The most qualified marketing candidates already know how to spot a bad ad. They scroll past headlines that don’t resonate, tune out vague language, and ghost messages that feel robotic. And when your job post reads like a corporate compliance document instead of an invitation to do meaningful work, they won’t even click.

More than 80% of job seekers check company reviews and ratings before applying, according to Glassdoor. And it’s not just about perks: Edelman’s Trust Barometer found that nearly 6 in 10 employees choose where to work based on shared values. These aren’t surface-level preferences; they signal a deeper shift in expectations. Candidates want a reason to believe, not just a list of requirements.

The shift is clear: Candidates now behave like consumers. They compare, research, and screen opportunities with the same discernment they apply to products. That makes your job post more than just a filter. It’s a first impression, a trust signal, and, if done well, a conversion tool.

It’s time to start treating your recruitment process like a campaign. The tactics marketers use to capture attention, communicate value, and compel action are the same tactics that now determine whether you attract the right people or lose them to someone else.

1. START WITH SEGMENTATION, NOT GENERIC MESSAGING

Too many job ads aim for the widest possible audience and miss the best-fit candidates in the process. Effective marketers learned this lesson long ago: The more precisely you define your audience, the more persuasive your message becomes.

Segment your recruitment messaging by level, background, industry fluency, or even likely motivators. Speak differently to a mid-level paid media strategist than to a head of brand. When you identify what specific candidates care about—their career arc, their need for impact, their desire to work with modern tech stacks—you can write job ads that feel like they were written for one person, not one hundred.

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