach, not your budget

Modern talent teams think like marketers. They focus on:

  • Retargeting and remarketing
  • Funnel-based thinking (awareness, engagement, conversion)
  • Brand building over time, not just one-off campaigns
  • Continuous testing and optimisation

To do this at scale, they’re turning to platforms that automate creative, media buying, and optimisation. Many are already beginning to apply programmatic and AI-powered recruitment strategies, so don’t be left behind.

With Gaia, it’s all built in

With Gaia, your campaigns are designed to attract attention from the right people across every channel that matters.

That includes:

  • Paid social (all the networks, including Meta, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn)
  • Google Display Network and search
  • Programmatic advertising
  • Cookie-free AI-powered retargeting

All optimised in real time, using over 100 million data points to drive better cost per hire and faster results.

And because Gaia campaigns include smart creative, multichannel distribution and built-in insights, you get more attention, better candidates, and less hassle. See how GaiaAttract compares to traditional job advertising to understand the difference strategy and targeting can make.

Plus, you don’t need to manage multiple platforms. Gaia simplifies campaign management so you can focus on outcomes.

Make every campaign count

You can’t attract great people if they never see your brand.

Want to improve your cost per hire, boost employer brand visibility, and get your job ads seen by high-quality candidates? Book a free strategy session to see how Gaia helps you get your roles in front of top candidates – faster, smarter and with less waste.

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