What's The Current Jobseeker Trend?

The fight for top talents in the creative jobseeker market has never been tougher. Companies have been offering potential candidates higher salaries, better perks and flexible work arrangements. Creative jobseekers have much more options than ever, they've become more selective, yes, with freelancing options available, the market just got more competitive.

If your job posting isn't attracting enough applicants, chances are, you are losing out to your competitors who know how to stand out to creatives. 

How do you cut through the noise and get top candidates applying for your job opening? The key lies in making your job postings irresistable, optimising your hiring processes and leveraging the right platforms. Here are 5 proven ways to increase job application rates in this hyper-competitive market. 

1. To Start, A Refined Job Description

A Job Description is the first impression a candidate gets of your company, yet, its often gotten wrong. Vague Postings, Postings that sound too demanding and too generic is the main cause of losing creative talents to more engaging posts. Job Descriptions sells the role and convinces jobseekers to hit apply. 

How to build a High-Converting Job Description? 

Step 1: Clear & Straight To The Point Title (Eg: Social Media Manager)

Step 2: First 2-3 lines should grab attention
Example: "Tired of boring & routine jobs? Join our Fast-Growing Startup/MNC/PLC where your ideas make an impact from day 1!". 

Step 3: Focus on how they'll grow instead of responsibilities given (A Few Examples Are Listed Below).

IMPORTANT: Try your very best not to copy paste the job descriptions from AI. Job descriptions are supposed to sound human and not robotic. 

 

2. Include Salary Ranges (This Matters Massively).

Hiding salary ranges will greatly reduce the likelihood of getting a candidate, let alone, applicants. 71% of Jobseekers say they are more likely to apply a job where the salary range is listed. Showing the salary range also greatly increases attracting the right candidates. Because candidates who will be applying the job know the pay aligns with the expectations (Tip: It  Greatly Reduces your time & effort too). 

In a competition between employers who post their salary range and employers who don't post their salary range, the one with the salary range will win by kilometres. 

Salary ranges does not need to be an exact amount, here's an example:

A) RM5,000 - RM7,000 per month based on experience.

B) RM5,000 - RM7,000 per month with added bonuses* 

 

3. Writing From Second Person Perspective

Of course, job descriptions and a clear salary range instantly attracts candidates to your company. Now, we also need to focus on letting the candidate visualise their contributions to your company. Their biggest question is, "Is This Job Right For Me?". 

An engaging job post uses "You" and "Your" instead, it makes the job posting feel more inviting, engaging and personal. 

  • Example (Third-Person): "The ideal candidate should have strong leadership skills and experience managing projects."
  • Example (Second-Person): "You’ll take the lead on exciting projects and sharpen your leadership skills in a dynamic environment."

 

How to Apply This in Job Posts?

Use "You" Instead of "The Candidate"
❌ "The candidate should have experience in digital marketing."
✅ "You have experience in digital marketing and love crafting engaging campaigns."

Turn Passive Descriptions into Active Statements
❌ "The role requires strong problem-solving skills."
✅ "You’ll tackle challenges head-on, using your problem-solving skills to find creative solutions."

Speak Directly to the Reader
❌ "Candidates will be given opportunities to grow."
✅ "You'll have the chance to grow and take on new challenges in your career."

 

4. Reduce Application Processes.

Long, complicated application processes are one of the biggest job seeker turn-offs. In 2025, top talents won’t waste time on outdated hiring systems—especially when competitors offer one-click apply options. If you want to increase job application rates by 500%, you need to make the process as fast, simple, and friction-free as possible.

With all the options available in the market, candidates are getting impatient. 70% of Jobseekers in 2025 abandon applications that take longer than 10 minutes. 

How to Limit Application Steps to 3-5 Minutes?

The best applications take under 5 minutes to complete.

  • Ask only for essentials:
    • Name & contact info 
    • Resume upload 
    • Portfolio link (if relevant) 

IMPORTANT: Skip Multiple Interview Rounds

  • If your hiring process has 4+ interviews, tests, and assignments, candidates will drop out halfway.
  • Keep it to a max of 2-3 rounds (including a final interview).

 

5. Focus on Matching (105% More Effective). 

Finding the right candidate isn’t just about getting more applications it’s about getting the right ones. In 2025, companies that focus on precision hiring instead of mass recruitment are seeing 105% better hiring outcomes. The key? Matching job seekers to roles that align with their skills, values, and career goals.

Why Good Matching Matters More Than Ever

Reduces High Turnover Rates

  • A bad hire costs companies thousands in lost productivity and rehiring efforts.
  • The right match ensures candidates stay longer, perform better, and integrate faster.

 

Boosts Candidate Satisfaction

  • Candidates who feel like a job aligns with their skills and ambitions are more likely to accept the offer and stay committed.

Focusing on matching requires the hiring manager to combine points 1-4 in the job postings. To attract candidates, remember, its all about getting the right target candidates to apply the job. 

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How Rtist Helps In This?

Rtist Creative Platform is a niche hiring site for employers to freely match with 17,000+ of our creative talent profiles. We sourced the creative talent's profiles for you so that it's easier for you to hire directly through our website, and it's more localised to Malaysian market. 

Our Website Tools Include:

✅Open-space profiles for you to directly contact.
✅Job posting feature to attract candidates.
✅Job invitation feature (Active Search methods).

We hope this info on current hiring trends, tips on how to attract more applicant and tools on our website, will help greatly in attracting the right candidate for your job opening.