Careers Page: How More Applications Come Through Your Website

Author: Edip Kilinc, founder of Webwavers. Published: October 31, 2026. Last updated: October 31, 2026. Reading time: about 15 minutes.

The key points in brief

A careers page brings in more applications when it delivers three things: clear answers to your target group's questions (role, salary range, location, process), an application that works on mobile in under 10 minutes, and a fast response to every application. Design and employer branding only help once this foundation is in place. You don't measure the payoff in page views but in the share of visitors who complete their application.

• The biggest lever is the application flow, not the careers page homepage.
• Every target group (apprentice, engineer, skilled worker) needs different content and its own entry point.
• Jobs must be findable on Google, through job posting markup and a separate URL for each job.
• Application data is personal data. The form, retention periods and processing must be GDPR-proof.
• If you don't measure the numbers, you're optimizing blind. Simple tracking is enough to start.

Contents

• Why careers pages become the bottleneck
• What applicants look for on a careers page
• The seven levers for more applications
• The application form in detail
• Data protection in applications
• Tech: Webflow, WordPress and applicant management
• Industry and mechanical engineering
• Mobility and aviation
• Other industries in brief
• Calculate your cost per application yourself
• When you don't need an agency
• Checklist
• Frequently asked questions

Why careers pages become the bottleneck

For many companies, the careers page is the most important place where interest either turns into an application or doesn't. Job boards and social media bring attention, but at some point almost every candidate lands on your website to check whether the employer looks credible and a good fit. If the page is thin, outdated or broken on mobile, you lose that person even though you've already paid for the contact.

At the same time, the market is unevenly distributed. It isn't true that skilled workers are missing everywhere. Specific qualifications are missing in specific regions. If you know your industry, you plan more realistically. Examples from the industry sections further down:

Area	Metric	Source
Engineering and IT occupations overall, Q2 2025	106,310 open positions (minus 22.1% year over year), 54,926 unemployed (plus 19.1%), 194 open positions per 100 unemployed (prior year 296)	VDI/IW Engineering Monitor Q2/2025
Mechanical and vehicle engineering, Q2 2025	13,660 open positions, 6,153 unemployed (plus 28.4%), 222 open positions per 100 unemployed	VDI/IW Engineering Monitor Q2/2025
Skilled trades, 2025 data	209,444 open positions, 139,239 unemployed skilled workers, gap of 97,482	KOFA Kompakt 07/2026 (IW)
Aerospace engineering occupations	listed as a shortage occupation (BA analysis 2025), vacancy time 109 days	Compiled by profiling-institut.de from BA data, secondary source

The numbers show two things. First, the situation has eased for engineers, because fewer jobs are being advertised and more people are unemployed. The shortage ratio fell from 296 to 194 open positions per 100 unemployed, but it stays above 100, so there are still more open positions than unemployed people. Second, in the skilled trades, about every second open position remains without a suitably qualified unemployed skilled worker. What applies to you depends on your occupation and your region. The same principle holds for apprentices, as the aviation section below shows.

What applicants look for on a careers page

Candidates don't read a careers page like an advertising brochure. They look for answers, in this order: What exactly will I do there? What do I get for it? Where is the workplace? How does the application work, and how quickly will I hear back? A photo slider with team spirit answers none of that.

Several surveys show where applications get abandoned:

• According to a representative survey by karriere.at of more than 1,000 working-age people in Austria (press release April 10, 2024), 36 percent have abandoned an application at least once even though they were interested in the job. Reasons named include lengthy and complicated online application processes. The figure comes from Austria and is a rough guide, not a German value.
• Stepstone publishes abandonment reasons in a guide (as of February 18, 2025): unclear job information 62 percent, no feedback 54 percent, technical problems 41 percent, complex or duplicate forms 34 percent, forms that are too long 31 percent. 62 percent want to apply in under 10 minutes, and 78 percent regularly read job ads on their smartphone. The article doesn't state its methodology or sample, so treat the values as a hint from the provider.

This gives you a simple priority list: first clarity in the job description, then the technology and length of the application, then feedback. Only after that does the look and feel pay off.

The seven levers for more applications

1. A job overview that works in three seconds

The overview needs filters for location, department and entry level, a clear job title, and one sentence per job on location and type (full-time, part-time, apprenticeship). Candidates shouldn't have to scroll to understand what fits them. An open application belongs in a prominent spot, because not every role is advertised at the moment.

2. A separate page per job with its own URL

Every job gets its own indexable page. This helps in search, makes links in ads possible and keeps tracking clean. The job page contains tasks, requirements (split into must-have and nice-to-have), salary range or classification, location, team size, a named contact person and the application process. Describing the process with steps and response time reduces uncertainty.

