From Keywords To Context: AI's Impact On Job Searching

Karl Montgomery • January 28, 2025

In today’s competitive hiring landscape, understanding how candidates search for jobs has never been more important. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforming everything from search algorithms to personalised recommendations, employers have an unprecedented opportunity to optimise their job advertising strategies. By leveraging insights into AI-driven job searching, businesses can maximise their advertising budgets and attract higher-quality candidates. Here, we delve into how AI impacts job searches and what employers can do to stay ahead of the curve.


The Evolution of Job Searching: From Keywords to Context

Gone are the days when job seekers relied solely on searching for specific job titles or industries. Today, AI-powered platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor utilise advanced algorithms to match candidates with roles based on context rather than just keywords. These systems consider:

 

  • Skills and Experience: Platforms analyse candidates’ profiles to suggest roles that align with their expertise.
  • Preferences and Behaviour: Search history, saved jobs, and application trends influence personalised recommendations.
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI interprets the intent behind candidates’ searches, enabling broader and more accurate matches.

 

For employers, this means that crafting effective job ads requires a strategic focus on both relevance and discoverability.


How AI Shapes Candidate Behaviour

Understanding how AI influences job seekers’ behaviours is crucial for maximising the reach and impact of job advertisements. Key trends include:

 

1. Personalised Job Recommendations

Candidates are now exposed to roles tailored to their profiles, making it essential for employers to clearly define job requirements and highlight unique benefits.

 

2. Voice and Mobile Searches

With the rise of voice assistants and mobile-first platforms, candidates often use conversational queries like “jobs near me” or “roles in project management.” Optimising job ads for these types of searches can significantly boost visibility.

 

3. AI-Powered Filtering

Job seekers increasingly rely on filters for salary, location, flexibility, and more. Ensuring your job ads include these details can improve their discoverability and appeal.


Strategies to Maximise Your Job Advertising Budget

Employers looking to optimise their hiring strategies must adapt to the changing dynamics of AI-driven job searches. Here are actionable tips to get started:

 

1. Use the Right Keywords… and Context

While keywords remain essential, contextual relevance is now equally important. Ensure your job ad clearly outlines:

  • Core responsibilities and required skills.
  • Company culture and values.
  • Perks and benefits that set your role apart.

 

2. Leverage AI Tools

Many job boards and recruitment platforms offer AI-driven analytics to improve ad performance. Use these tools to:

  • Identify which keywords generate the most applications.
  • Track engagement metrics to refine your ad strategy.

 

3. Optimise for Mobile and Voice Searches

Ensure your job ads are mobile-friendly and conversational in tone. Use phrases candidates might naturally search for, such as “remote marketing jobs” or “engineering roles with flexible hours.”

 

4. Target Specific Candidate Personas

AI allows you to target ads based on detailed candidate profiles. Define your ideal hire and tailor your job ads to their skills, preferences, and aspirations.

 

5. Invest in Employer Branding

Candidates often look beyond the job ad to research your company. Ensure your careers page, social media profiles, and employee reviews reflect a positive and authentic brand image.


The Role of Data Analytics in Job Advertising

One of AI’s greatest strengths is its ability to generate actionable insights. By analysing data on candidate behaviour, employers can:

 

  • Improve Ad Placement: Identify which platforms and formats yield the best results.
  • Refine Job Descriptions: Use analytics to determine which phrasing and details resonate most with candidates.
  • Monitor ROI: Measure the effectiveness of your job advertising spend and adjust your strategy accordingly.


Conclusion: Staying Ahead in the AI Era

One of AI’s greatest strengths is its ability to generate actionable insights. By analysing data on candidate behaviour, employers can:

 

  • Improve Ad Placement: Identify which platforms and formats yield the best results.
  • Refine Job Descriptions: Use analytics to determine which phrasing and details resonate most with candidates.
  • Monitor ROI: Measure the effectiveness of your job advertising spend and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Recruitment Marketing Metrics That Matter - Measuring Campaign Effectiveness Beyond Applications

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Here's a statement that will make every recruitment leader squirm: Your recruitment marketing is burning money, and you don't even know it. While you're celebrating that uptick in applications, your actual quality hires are plummeting. While you're patting yourself on the back for lower cost-per-application, your cost-per-quality-hire is spiralling out of control. And while you're obsessing over job board metrics, your competitors are leveraging recruitment marketing analytics to dominate the talent market. The harsh reality? 57% of marketers use leads to measure the success of their marketing initiatives. In recruitment terms, that's like judging a restaurant by how many people walk past the door instead of how many actually buy a meal and come back for more.

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Here's a controversial statement that'll ruffle some feathers: Your pandemic career gap is not the liability you think it is—it's actually your secret weapon. While you've been losing sleep over that employment gap between March 2020 and whenever you landed back on your feet, the recruitment landscape has fundamentally shifted. That gap you're trying to hide? It's become so commonplace that more than half (53%) of all candidates screened in the last 12 months have career gaps on their CVs, according to employment screening provider Accurate Background. The pandemic didn't just change how we work—it rewrote the rules of what employers expect from a CV. If you're still approaching your pandemic career gap resume with pre-2020 thinking, you're not just behind the curve; you're potentially sabotaging your chances with outdated anxiety.

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By Karl Montgomery • July 14, 2025
Here's an uncomfortable truth: most of us are rubbish at negotiating our own worth . While 55% of job candidates don't even attempt to negotiate their salary, the very employers who'd benefit from their skills are sitting there wondering why talented people keep walking away from "generous" offers. But here's where it gets interesting – we're living through the biggest shift in workplace transparency since the gender pay gap reporting requirements landed in 2017. Pay transparency isn't just knocking at the UK's door; it's already reshaping how smart candidates approach salary conversations. The question isn't whether you should negotiate – it's whether you're equipped with the salary negotiation strategies that actually work in 2025.

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Picture this: after weeks of interviews, countless email exchanges, and meticulous CV screening, you've finally found the perfect candidate. The offer letter is sent, champagne is on ice—then silence. A few days later, the dreaded email arrives: "Thank you for the opportunity, but I've decided to pursue another option." Last-minute candidate rejections aren't just frustrating—they're expensive, time-consuming, and increasingly common in today's competitive job market. According to recent research by Robert Half UK, 42% of UK professionals have accepted a job offer but continued to interview for other roles. More alarmingly, 28% admitted to accepting an offer only to back out before starting. But why is this happening, and what can recruitment professionals and hiring managers do to prevent these eleventh-hour disappointments?

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By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In today's competitive business landscape, intuition and experience remain valuable, but they're no longer sufficient on their own. UK businesses facing rising operational costs, increasing competition, and a challenging economic environment can no longer afford to make critical workforce decisions based on gut feeling alone. The difference between thriving and merely surviving increasingly depends on how effectively organisations leverage data to optimise their most valuable resource: their people. According to research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , UK productivity growth has stagnated since the 2008 financial crisis, lagging behind other G7 nations. With the April 2025 minimum wage increases looming, businesses face growing pressure to extract maximum value from their workforce investments. The good news? The rise of workforce analytics provides unprecedented opportunities to identify inefficiencies, optimise performance, and cultivate environments where employees thrive. As Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Arts (RSA), noted in the UK Government's Good Work Review : "In a world of increasing workplace complexity, the organisations that thrive will be those that measure what matters and act on the insights." This blog explores how data-driven decision making can transform workforce productivity, examining practical approaches that UK businesses are implementing today with remarkable results.
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