If you are still relying on job ads to hire creative, digital or marketing talent in 2025, it might be time to stop and rethink. Because here is the honest truth: the best people are not applying. Not because they are not open to new roles. But because your ad is not reaching them — or worse, it is actively turning them off.
This is not a dig at your business. It is a broader call-out to an industry that is still hooked on outdated hiring habits. The market has changed. The best creatives, strategists, and digital minds are not trawling job boards. They are being tapped quietly, referred by people they trust, or nudged towards opportunities that align with their values.
The Broken Job Ad Model
In a competitive hiring climate, hoping a brilliant candidate will respond to your ad is like fishing without bait. Here is why that approach is not working anymore:
Job Ad Saturation and Scroll Fatigue
Job boards are flooded. In early 2024, Seek reported a 20 percent drop in job ads but a 72 percent increase in applications per listing. Great candidates are overwhelmed by sameness. When everything looks like a list of buzzwords, nothing stands out.
No Narrative, No Connection
Most job ads list tasks, must-haves and perks. But they miss the story. Why the role exists. What the team cares about. What they are building. High-value candidates want to know who they are joining and why it matters.
Unrealistic or Irrelevant Criteria
Some ads still ask for ten years of experience for a midweight role. Or demand platform expertise that is outdated. When a candidate sees a mismatch or lazy copy, they scroll straight past.
Missing the Passive Market Entirely
More than 80 percent of professionals in Australia are considered passive candidates. They are open to new roles but not actively looking. A job ad never crosses their radar. If your hiring plan is built only around inbound traffic, you are missing this entire group.
Where Top Talent Is Actually Coming From
So if job boards are not the answer, where are the best people being found? After hundreds of conversations with creative candidates in Melbourne and Sydney this year, the pattern is clear: people move because of people.
Warm Intros and Quiet Referrals
Trusted recommendations cut through noise. Great candidates take calls from past colleagues, mentors, or recruiters who have earned credibility. These are warm leads, not cold applications.
Values Over Titles
In 2025, talent is driven by more than job titles. They want flexibility, purpose, creativity and growth. They are not chasing roles. They are chasing the right reasons to move.
Thoughtful, Human Outreach
Generic messages get deleted. Personal ones do not. When someone says, “I have followed your work and think you would be brilliant for this team,” it resonates. Great people want to feel seen.
Roles That Feel Like a Mission, Not a Job
Candidates are not just looking to fill a seat. They want to build something. The most successful conversations focus on purpose, growth and impact — not just perks.
Case Studies: What Smart Employers Are Doing Instead
Some of the most successful employers in the creative and digital industries are ditching job ads altogether or using them only as a final step. Here are a few examples that show what works:
Vow: Global Search Beats Local Ads
The CEO of Vow, a Sydney biotech company, could not find the right engineers locally. So he flew to the US and hired directly from companies like SpaceX. Bold? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
Rokt: High-Touch Talent Events
E-commerce company Rokt hosted an invite-only event to meet top engineers. They flew candidates in, gave them an inside look at the company, and built connections before even discussing a job. The result? A talent pipeline full of people who felt seen and valued.
William Buck: Creative Campaigns That Cut Through
Instead of a bland job ad, accounting firm William Buck launched a vibrant out-of-home campaign featuring real employees and honest messaging. It ran across Sydney light rail stations and stood out in a sea of sameness. It also attracted better cultural fits.
What Creative Candidates Actually Want in 2025
Understanding how candidates behave in 2025 is critical if you want to attract the right people.
Flexibility Is Now Non-Negotiable
After years of back and forth on remote work, the message is clear. Flexibility is no longer a perk. It is an expectation. When employers demand rigid hours or full-time office returns, top candidates walk.
Wellbeing Over Hustle
A 2024 survey found 62 percent of Australians would turn down a promotion if it impacted their wellbeing. High performers want clarity, boundaries, and mental health support. Roles that ignore this fall flat.
Career Growth and Skill Building
People want to evolve. Seek reports that 65 percent of job seekers in 2025 are exploring roles outside their current industry. The takeaway? If your job ad does not mention learning or growth, it will not land.
Reputation Matters More Than Ever
Candidates research you before you ever speak. Three in four job seekers will read reviews, look at your social content, and assess your values before applying. If your employer brand looks outdated or hollow, they are gone.
So What Should You Do Instead?
The smartest hiring strategies we see across Melbourne and Sydney agencies include the following:
Build a Talent Network Before You Need It
Send the message. Book the coffee. Make the introduction. Stay in touch with the kind of people you would hire tomorrow if the right role came up. It pays off.
Personalise Your Hiring Outreach
Treat hiring messages like campaign creative. Use names. Reference work. Speak to motivations. Candidates can tell when you have taken the time to connect.
Elevate Your Employer Brand
This is not just about logos and perks. It is about showing what your team stands for. Use your platforms to tell stories, spotlight talent, and express your values. Real stories beat generic job copy every time.
Use Creative Recruiters Who Know the Market
If you are going to partner with a recruiter, make sure they know the difference between someone who can do the job and someone who will thrive in your culture. That level of nuance makes all the difference.
Final Word
If job ads are your only hiring tool, you are already behind. The best candidates in 2025 are not waiting to apply. They are waiting to be found. They are waiting for a thoughtful message, a meaningful opportunity, and a hiring process that feels human.
Let us help you build that.
📩 Contact us at hello@peopleplace.com.au
🌐 Visit peopleplace.com.au
