Recruiting & Employer Branding
June 23, 2026
When your job ad brings in hardly any applications, the role is rarely the reason. The reason is that you are looking in the wrong place, in a market that has been swept clean. In 2025 a trainee role in the trades drew an average of just 2.3 applications, down from 8.7 in 2019 (DIHK training survey). The people are out there. Just not where your ad is.
Where your skilled people actually are
Most qualified workers are not searching at all. Depending on the study, only around 20 to 30% in the DACH region count as active job seekers. The large remainder are in work but open to something better, if you reach them where they already are: in the feed on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. A classic ad on a job board misses exactly this majority.
What an unfilled role really costs
An open role is not a neutral state. It costs money. Studies put the average cost of a vacancy at around 29,000 euros per role, most of it lost revenue rather than direct spend. The time to fill a position hit a high of roughly 180 days in early 2025. Full order books and an empty workshop cost more than any recruiting campaign.
Why static ads so often fall flat
- They reach only the few active seekers.
- On job boards you compete with hundreds of ads that all look the same.
- Since Meta restricted targeting by age, gender and interest for job ads, the visual carries the whole campaign. A plain text ad has nothing to counter that.
What video ads do differently
A video ad stops the thumb. In a few seconds it shows what your place really looks like: the team, the workshop, the tone of the business. That reaches people who were not searching at all, and it filters better, because the people who get in touch match what they saw. Around 90% of online job ads today are static graphics. That is the gap. The company that stands out wins the better candidates and strengthens its employer brand along the way.
What a good video ad includes
- Real people from the business, no stock footage.
- The first three seconds show what it is about.
- A clear statement on the role, the team and what you offer.
- One simple next step, ideally an application that takes under two minutes.
FAQ
Does this also work for workshop, care or hotel roles? Especially there. These audiences are rarely on job boards, but on social media every day.
What does an application cost through social recruiting? Depending on sector and region, often far less than through classic portals, because you advertise exactly where your audience already is.
Do I need a glossy film? No. Authentic beats polished. What matters more than perfection is that it feels real.
Sources: DIHK training survey 2025; Personalwirtschaft (vacancy cost, time-to-fill); LinkedIn/RWT (active vs passive candidates).
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