3. Findability on Google and AI search

In its documentation on job postings (JobPosting markup), Google describes which fields structured data needs so that jobs can appear in Google job search. The markup has to match the visible content. It also helps to answer typical questions such as "What does an aircraft mechanic earn?" or "How does the application work?" as text on the page, because AI systems quote exactly such passages. An expired job shouldn't just disappear: either you redirect to the overview or you mark the page as closed.

4. An application without hurdles

More on this in the next section. The principle: as few required fields as possible, usable on mobile, résumé via upload or link, no cover letter as a requirement.

5. Content that makes the decision easier

Good careers content is concrete: a day in the role, a look at the technology and the workshop, quotes from the team, the path from entry-level to responsibility. Replace stock photos with your own shots.

6. Fast, visible feedback

An automatic confirmation of receipt with information on the next steps and the expected timeline is a must. In its guide, Stepstone says that 62 percent of respondents would wait at most one week for an answer. Even if the figure is only a rough guide: a rejection after four weeks costs reputation, and an offer after four weeks often costs you the candidate.

7. Measurement

Measure at least these four values: visitors to the job page, clicks on "Apply", started applications, completed applications. Add the source (job board, Google, social, direct). From the four numbers you can see where things get stuck. Many visitors, few clicks on "Apply": the job doesn't convince. Many clicks, few completions: the form is the problem.

The application form in detail

The form decides how many interested people actually apply. Good practice:

1. Reduce required fields to what's necessary: name, email, phone optional, résumé. Everything else can come later in the interview.
2. Résumé and attachments via upload with clear limits: state file formats and maximum size up front. An additional option such as "apply with LinkedIn profile or link" can lower hurdles.
3. No required cover letter. If you want one, offer a short free-text field. According to Stepstone, 54 percent of the recruiters surveyed are in favor of dropping the classic cover letter.
4. Make progress visible: with more than one step, a progress bar shows how much is left.
5. Mobile first: large tap targets, matching keyboards (email, phone), file selection from cloud and camera.
6. Specific error messages: not "Error", but "The file is larger than 10 MB".
7. Confirmation page plus email: with the process, a contact person and a data protection notice.
8. Fallback: an email address or phone number for candidates for whom the form fails.

One figure to calibrate expectations: 75 percent of the candidates cited by Stepstone want an application process that is as simple as an online purchase. That doesn't mean you drop everything, it means every question has to earn its place.

Data protection in applications

Applicant data is personal data, partly sensitive (photo, age, health information in résumés). For the form, the following applies:

• Information: link a privacy notice for the application process directly at the form, stating purpose, recipients, retention period and rights.
• Data minimization: collect only what you really need. Photos, date of birth or marital status are not required fields.
• Secure transmission and storage: HTTPS, access only for those involved in the selection process, no forwarding via unencrypted email internally.
• Retention periods: after a rejection, data should be deleted after a fixed period. The background: under § 15 para. 4 AGG (German General Equal Treatment Act), claims for compensation must be asserted in writing within two months, which is why many companies keep data for several months. You set the exact period with your data protection officer or legal counsel, this is not legal advice.
• Consent for the talent pool: if you want to store applicants for longer, you need separate, voluntary consent.
• Service providers: form tools and applicant management systems process data on your behalf. For that you need a data processing agreement and should pay attention to server location and subprocessors.

Cookies and tracking on the careers page are subject to the same rules as on the rest of the website (consent under the TDDDG, the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act). No consent, no tracking, which is why a setup that also allows anonymous counting is worthwhile.

Tech: Webflow, WordPress and applicant management

The system question matters less than many think. What matters more is who maintains the jobs and where the applications go. Three ways:

Way	How it works	Strength	Limit
Jobs in the website CMS, form on the page	Each job as a CMS entry, form sends to an HR mailbox or applicant management	Full control over design and structure	You build storage and deadlines yourself
Applicant tracking system (ATS) with embed	Jobs arrive through an interface or widget from tools such as Personio, JOIN or softgarden	Process, deadlines and roles are covered	Design and tracking depend on the tool
Hybrid	Job page in your own CMS, application via API or redirect to the ATS	Good SEO page plus clean administration	More coordination needed

Webflow and WordPress can handle all three. Webflow offers CMS collections in which HR staff can create, publish and close jobs without a developer, as described in the guide on maintaining the Webflow CMS yourself. WordPress can do this with plugins or custom post types, but needs more upkeep for updates. TYPO3 and headless systems come into play at large organizations with complex permissions. Viewed system-neutrally, your team is the deciding factor.

