5 Superstitions Recruiters Believe About Website Design (That Make Developers Cry Gently at Night)

In the wild world of recruiting, where talent shortages make headlines and LinkedIn is the battlefield, your website is your digital handshake. It’s your virtual suit, your 24/7 recruiter that never takes a coffee break.

So, naturally, when it comes to designing recruitment websites, everyone has an opinion. From the hiring manager who “read somewhere that blue increases trust” to the CEO who thinks sliders are “still trendy,” superstition runs wild.

Here are five big myths we developers see over and over—complete with eye twitches and keyboard-smashing behind the scenes.

1. Snob Appeal: “Fancy Fonts = Fancy Candidates”

Some recruitment clients believe that if it looks luxurious, it’ll attract top-tier talent. You know, the kind of candidates who wear tailored suits to video interviews and send thank-you emails with perfect punctuation.

So they ask for gold gradients, cursive typography, and animations smoother than a jazz sax solo.

But here's the truth: a visually ‘premium’ site doesn’t guarantee premium applicants. Top talent isn’t applying because your homepage sparkles—they’re applying because your application process doesn’t feel like a tax return. Clarity beats vanity.

What really matters? Fast load times, intuitive navigation, and clear job descriptions. Unless you’re recruiting Bond villains, drop the velvet textures.

2. Big and Bossy: “If the CTA Button’s Huge, Candidates Will Obey”

Ah yes, the “Make the Apply Button Bigger” myth. A classic. The idea is: if a button is massive enough, candidates will feel so compelled, so emotionally moved, they’ll apply immediately—maybe even twice.

Design-wise, that’s like turning up the volume on a bad song. It doesn’t make it better. It just makes it louder.

What actually works? Strategic placement, clear language, and a CTA that speaks directly to the job seeker’s needs. "Apply Now" is good. "Show Me My Next Dream Job" might be even better.

Also, if you have to rely on size to make your button get noticed, the rest of your layout may be yelling too loudly.

3. Pretty = Productive: “If It Looks Sleek, It Must Work Well”

Recruitment clients LOVE a sexy dashboard. Sleek, dark-mode layouts. Cool graphs. Neon job status tags.

And yet... the candidate can’t find the “submit” button. Or the recruiter doesn’t know if the job post went live. But hey, it looks good, right?

This is the equivalent of buying a beautiful briefcase and realizing it doesn’t actually open. Design isn’t decoration—it’s communication. If your site looks like a Vogue cover but functions like a broken vending machine, nobody’s coming back.

Let’s all agree: “easy-to-use” beats “easy-on-the-eyes.” Bonus points if it’s both.

4. Trendy Equals Trustworthy: “Let’s Just Do What That Other Career Site Did”

If we had a coin for every time a client said, “Can we just make it look like Indeed/LinkedIn/Apple’s job page?”—we’d be working from our own island.

Copying trends blindly is like wearing someone else’s tailored suit. Sure, it kind of fits, but it was never made for your shape, your message, your goals.

Recruitment sites need to speak your employer brand. Not TikTok’s. Not Tesla’s. Yours. And trends come and go, but clarity, consistency, and authenticity? Those stick.

Instead of jumping on every design bandwagon, let’s build something that actually converts—something that speaks to your ideal candidates.

5. Mob Mentality: “Well, Everyone Else Has That Feature, So We Should Too”

Look, we get it. FOMO is real in recruitment. You hear another firm has live chat, video intro uploads, and a chatbot named “Gary.” Suddenly, you want all of that... and maybe a podcast widget too?

But just because other recruitment sites are doing it doesn’t mean it’s the right move for you. Or your candidates. Or your team that’s already drowning in admin tasks.

Designing by committee or copying the competition often leads to cluttered, Frankenstein-like experiences. Let’s not build a site for every candidate ever. Let’s build it for the ones you actually want to hire.

So, What Should You Believe Instead?

Design is about empathy, not ego. It's not about what feels professional to you—it’s about what feels effortless to your users.

If you’re working with developers to build a recruitment site, remember: we’re not just here to make it pretty. We’re here to solve problems—like too many drop-offs, too few quality applicants, or recruiters spending 40 minutes explaining where to click.

When in doubt, test it. Talk to users. Watch where they click. And for the love of sourcing, stop believing that a bigger button will solve a broken flow.

Final Thought:

A recruitment website is not a digital billboard. It’s a conversion machine. And just like hiring a great candidate, it’s less about appearances—and more about how it performs under pressure.

Let’s leave the superstitions at the door and design smart.

Your future hires will thank you.