You Don’t Need More Applicants. You Need Quality Over Quantity in Recruitment

The Applicant Pile Isn’t Your Talent Pool

Let’s say it plainly: if your inbox is overflowing with CVs, but none of them are quite right, your hiring strategy isn’t working.

More doesn’t mean better. In fact, it often means worse.

Companies chasing volume, especially in digital, marketing, and transformation roles, are burning time, budget, and energy screening people who were never a fit to begin with. You’re not talent-sourcing. You’re crowd-controlling.

It’s time to ask yourself: are you hiring for performance, or just hoping to get lucky?

Why the Old Way Is Failing You

Still relying on job ads, LinkedIn Easy Apply, or bulk talent platforms?

Here’s what you’re really doing:

• Attracting people applying to 50 roles a day

• Spending hours screening out instead of qualifying in

• Missing the hidden gems who aren’t actively looking

• Letting your brand take a hit every time someone gets ghosted

You don’t need a bigger funnel. You need a smarter one.

High-volume recruitment rarely results in high-quality outcomes. It creates noise, not clarity.

Great People Aren’t Looking. They’re Working.

Let me tell you this from the front line: the best candidates are not sitting on job boards refreshing listings.

They’re:

• Already in a role

• Performing well

• Not applying—because they don’t have to

• Only moving if the right opportunity finds them

They don’t need a new job. They need a reason to care.

This is where traditional hiring approaches fall flat. They’re built around convenience, not connection. And connection is what moves people.

So, if your strategy is dependent on inbound volume, you’ve already ruled out most of the top 10%.

What “Better” Looks Like in Recruitment

Better applicants aren’t just more experienced. They:

• Understand your business model

• Fit the problem the role is solving

• Bring fresh thinking, not just a checklist of skills

• Add capability without ego

They also:

• Ask smart questions that challenge your assumptions

• Have a track record of creating value, not just delivering tasks

• Can step into complexity and make it clearer—not messier

These are the people who drive change, not just maintain status quo. And they’re not applying through your job ad.

They’re responding to targeted, meaningful outreach. They’re having backchannel conversations. They’re being headhunted.

They’re also assessing you - your leadership, your offer, your ability to give them something more than they already have.

Why Your Current Process Is Letting You Down

Here’s what we see over and over:

• Internal TA teams swamped with volume targets

• Hiring managers stuck interviewing the “least worst”

• Agencies flinging CVs to keep pipelines moving

No one has time to stop and ask: Is this even the right person for the role?

The result? Bad hires. Slow hires. Team turnover. Opportunity cost.

And that’s just the start.

There’s also brand erosion - the silent killer of future recruitment. Every generic job ad, every poor candidate experience, every unreturned message chips away at your reputation in the market. And that’s the kind of damage you don’t see until it’s too late.

It’s Not About Process. It’s About Precision.

A smart recruitment strategy focuses on:

✅ Role clarity (what’s the real business need?)

✅ Targeted outreach (who’s already performing in this space?)

✅ Reputation and referrals (who’s trusted by people you trust?)

✅ Shortlists, not pipelines (three great candidates, not thirty average ones)

This isn’t slower. It’s faster—because you’re not wasting time on noise.

It’s also more respectful of your hiring manager’s time. And more appealing to senior candidates who aren’t interested in being one of a hundred.

But Isn’t Volume Still Useful Sometimes?

Sure—if you’re hiring 100 people. But if you’re looking for a:

• Head of Performance Marketing

• Marketing Automation Lead

• Senior Digital Product Manager

• eCommerce Strategist

• Growth or Transformation leader

...then you don’t need a long list. You need the right one.

Because these roles shape revenue, roadmap, and retention. They can’t be filled by who just happened to hit "Apply."

And if you think your current ad or job board is doing the trick, ask yourself: Would the last great hire you made have applied to that ad?

Why the "Right Person" Is Rarely on a Job Board

The best people aren’t floating. They’re anchored. They’ve built credibility in their niche. They’re visible in the right communities. They’ve got people calling them about roles weekly.

So they don’t apply.

They get invited. Referred. Approached. Encouraged.

Your ideal candidate isn’t filling out online forms. They’re having coffee with someone who already knows your business. And if they’re not? Someone else is getting to them first.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

A bad hire at senior level doesn’t just waste budget—it impacts culture, delivery timelines, client relationships, and morale.

Let’s say you hire someone who’s not quite right but good enough to get through the process. They last 6–12 months before the cracks show. Then you’re back at square one—with:

• Lost momentum

• Reputational risk

• Another round of recruitment fees

• A jaded team that’s now harder to lead

Hiring better saves time, money, and your sanity.

Metrics That Actually Matter in Recruitment

Still tracking the number of applicants per role? That’s like measuring a campaign by impressions instead of conversions. Vanity metrics in recruitment do more harm than good.

What actually matters?

• Time-to-fill for critical roles

• Percentage of interviews that convert to offers

• Retention at 6 and 12 months

• Contribution to strategic outcomes in the first 90 days

If your metrics are designed to make the spreadsheet look good—not to reflect real hiring performance—it’s time to overhaul your reporting.

A Quick Comparison: High-Volume vs. High-Impact Hiring

Aspect	High-Volume Recruitment	Targeted Recruitment (What We Do)
Applicant Numbers	100+	3–5 pre-qualified, high-fit candidates
Speed	Looks fast (at first)	Actually fast (shortlist ready)
Cost	Hidden costs from poor hires	Transparent, outcome-driven fees
Risk	High turnover, brand fatigue	Low risk, trusted referrals
Candidate Experience	Ghosting, generic	Personalised, curated

What Hiring Managers Should Be Demanding

If you’re a hiring manager, stop accepting mediocrity from recruiters or TA teams. You have every right to ask:

• Where did these candidates come from?

• Why do you believe they’re a fit?

• What evidence do we have of prior success?

• How do they align with our strategy, not just the job description?

And you should expect:

• Real conversations, not keyword matches

• A shortlist you actually want to interview

• A process that respects your time and theirs

How Top Talent in Digital and Marketing Really Moves

The top 10%? They move differently. They’re:

• Tapped by people they already know

• Nurtured by recruiters they trust

• Won over by the quality of the opportunity—not the size of the salary

They're not refreshing Seek. They’re watching. Listening. Making strategic moves, not desperate ones.

If your strategy is invisible to them, you're invisible.

Final Word: You’re Not Hiring for Reach. You’re Hiring for Results.

So let’s stop asking, "How many people applied?" and start asking, "Did the right people see this? Did the best people consider it?"

Because one high-calibre applicant beats 100 mediocre ones every time.

And if your hiring process doesn’t reflect that, we should talk.

Visit Digital Talent Lab to learn how we help businesses ditch the volume game and hire better, not bigger.

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We recruit senior leaders across marketing, digital, and transformation—without the advertising, noise, or endless CV flinging. At Digital Talent Lab, we headhunt with purpose, deliver curated shortlists, and focus on impact over volume. Always.