Whether applicant management should be linked to a CRM or HR software is something you clarify early. How such integrations work in principle is described in the guide on website CRM integration.

Industry and mechanical engineering: a careers page for engineers

Starting point with numbers. The engineering market is no longer a uniform shortage. The VDI/IW Engineering Monitor reports for Q2 2025 that open positions in engineering and IT occupations fell to 106,310 (minus 22.1 percent), while the number of unemployed rose to 54,926. Even so, there are 194 open positions per 100 unemployed. In mechanical and vehicle engineering, the value is 222. For Q3 2025, produktion.de, based on the same monitor, reports 99,470 open positions in IT and engineering (minus 23 percent). Conclusion for HR leaders: there are more applicants on the market than two years ago, but the good specialists (development, design, automation) haven't suddenly become easy to get. If you're getting fewer applications than expected right now, you usually have a visibility or process problem, not purely a market problem.

What engineers check on a careers page. Engineers are technically minded and skeptical of platitudes. They want to know: Which products will I work on? Which technologies and standards do you use? How much room to shape things will I have? What development paths exist (specialist instead of management career)? What does hybrid or remote mean in practice? Accordingly, the page should include:

• Project and product examples with technical key data instead of generic values
• A look at development and production, with real photos and quotes from the team
• A transparent salary classification, or at least ranges, as far as the company can provide them
• A direct line to the technical department, not just to HR
• Information on locations, working time models, continuing education and patents or publications

The same website is often read by buyers and customers as well. If you align the careers page with the company website, you get double use out of product images, certificates and references. More on the industry perspective is on the page Industry and Engineering.

Explainer video or image film? Both can work for engineers, but for different jobs.

Criterion	Animated explainer video	Classic image film
Main job	Make technology, product or process understandable	Make culture, people and attitude tangible
Strength with engineers	Shows complexity precisely, even without filming permission on the factory grounds	Shows real colleagues, spaces and ways of working
Effort	Script, storyboard, animation; independent of shooting dates	Shoot planning, locations, people in front of the camera, editing
Risk	Feels abstract when people are missing	Feels interchangeable if it only shows mood
Updating	Individual scenes can often be adjusted	New shoots when things change
Fits when	The product or technology is the main reason to join you	Team culture is the main reason

A rule of thumb: if applicants should understand what they'll work on, use an explainer video or a 3D animation. If they should feel who they'll work with, use film with real people. Often the best solution is a combination of short team clips and a targeted technical animation. Important: the video never replaces the text, because search engines and AI systems read text. A short summary and chapters belong under every video. More on technical animations is in the guide Explaining technology with a 3D explainer video and on the page about Motion Design.

Specifics of an industrial company's website. Usually the company website and the careers page run together. In that case a shared structure pays off: unified navigation, a "Careers" section in the header, jobs also linked on product pages where it fits. Multilingual setups are common at export companies, and the careers page should exist at least in German and English if you recruit internationally.

Mobility and aviation: aircraft mechanics, flight schools and suppliers

Starting point with numbers, and their limits. For aviation, the data is thin. A current nationwide study breaking down skilled workers and jobs by occupation for 2025 or 2026 doesn't exist. These are the reliable reference points:

• The German Economic Institute (IW) found in mid-2022 that technical air transport operations (as of April 2022) had a gap of 633 people and service staff a gap of 42 people. Employment had fallen from 2018/2019 to 2020/2021 by 15 percent for service staff and by 12.9 percent in technical operations (CIO/dpa, June 22, 2022). That was the aftermath of the Covid years and is outdated today, but it shows how quickly staff are lost and how slowly they come back.
• According to a compilation of BA data by profiling-institut.de, aerospace engineering occupations count as a shortage occupation in the Federal Employment Agency's skilled worker shortage analysis 2025, with a vacancy time of 109 days. This is a secondary source, please check it against the original BA data before publishing.
• On the apprenticeship market, the same compilation (BIBB, reporting date September 30, 2025) cites 924 new apprenticeship contracts in this occupation, plus 27.3 percent compared with 2019, with 18 unfilled places and 54 applicants without a place. If that is correct, the problem in the apprenticeship market is not a lack of applicants but fit and the visibility of individual companies.

Don't read this as an all-clear. It means: if you're looking for aircraft mechanics or licensed inspectors, you're competing for few experienced people, while for apprenticeship places in the region more people are interested than there are places. These are two different problems with two different careers pages. An industry overview is available on the page Aviation and Mobility.

