Same Funnel, Different Customer

By JP  

TL;DR:  Recruitment is marketing. Candidates follow the same decision-making funnel as consumers, from awareness to conversion, but most recruitment strategies only focus on the “Apply Now” moment. To attract better talent, you need to influence earlier, measure wider, and think like a marketer.  

Why applying marketing thinking to recruitment isn’t just helpful, it’s essential  

Marketers and recruiters aren’t so different. Both are in the business of influencing decisions. Both want to connect with people, stand out in crowded markets, and move audiences toward a "yes." And both work through a funnel (awareness, consideration, conversion), even if they don’t always call it that.  

But here’s the catch: recruitment often starts at the end. We focus on applications, not what drives them. We zero in on the "Apply Now" click, the candidate in your ATS, the spreadsheet of applicants, missing the full journey that led them there. Or worse, the countless others who didn’t make it that far.  

The candidate funnel starts long before ‘apply’  

Consumer brands instinctively know this. You don’t wait for someone to walk into your store before you start influencing them. You earn attention. Build trust. Nurture familiarity. Remove friction.  

Recruitment is no different. That "apply" moment? It’s often the result of a long chain of smaller ones:  

• The first time they heard your name  

• A story they saw on social  

• A review  

• A friend's experience  

• A job ad they didn’t click, but remembered  

Every one of these is a touchpoint in your talent funnel. And yet most ATSs only track what happens after someone applies. But the real magic, and opportunity happens long before that.  

The Marketing Funnel vs. The Recruitment Funnel  

The way marketers measure across this journey: impressions, engagement, conversion, CAC (customer acquisition cos) t is exactly the discipline recruitment needs. Every candidate is a potential customer. And every friction point is a lost opportunity.  

Where the disconnect happens  

Recruitment often gets stuck in bottom-of-funnel thinking:  

• "We’ve launched the ad, why aren’t we getting applicants?"  
• "The ATS says most hires come from Seek, let’s just do more of that."  
• "We don’t have time for storytelling, we just need bums on seats."  

But just like in marketing, the most effective recruitment strategies start long before someone is actively looking.  

What should recruiters be asking?  

Instead of just: "How do we get more quality applicants?" broaden the question and ask:  

• Where are people dropping off in our funnel?  
• How visible and consistent is our brand across touchpoints?  
• Are we investing enough in awareness and consideration?  
• How does someone feel after engaging with our content?  

The funnel is the same. The customer is different. But the decision-making journey follows the same rules.  

Think like a marketer. Influence like a recruiter.  

When you apply marketing discipline to recruitment:  

• Your budget becomes more strategic  

• Your content becomes more human  

• Your data becomes more useful  

• Your results become more consistent  

It’s not about turning recruiters into marketers. It’s about borrowing what works and building smarter, more connected hiring strategies as a result.  

Practical tips – start today:  

• Map your recruitment efforts to a funnel: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion → Loyalty  

• Track and improve pre-apply touchpoints: social, referrals, content, reviews  
• No idea where to start? We’re a phone call away.