Stop Competing. Start Creating: How to Escape the Job Board Arms Race
Every year, job board costs climb higher.
Every year, competition for the same shrinking pool of active candidates gets fiercer.
And every year, TA teams throw more budget into the same channels… hoping this time it will be different.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: you’re in an arms race you can’t win.
The Job Board Squeeze
The model is simple—and brutal:
You post.
Your competitors post.
Everyone starts bidding for visibility.
Costs go up, results flatten out, and the only “winners” are the platforms selling the ads.
Meanwhile, 72% of potential candidates never even see your posting because they’re not looking in the first place. That means most of your spend is competing over the same small pool of active job seekers, not expanding your reach.
Why the Old Playbook Isn’t Working
The internet has shifted from search to scroll. Job boards are built for the first world—people actively typing in a title and location. But most of the talent you want is in the second world, where discovery happens:
Watching a TikTok at lunch
Scrolling Instagram on the couch
Checking YouTube for “how to” videos, not job openings
If your hiring strategy isn’t showing up there, you’re invisible to the majority of the market.
From Competing to Creating
Creator-led recruiting changes the game.
Instead of fighting for ad space, you’re building trust and curiosity in the places your candidates already spend their time. You’re not just posting “we’re hiring”—you’re telling human stories that spark interest and make people imagine themselves on your team.
Creators bring three big advantages:
Trust – Candidates believe people more than brands.
Reach – Your jobs appear in their feed without them having to search.
Relevance – Content is native to the platform, so it feels organic—not like an ad that got lost on the wrong app.
Proof It Works
At Flockity, we’ve seen clients break free from job board dependence and still fill roles faster.
One campaign saw more than 500 people click on a job in 10 days—98% of whom had never visited the employer’s careers site before, and they converted at 10%, higher than the average job board conversion.
Another saw applications from markets they’d never tapped, simply because their brand story appeared in the right creator’s feed, and still delivering net new site visitors as well as converting at 13%.
The Future Doesn’t Belong to the Highest Bidder
The companies who win in 2025 and 2026 won’t be the ones who outspend everyone on job boards. They’ll be the ones who invest in connection over competition.
Stop paying more to fight over the same audience.
Start creating content that reaches the audience no one else is talking to.
Let’s Talk
If you’re ready to trade the job board bidding war for scroll-stopping talent attraction, our team at Flockity can help you start creating instead of competing.