Aircraft mechanics and technical specialists. This target group rates safety, approval and quality very highly. The careers page should show which approvals the company holds (for example a maintenance organization under EASA Part-145; please match this to your actual approval), which aircraft types or systems are maintained, which license levels are sponsored and what further training toward authorizations looks like. Shift models, places of work (hangar, outstation) and a clear path from apprenticeship to license matter. A contact person from the technical side who answers questions is stronger than any image video.

Flight schools. There are two sides to a career here: pilots and instructors on one side, students on the other. For instructors and pilots, fleet mix, flight hours, locations, contract models and development count. For students, what counts is requirements (medical fitness, minimum age), process, costs and dates. If a flight school offers consumers online booking, the site should be built to be accessible, because online booking tools can fall under the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG). Microenterprises with fewer than 10 employees are exempt for services. Have this reviewed legally in each case. A careers page is not automatically affected, but a consumer booking form on the same website is.

Suppliers. For suppliers to the automotive and aviation industries, a second motive comes in: the VDA reports that almost 120,000 jobs in the German automotive industry have been lost since 2019 (around 716,000 employees, VDA press report of October 22, 2025), and suppliers employed 24 percent fewer people between August 2019 and August 2025. Suppliers that move into aviation or other markets in particular need a careers page that shows stability and perspective at the same time: new markets, certificates, investment in technology. Skilled workers from the vehicle industry are a possible target group if you explain the career change clearly.

Mobile is a must. Younger applicants for apprenticeships and technical roles in particular apply from their smartphone. A form that only works on desktop shuts them out. This is the point where many flight schools and companies lose applications.

Other industries in brief

In the skilled trades, the gap is large according to KOFA Kompakt 07/2026 (IW, 2025 data): 209,444 open positions face 139,239 unemployed skilled workers, the gap is 97,482 and affects 59 of 115 trades. For apprentices, the number of unfilled places rose from around 5,000 (2011) to around 21,571 (2025), with 133,197 new contracts. If you want to win applicants here, you need a short, mobile flow and an entry point for apprentices that parents and teenagers understand in a minute. Details are on the page Trades and Crafts. In consulting and law firms, attitude, client mix and development prospects play a bigger role than technical details, and at energy suppliers, according to the EY/BDEW municipal utilities study 2024, 87 percent of the suppliers surveyed name digitalization, heat planning and skilled worker recruitment as the most important topics.

Calculate your cost per application yourself

You often find flat values for "careers page versus job board", but reliable independent numbers for Germany don't exist. So there's no comparison value here, but a calculation with your own numbers:

Cost per application = (one-time costs ÷ period in months + running costs per month + ad costs per month) ÷ applications per month

An example in words: you spread the purchase of the careers page over 24 months, add upkeep, tools and paid ads per month, and divide by the number of completed applications. Important: count only qualified applications and compare them with cost per hire, not just per application. A job board can deliver many applications, the careers page fewer but better-fitting ones. Both routes complement each other, because candidates from the job board end up on your page in the end.

Channel	Type of cost	What you should measure
Careers page (organic)	One-time build, ongoing upkeep and content	Applications per 100 visitors, source
Job board	Per ad or package	Applications per ad, share of suitable candidates
Social ads	Ad budget plus production	Click cost to application
Referrals	Bonuses, running the program	Share of hires

When you don't need an agency

An agency isn't always necessary. You can do without one if

• you fill only a few jobs a year and an existing applicant management system comes with its own careers page,
• your website runs on a system where you can maintain jobs yourself, and what you mainly lack is clear text,
• the problem isn't the page but the internal process (answer after three weeks, no contact person),
• you have a budget for ads but none for design, and the existing page works on mobile.

Get support if the page is technically outdated, if brand and careers presence drift apart, or if you want to rebuild design, copy, form and tracking in one go. In Munich and the surrounding area there are a number of agencies with different focuses for this. Ask for examples with an application flow, not just for nice-looking careers pages.

Checklist: tune your careers page for applications

1. Every target group has its own entry point (apprentice, skilled worker, engineer, career changer).
2. Every job has its own URL with tasks, requirements, location, salary classification and contact person.
3. JobPosting markup is in place and matches the visible text.
4. The form has at most five required fields and works on mobile in under 10 minutes.
5. There is a confirmation of receipt with the process and expected timeline.
6. Privacy notice at the form, retention periods defined, data processing agreement clarified.
7. Tracking counts visitors, clicks on "Apply", started and completed applications.
8. Own photos and videos instead of stock material, each with a text summary.
9. Outdated jobs are closed or redirected.
10. There is a plan for how quickly each application gets an answer, and someone responsible for it.

Frequently asked questions

Who in Munich builds a careers page with an application form?

