In high-volume hiring, the default strategy is often “more.” More reach, more job boards, more visibility. But at Jooble, where we analyze real-time labor market trends across 66 countries, we see a different reality. More volume often creates more noise.
To build a hiring strategy that holds up year-round, we analyzed our global data from the most recent high-volume peak: Summer 2025. We look back at it now because the summer surge serves as the ultimate “stress test” for recruitment funnels. It is a period defined by high volatility: vacations, seasonal spikes, and shifting candidate behavior. If your funnel leaks during these high-pressure months, those inefficiencies are likely costing you budget year-round.
Here is what the data taught us about balancing scale and quality, and how to apply these lessons to maintain your cost per applicant within a fixed range today.
1. The Funnel Reality: Visibility Does Not Equal Intent
When we look at the global hiring funnel, the drop-off rates from “Impression” to “Application” can be aggressive. While the top of the funnel (Impressions) often shows massive engagement, the transition to the bottom of the funnel (Applications) narrows significantly.
Our data shows that simply increasing the budget to buy more impressions yields diminishing returns if the conversion flow isn’t optimized.
The Visibility Trap: A job posting can generate tons of views, but the critical balance lies in the “Click-to-Apply” flow. Make it too easy (e.g., just a name and phone number with no pre-qualifiers), and we risk wasting budget on low-intent applicants. Make it too complex (e.g., lengthy forms, multiple steps, technical errors), and we’ll see high drop-off rates, losing genuinely interested candidates who simply abandon the process. Our data consistently shows that overly burdensome application flows significantly reduce the number of quality applications.
The key is optimized friction. This is why Apply on Jooble model is so effective: we offer a streamlined feedback loop directly on our site, preventing candidate loss from redirects or technical hurdles. We can customize application fields and integrate pre-qualification questions to provide better quality candidates, while still keeping the process simple enough to deliver a higher volume of relevant resumes.
The Goal: To fit a fixed CPA, the focus must shift from “maximum eyeballs” to “maximum intent.”
2. Geography is Strategy
Not all traffic is created equal. When we stress-tested country-specific funnels, we found massive discrepancies between Visibility and Actual Candidate Action.
We compared two of our largest European markets and found a striking inverse relationship:
Market A: Generated nearly 3x more impressions (visibility) than Market B. However, the volume of actual applications was lower relative to that traffic.
Market B: Despite having significantly less traffic at the top of the funnel, this market generated a higher total volume of applications.
What this means for your strategy:
In markets like A: You are dealing with high volume but lower intent. This indicates that a broader reach is necessary, you may need significantly more impressions to secure the same number of candidates that convert in a high-efficiency market. If you are entering a new market like this, plan your budget for broader top-of-funnel engagement.
In markets like B: The audience is smaller but highly motivated. The conversion efficiency is naturally higher, making it easier to maintain the cost per applicant within the fixed range without needing massive impression numbers.
The common assumption is that summer hiring is purely about temporary staffing. While our data confirmed strong seasonal peaks, it also busted the myth that “white-collar” hiring pauses for holidays. This is a critical insight for annual planning: talent demand is more consistent than we think.
The “Always-On” Roles
Across the UK, Germany, France, and Poland, three categories dominated the charts regardless of borders:
Production: Production operatives (Produktionsmitarbeiter).
Maintenance: Maintenance engineers (Technicien de maintenance) were the #1 most frequent role in France and top-tier in the UK.
The Surprises
Finance Never Sleeps: In both France and Germany, roles like Accounting Assistant (Collaborateur comptable) and Financial accountant (Finanzbuchhalter) ranked in the Top 5 most popular job roles. Companies clearly use the summer to backfill critical finance roles before the Q4 rush.
The “Dutch” Difference: The Netherlands showed a unique trend driven by candidate values. Top searches included “Part-time for 17-year-olds” and remote customer service, proving that in this market, flexibility is the primary currency for attracting talent.
4. How to Scale: Three Steps
Based on the trends we observed across millions of data points, here is how you can adapt your strategy to fit a fixed CPA:
Segment Your Funnel by Geography: Do not apply a “one-size-fits-all” strategy. In high-efficiency markets (like Market B), focus on conversion optimization. In high-volume markets (like Market A), focus on retargeting to remind users why they should apply.
Optimize for Speed to Lower Costs: With the funnel narrowing sharply between Clicks and Applications, every extra step in your application process increases your cost per hire. In high-volume sectors, if your application takes more than 2 minutes, you are paying for clicks that will never convert.
Leverage Aggregation for Quality: By using a platform like Jooble, you can filter for intent before the candidate even reaches your ATS.
Data is only useful if it drives action. At Jooble, we don’t just aggregate millions of job openings; we help our partners master the mechanics of hiring.
We work with marketers, staffing agencies, and direct employers to navigate the “Volume Paradox.” With a library of successful case studies, we don’t simply sell traffic; we guide our clients by the hand through their funnel performance.
How we help you scale:
Funnel Visibility: We demonstrate exactly where your strategy is winning and where it’s leaking, helping you make data-driven adjustments.
CPA Control: Our algorithms and expert support work to ensure you fill vacancies quickly while maintaining your cost per applicant within your fixed range.
Quality Focus: By optimizing the path from impression to application, we ensure that you aren’t just getting more candidates, you are getting the right ones.
Stop guessing with your budget. Let’s build a hiring strategy that scales without sacrificing quality.
Allow us to demonstrate what we do best
We are ready to guide you through the data and help you fill your vacancies with the right candidates, fast.
