Discover 5 advanced strategies for your 2025 recruitments.
Learn how to target passive candidates, master social recruiting, and optimize employee referrals. Finalize your plan to recruit top talent.
Welcome to the second part of our guide dedicated to accelerating your recruitment process. After exploring the first five strategies, we will now look into more bold and targeted approaches.
The following five hacks will help you stand out, attract rare profiles, and finalize your action plan for faster and more relevant hiring in 2025.
6. Questioning the probation period: a bold strategy?
What if one of the major obstacles to hiring was the probationary period itself? Without systematically abolishing it, it might be wise to consider eliminating it for certain positions. This is the bold gamble that SAUR (a water management company) took in March 2021 to accelerate its massive recruitment campaigns.
👍 By removing this psychological barrier, the company significantly increased its attractiveness. The initiative, initially tested on specific profiles for a year, was a success and was subsequently expanded.
This new approach has prompted recruiters to refine their upfront evaluation process to minimize the risk of error. Specifically, the company has recorded a significant reduction in its hiring times and a noticeable decrease in turnover within the first six months.
7. Mastering social recruiting for a direct and mobile approach
The role of social media in recruitment has changed dramatically. The era of the simple link redirecting to a career site is over, especially since more than 60% of candidates search for a job using their smartphone and the Millennial generation represents over 75% of the workforce.
Visionary groups such as Orange or Thales have embraced this by developing their own mobile recruitment applications (Orange Jobs, Thales World 4U). This allows them to maintain direct and constant contact with talent through notifications on a platform they are proficient with.
Social recruiting involves starting the conversation directly where the candidates are.
- → On LinkedIn, a premium account gives you access to InMail messages, which allow you to directly contact relevant profiles outside of your network.
- → Platforms like WhatsApp allow for the creation of automated qualification processes to filter applications. The goal is to capture the attention of increasingly sought-after candidates by using their preferred communication channels.
8. Unearthing Hidden Talents: The Art of Recruiting Passive Candidates
A proactive recruitment strategy involves looking beyond actively searching candidates to target so-called "passive" profiles.
These professionals, who are not actively seeking to change jobs but remain open to attractive opportunities, represent a pool of high-quality talent. The major advantage is that they are not overwhelmed with competing offers when you approach them.
👍 This approach requires a relational and personalized method. It's less about offering "another job" than presenting a project and a vision that can generate genuine and lasting interest.
Recruiting passive candidates is a sophisticated method to enhance the diversity and expertise of your teams, giving you a decisive competitive edge in the talent war.
9. Prioritize skills over degrees for fairer recruitment
The myth of the perfect candidate, matching a job description in every way, is persistent. What if, in 2025, you placed more trust in the assessment of actual skills rather than just the reading of a resume?
A degree, no matter how prestigious, does not always guarantee agility and the ability to solve complex problems in today's professional world.
It's not about hiring based on a gut feeling, but rather implementing objective evaluation methods, as the tech sector already does with its technical tests and problem-solving interviews. For other sectors, role-playing, case studies, or online assessment platforms are powerful tools. Team-based recruitment also allows for multiple perspectives, helps avoid biases, and strengthens the objectivity of the process.
10. Turn your employees into ambassadors with an effective referral program
Activate your best talent acquisition channel: your own teams. Their personal and professional networks are a pool of qualified profiles that are often more aligned with your company culture.
If establishing a referral program is the foundation, an attractive referral bonus is the driving force that ensures the commitment of your employees. Also make sure to facilitate their ambassador role by providing them with ready-to-use and easy-to-share content: clear job descriptions, introductory videos, etc.
Conclusion: From Strategy to Action with an Expert Partner
These ten strategies, from AI to co-optation, make up a comprehensive roadmap for modernizing your recruitment practices. But what to do when time and internal resources are lacking to effectively deploy them?
This is where turning to an expert partner like Jobloom becomes truly meaningful. To engage our firm is not just to outsource a task; it's to integrate strategic expertise into your team.
We provide you with in-depth knowledge of the job market, access to exclusive talent pools, and proven processes. Our industry knowledge enables us to understand your unique challenges and develop a customized search strategy to find the candidates who will truly make a difference.
Don't let a complex recruitment process hinder your growth. Contact Jobloom to discuss how we can help you attract and recruit top talent more quickly.
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We thought we needed a powerful ATS. In reality, we needed an efficient ATS.