In Munich there are web agencies, recruiting agencies and providers of applicant management systems with their own careers pages. When choosing, look for examples with a working application flow, a GDPR concept and tracking, not just for looks.

How many fields can an application form have?

Fewer is better. Stick to name, email, résumé and optionally phone. You ask for everything else in the interview. According to Stepstone, 34 percent of respondents name complex or duplicate forms and 31 percent forms that are too long as a reason for abandoning.

Which agencies build GDPR-compliant application forms with upload?

Any agency that plans data protection in from the start can do it: HTTPS, data minimization, notice text at the form, deletion concept, data processing agreements, storage in the EU. Ask specifically where the files end up, who has access and how long they are stored.

Webflow or WordPress for a careers page where we post jobs without a developer?

Both work. In Webflow you maintain jobs as CMS entries in the editor, in WordPress via post types or plugins. What matters are roles and permissions, a clear form setup and the effort for updates. If your team wants to work without technical help and the system should stay lean, Webflow is often the simpler choice. With an existing WordPress setup, staying can make more sense.

Explainer video or image film for the careers page of an industrial company?

An explainer video shows technology and tasks, an image film shows people and culture. If engineers mainly want to know what they'll work on, the animation pays off. If your advantage lies in the team, a film with real colleagues is stronger. Many companies combine both in short formats.

Why does our careers page get hardly any applications despite visitors?

It usually comes down to one of four causes: unclear job information, a form that is too long or difficult on mobile, no feedback after the application, or a target group that never sees the page. First measure where visitors drop off, then decide whether content, technology or process is the issue.

How long does it take to rebuild a careers page?

That depends on the scope. A rebuild of job pages and form can be planned and implemented in a few weeks if content and approvals are ready. With film, photo production and multilingual setup it takes longer. The bottleneck is usually content and coordination, not the technology.

Do we need an applicant management system?

If you fill more than a few jobs a year, have several people in the selection process or need to document deadlines and deletions cleanly, a system is worth it. For very few jobs, a properly set up mailbox with a deletion concept is enough.

Conclusion

More applications rarely come from a new design alone. They come when candidates quickly understand what to expect, when the application works on mobile in a few minutes and when they get an answer promptly afterward. The market numbers show that the skilled worker shortage varies greatly by occupation: for engineers it has shifted, in the skilled trades it remains large, in aviation it is hard to quantify. Start with measurement and the application flow, then comes content, video and design.

Support with your careers page

If you want to rebuild page, form and tracking in one go, talk to us about your case: Contact. Webwavers has a location in the Werksviertel in Munich and works across Germany.

Changelog

• October 31, 2026: First publication.

Sources

• VDI/IW Ingenieurmonitor 2. Quartal 2025 (PDF, bayika.de) (VDI/IW Engineering Monitor Q2 2025)
• produktion.de: Arbeitsmarkt für Ingenieure unter Druck (28.01.2026, Basis VDI/IW Q3 2025) (Labor market for engineers under pressure, January 28, 2026, based on VDI/IW Q3 2025)
• KOFA Kompakt 07/2026: Handwerk (IW) (Skilled trades)
• CIO/dpa: Luftfahrtbranche droht Fachkräftemangel (IW-Studie, 22.06.2022) (Aviation industry faces skilled worker shortage, IW study, June 22, 2022)
• profiling-institut.de: Fluggerätmechaniker (Aufbereitung BA-Fachkräfteengpassanalyse 2025 und BIBB, Sekundärquelle) (Aircraft mechanic; compilation of the BA skilled worker shortage analysis 2025 and BIBB, secondary source)
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Fachkräfteengpassanalyse 2025 (Federal Employment Agency: skilled worker shortage analysis 2025)
• VDA-Pressebericht zum Stellenabbau, 22.10.2025 (Verkehrsrundschau) (VDA press report on job cuts, October 22, 2025)
• karriere.at: Pressemitteilung Abbruchquote im Bewerbungsprozess (10.04.2024) (Press release on abandonment rate in the application process, April 10, 2024)
• Stepstone: Bewerbungsprozess optimieren (Stand 18.02.2025) (Optimizing the application process, as of February 18, 2025)
• EY/BDEW Stadtwerkestudie 2024 (Pressemitteilung 04.06.2024) (EY/BDEW municipal utilities study 2024, press release June 4, 2024)
• Google Search Central: Job-Posting-Markup
• Gesetze im Internet: § 15 AGG
• Gesetze im Internet: BFSG
• Görg: Digital ohne Hürden, was das BFSG für Unternehmen bedeutet (20.01.2025) (Digital without barriers: what the BFSG means for companies, January 20, 2025)