What is performance recruiting?
Performance recruiting uses methods from the digital advertising world: instead of simply posting your job ad, you develop a targeted campaign tailored to your ideal candidates. Through social media, websites, and other digital channels, you also reach passive talent that remains invisible to conventional job boards. Unlike programmatic advertising, which is highly automated and technology-driven, performance recruiting places greater emphasis on creative content, psychological triggers, and manual target group definition. You control how and where your campaign appears – and can optimise it at any time.
How performance recruiting works in practice
- Analyse your target group
Start by defining your candidate persona: who should feel addressed? Criteria such as location, education, interests, or online behaviour help you identify your target audience precisely.
- Create campaign content
Whether image, video or text – your ad must stand out. Use emotional triggers, storytelling or humorous elements to attract attention.
- Choose the right channels
Where does your target group spend time? Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or specific niche platforms? You place your ads precisely on those channels – exactly where your potential employees are active daily.
- Landing page and application
The path to application must be simple – ideally mobile-optimised and achievable in just a few clicks. Direct interested individuals to a suitable landing page or straight to the job ad.
- Measure and optimise results
You receive continuous data: clicks, views, conversion rates. This allows you to adapt and improve your campaign throughout the process.
Why performance recruiting is so effective
- Targeted approach instead of wasted reach
You reach exactly the people who match your vacancy – even if they are not actively searching. - More reach via social media
Whether an Instagram Story or LinkedIn Sponsored Post: your ad is seen where your target group really spends time. - Easily scalable
The campaign runs for as long as you want – until the right person is found. Changes can be made at any time. - Measurable and transparent
You see exactly which ad works – and which doesn’t. This enables data-based decision-making. - Efficient and cost-saving
You invest only in what works. No budget is wasted on irrelevant channels.
A shift in perspective is needed
Winning talent requires a rethink – keyword “reverse recruiting”.
In traditional recruiting, you assume that applicants are actively looking for a job – and will reach out to you if your vacancy sounds interesting. But performance recruiting works differently: here, you mainly want to reach passive talent – people who are not currently job hunting but are generally open to new opportunities.
This is where reverse recruiting comes in. It means: you apply to the candidates – not the other way around. This target group is not browsing job portals, writing applications, or clicking through career pages. Instead, they are scrolling through social media or reading the news in their free time – and that’s exactly where you need to reach them with your message.
This requires a new mindset: especially with passive candidates, you must think differently. These talents won’t apply to you – you apply to them.
“Performance recruiting requires a new mindset: these talents won’t apply to you – you apply to them.”
Performance recruiting is a powerful strategy – if the processes are right
Performance recruiting gives you the chance to reach exactly the talent that truly matches your vacancy.
But it's also clear: this approach requires fast response times, smooth communication and solid process management – otherwise, its potential remains untapped.
With Refline, you’ve got it all under control. Our e-recruiting solution helps you manage applications efficiently, respond quickly and appreciatively, and streamline your recruiting processes professionally – whether you're running active campaigns or nurturing long-term talent pools.