That’s what one of our clients realized when they decided to switch from Workday to Jobloom. This SME was already using our career site and our multi-posting solution. For its ATS, it had chosen one of the global market leaders. Yet in day-to-day use, it wasn’t power that made the difference. It was simplicity, speed, and efficiency. 🚀 Then came a simple question: 👉 Why are our recruiters spending so much time in their tool? Digging deeper, several frustrations emerged: ❌ Complicated collaboration with several hiring managers ❌ Impossible to easily find a candidate already met a few months ago in the database ❌ Tedious multilingual posting ❌ Reporting poorly aligned with the KPIs actually tracked by the company ❌ Few tools to showcase job ads on social media The result? They decided to replace their ATS with that of Jobloom Not to get more features. But to get the right features. ✅ Smart search in the candidate database thanks to AI ✅ Smooth collaboration between recruiters and managers ✅ Simplified multilingual posting ✅ Reporting tailored to their indicators ✅ Automatic creation of carousels to promote jobs Sometimes, the best solution isn’t the biggest one. It’s the one that truly meets your teams’ needs. And you, how many features of your ATS do you actually use on a daily basis? 🤔
Recrutement_Final_V7_Definitif_Bis_V2.xlsx
If this filename looks normal to you... it might be time to get yourself an ATS. 😅 At first, Excel gets the job done. Then come: ➡️ 150 applications ➡️ 4 recruitments in parallel ➡️ CVs in Outlook or in Dropbox folders ➡️ Comments in his notebook ➡️ Managers who keep asking: "Where do we stand?" And suddenly, you’re spending more time managing your file than recruiting. The problem isn’t Excel. The problem is that Excel works with rows. No candidates. No processes. No recruitment. In 2026, with AI, job boards, and hundreds of applications sometimes arriving within just a few days, continuing to recruit using Excel is a bit like trying to steer your company’s growth with a spreadsheet. It works. Until the day it stops working. I explored this topic in my latest article. And let’s be honest… who’s already worked on a version even longer than the one in the title? 😂
What if AI made recruitment more human?
Yesterday, a prospect told me something that every ATS vendor should hear. "I'm looking for a solution that will free up my time thanks to AI so I can put humans back at the heart of recruitment." Not to recruit without recruiters. Not to replace HR. Not to automate human relationships. But to win back time. We sell AI as a machine capable of replacing humans. In the field, I see exactly the opposite. Recruiters are drowning in administrative tasks. What they want is less data entry. Fewer clicks. Less admin. And more conversations. More listening. More closeness. Technology should never be the hero of recruitment. The hero is the recruiter. Technology should simply allow them to do what they do best: create human connections.
I’ve analyzed hundreds of SME job postings.
Most of them still look like this: “We’re looking for a dynamic, autonomous, versatile candidate… to join a great team.” What that means for the candidate: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Today, the best job ads answer 3 questions: • Why you? • Why this job? • Why now? And I’d add a bonus: What’s our company vision? Recruitment has become marketing. Yet very few companies have understood this.
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What if AI made recruitment more human?
Yesterday, a prospect told me something that every ATS vendor should hear. "I'm looking for a solution that will free up my time thanks to AI so I can put humans back at the heart of recruitment." Not to recruit without recruiters. Not to replace HR. Not to automate human relationships. But to win back time. We sell AI as a machine capable of replacing humans. In the field, I see exactly the opposite. Recruiters are drowning in administrative tasks. What they want is less data entry. Fewer clicks. Less admin. And more conversations. More listening. More closeness. Technology should never be the hero of recruitment. The hero is the recruiter. Technology should simply allow them to do what they do best: create human connections.
I’ve analyzed hundreds of SME job postings.
Most of them still look like this: “We’re looking for a dynamic, autonomous, versatile candidate… to join a great team.” What that means for the candidate: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Today, the best job ads answer 3 questions: • Why you? • Why this job? • Why now? And I’d add a bonus: What’s our company vision? Recruitment has become marketing. Yet very few companies have understood this.
What if your candidates were your most valuable customers?
#1 Talents = Clients 55% turn down an offer because of a poor process. 50% say they’re disappointed with their candidate experience. Yet you pamper your customers. Why not your talent? #2 Recruit Recruiting is no longer about filtering. It’s about attracting, like a real brand. Candidates want a clear, seamless, and engaging experience. #3 Customized career site Mobile, seamless, tailored to you. Up to 24% conversion. #4 Distribution on 100+ platforms Automatically. Google Jobs, Indeed, LinkedIn Recruiter… all in one click. #5 An AI-powered ATS Centralize your applications, automate, and save time. #6 Recruitment Made Simple The right candidates come to you. And they want to stay. #7 Your candidates are not numbers These are your future internal customers. And with Jobloom, you recruit them the way you sell. The good news? All of this is easy to fix. With Jobloom, SMEs can digitalize their recruitment without losing their authenticity and without breaking the bank. Do you want to see how it works?
Checklist: 10 Steps to Digitize Recruitment in SMEs
1. Think mobile first Over 90% of applications are made via smartphone → test your job listings and career site on mobile. 2. Create a real candidate conversion funnel Presence where your candidates are (Google Jobs, LinkedIn, social networks) and a smooth journey to the application. 3. Optimize the career site A classic website converts 0–2% of visitors. With SEO + employer branding, you can multiply this number by 10. 4. Develop your employer brand Show your values, your projects, your teams, your training and career opportunities. 5. Automatically distribute your offers Automate posting on LinkedIn, Google Jobs, Indeed, and specialized job boards. 6. Centralize the data No more resumes in Dropbox and Excel tracking. Use a single database to maintain candidates' history. 7. Facilitate internal communication Allow managers and HR to collaborate on a common platform with transparent feedback and tracking. 8. Automate time-consuming tasks Rejections, follow-ups, qualification forms → save time for human interaction. 9. Use AI intelligently To read resumes, generate attractive offers, or produce visual content for your ads. 10. Provide a response to the candidates A candidate without feedback equals a tarnished employer image. Automate, but don't neglect the human aspect.
How to digitize recruitment as an SME?
The digitization of recruitment has become essential for SMEs. This article explains how to: Offer a fluid and mobile-first candidate experience. Use your employer brand as a lever for attraction. Avoid fragmented processes thanks to a centralized database. Automate repetitive tasks to save time. Effectively disseminate your job offers. Improve internal collaboration around recruitment. Why digitize recruitment? Everything has become digital. We buy in a few clicks on Amazon, we book our holidays on our smartphone... and candidates expect the same simplicity when applying for a job. The parallel with e-commerce is striking: nearly 3 out of 5 buyers abandon their online cart before finalizing. In digital recruitment, it's even worse. If the process is not fluid and mobile-friendly, you lose your talent before you even meet them. A classic career site converts only 0 to 2% of its visitors into candidates, whereas with an optimized digital experience (SEO, employer brand content, mobile first), this rate can be multiplied by 10, creating a genuine source of candidate acquisition. Digitizing recruitment has become a vital issue for any SME that needs talent. Digitizing recruitment with a simple candidate conversion funnel Just like in marketing, you need to think about the conversion funnel. A candidate must be guided from where they are (Google Jobs, LinkedIn, social networks, articles, specialized job boards...) to the application stage. The 3 key steps: Be present where candidates are. Offer a friction-free experience, especially on mobile (more than 90% of applications are made on smartphones). Allow applying in one click, via a CV or a LinkedIn profile. Did you know that 90% of LinkedIn users in Belgium are exclusively on mobile? Using your employer brand Why would a candidate choose your SME over another company with an equivalent position and salary? The answer lies in your employer brand. This must be authentic. Forget the “bullshit” and the nice marketing speeches: you have to speak the truth. Questions to ask yourself: What is your work culture? What are your values and vision? What concrete projects are your teams leading? What opportunities for growth or training do you offer? 84% of candidates look for information about the employer brand before applying, and this figure rises even higher for shortage profiles. An empty or outdated career site becomes a major obstacle. Also, remember to adapt your content according to your target profiles: a worker, an engineer, or an IT specialist will not have the same expectations or language. Avoid fragmented processes Too many SMEs still manage their recruitment via a mixture of emails, Excel, Dropbox, or SharePoint. The result: fragmented and inefficient processes. Concrete examples: A candidate already met is contacted again by mistake. A promising profile is lost due to the lack of a centralized database. Candidate feedback is forgotten, tarnishing the employer image. A centralized database The key to digitization is data centralization. With an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), you create a unique database that: Keeps the history of each candidate, Shares information between managers, Allows building a talent pool for future recruitments, Simplifies the rejection or automated follow-up of applications. Thus, no more information loss and instant access to your talent, even those met in the past. Digitizing recruitment by automating time-consuming tasks The goal is not to replace the human, but to free up time. Automation reduces operational tasks to focus on what matters: the human encounter. Examples of useful automation: Automatic creation of candidate profiles (CV reading, skills, languages, etc.). Sending automated and personalized rejections. Follow-ups of old applications. CV sorting with extraction of key skills. Qualification via short forms. Automatic generation of ads, translations, and social media content. Automated multi-platform dissemination. With AI, these steps become even more fluid and precise. Automated dissemination of job offers Publishing on LinkedIn, Indeed, or Google Jobs seems simple, but it is time-consuming. Candidates are scattered across multiple channels, so you need to disseminate effectively across multiple platforms. Thanks to multi-dissemination tools, an ad can be published with one click on all relevant channels. Advantages: Considerable time saving. Maximum visibility among the right candidates. Complete coverage of the job market without extra effort. Facilitate internal communication Recruitment is never done alone. In an SME, several actors are involved: directors, managers, HR... Without a central tool, communication becomes fragmented. The benefits of a centralized tool: Notes and evaluations directly on the candidate profile. Real-time tracking of recruitment efforts. Documented and transparent decisions. Result: a more collaborative, fast, and clear process — a guarantee of professionalism towards candidates. Conclusion: digitizing recruitment, a necessity for SMEs Not digitizing your recruitment means losing your candidates before you even meet them. In summary: A mobile-first and fluid candidate experience. An authentic and visible employer brand. A centralized and smart database. Automated processes to focus on the human element. Digitizing recruitment means putting the human element back at the center.
The KPIs to follow to assess the effectiveness of your recruitment
Discover the 5 essential KPIs to optimize your recruitment in 2025: conversion rate, recruitment time, quality of applications, cost per hire and candidate satisfaction. Improve your HR process and attract top talent with accurate and actionable data. Download our free guide! Introduction: Why measuring the effectiveness of your recruitment is essential in 2025 “If you don't measure, you can't improve.” This saying has never been more pertinent in the field of recruitment. In 2025, confronted with an intensified war for talent and changing expectations from candidates, companies must track key performance indicators (KPIs) to optimize their recruitment process . Far from being mere numbers, these KPIs enable us to answer essential questions: Is my hiring process too long? Am I attracting the right profiles or too many unsuitable candidates? Is my recruitment budget well spent? Is the candidate experience optimized? A study of LinkedIn Talent Solutions shows that 77% of recruiters believe that optimizing HR KPIs has become a strategic priority to enhance their efficiency. In this article, we detail The 5 essential KPIs to be followed in 2025 to improve your performance and guarantee an optimized candidate experience. 1. The candidate to hiring conversion rate One of the first indicators to watch out for is the conversion rate between the various stages of recruitment. It allows you to identify when candidates leave the process and to adjust your strategy. How do you calculate it? Number of candidates hired/Number of applications received x 100 💡 Real-life example: If you receive 500 applications for a position and hire 5 people, your conversion rate is 1% . If this rate is too low, it may indicate a misalignment between your job ad and the profiles it attracts. According to Glassdoor , companies with an optimized recruitment process see a 30% increase in the conversion rate of qualified applications. 2. Recruiting time (Time to Hire vs Time to Fill) The Time to Hire (time between the first interaction with a candidate and their hiring) and the Time to Fill (total time to fill a position) are crucial for measuring the effectiveness of recruitment. Why is it important? ✔ Taking too long to hire results in losing top talent to more responsive companies. ✔ It causes an increased workload for teams while waiting for the new hire. ✔ It directly affects productivity and operational costs. 📌 2025 Benchmark: A study by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) shows that the average Time to Hire is 24 days , while top-performing companies hire in under 15 days . 3. The quality of applications Attracting a lot of candidates is good. Attract The good ones , it's better. This KPI makes it possible to know if the candidates who apply really match the needs of the position. How to assess it? ✔% of candidates who pass the first stage of recruitment. ✔ Matching score (offered by some ATS like Jobloom ). ✔ Retention rate at 6 months: if a new employee leaves their position in less than 6 months, this may reveal a problem of alignment between the mission and the expectations of the candidate. 4. Cost per Hire Effective recruitment should be profitable . The Cost per Hire measures the investment required for each hire. Calculation: Total cost of recruitment/Number of hires Include in your calculation: ✔ Advertising costs. ✔ Costs of HR tools (ATS, job boards). ✔ Time spent by recruiters. ✔ Training and onboarding costs. 📌 2025 Benchmark: The average cost per hire in Europe is estimated at €4,425 , ranging from €1,500 for SMEs to €8,000 for large enterprises (source: Glassdoor Economic Research ). 👉 Also to read: How Huggys increased its candidate conversion rate in hospitality by 12 times , a tangible example of recruitment transformation through KPIs, digitalization, and improved application management. 5. Taux de satisfaction des candidats et des employeurs Recruiting does not end with hiring. A good performance indicator is the satisfaction of candidates and managers . How do you measure it? ✔ Satisfaction questionnaires after recruitment. ✔ Feedback after 3 months regarding the integration of the new employee. ✔ NPS (Net Promoter Score) to measure overall satisfaction. Conclusion Following these 5 strategic KPIs will enable you to enhance your recruitment efficiency, attract the right talent, and optimize your costs. 📘 FREE guide: Optimize your career site and attract top talent ! 🚀 Download our comprehensive guide and discover how to structure your KPIs, improve the candidate experience and boost the efficiency of your recruitments.