Recruitment

Why Classic Job Portals Are Starting to Fail

June 10, 20263 min readSurikado Team

Job portals emerged at a time when looking for work meant browsing newspapers or walking around a shopping mall checking storefronts for job ads. They were a huge improvement. They worked for twenty years.

In 2026, their model is breaking down on two levels – economically for companies and experientially for candidates. Let's look at why.

The economics no longer add up

The classic portal model is simple: you pay for the listing, not for the result.

Listing: 250 – 500 €
Average number of responses: 20 – 60
Of which relevant: 3 – 8
Of which invited to interview: 1 – 3
Of which hired: 0 or 1

The real cost per hire through a portal today comes out to 500 – 2,000 €. And that's without any guarantee. If no one is found, the money is gone.

Staffing agencies offer a result, but for a commission of 15–25% of the annual salary. For a mid-level position, that's easily 4–8 thousand euros.

In between, there's a gap being filled by AI tools with a pay-per-evaluation model – you pay for each CV processed, not for the listing or for the placement. For the same number of candidates, the cost is significantly lower.

Candidates are moving elsewhere

The second problem is even bigger – candidates are stopping using portals. Not all of them, but the best ones.

Why? Because they have to:

Create an account.
Fill out a profile with 30 fields.
Upload a CV.
Write a cover letter.
Apply via a button, with no idea whether anyone will actually read it.

For passive candidates (those who aren't actively looking for a job but would consider a better offer), this barrier is too high. And passive candidates are usually the highest quality ones – because they're already employed somewhere today.

Where they're going instead

Three directions:

LinkedIn and referrals – especially for IT, office, and management positions.
WhatsApp and conversational channels – especially for operational positions (manufacturing, warehousing, HoReCa, transport). If this interests you, check out Surikado for companies.
Direct search on the employer's website – people go to the website of the company they want to work for and look for "careers" there.

Portals remain relevant for certain segments – especially for classic admin positions and certain regions. But their role is no longer "the universal first place to post a listing".

What to do about it now

If you currently hire mainly through portals, there's no need to panic – but there's also no need to wait. A practical step:

Split positions into two groups based on where candidates actually look for them.
For operational positions, try an alternative to portals for 60 days (e.g. WhatsApp-first recruitment).
Measure cost per hire, not cost per response. The number will surprise you.

Portals won't disappear. But their share of the mix will keep shrinking, and companies that adjust their mix sooner will end up with better teams for the same budget.

CV Sample 2026: How to Write a Résumé That Grabs Attention

July 6, 20263 min readMartina Kováčová, HR Consultant

Quick answer: A good CV fits on one to two pages, is tailored to the specific position, and has the most important information right at the top. Since 85% of people actively follow job listings (Ipsos, 2023), you're competing for a position with dozens of others — and it's the CV that determines whether you get further. Below you'll find a sample and a guide on how to write one.

What should a CV include in 2026?

A CV today should contain six sections, ordered from most to least important. A recruiter often glances at a CV for just a few seconds, so the essentials need to be visible right away.

Contact details — name, phone, email, city (no need for date of birth or marital status).
Short profile — 2–3 sentences on who you are and what you can offer.
Work experience — from the most recent, with concrete results.
Education — from the highest level attained.
Skills — both professional and software skills, tied to the position.
Languages — with proficiency level (A1–C2).

What should a CV look like (sample)

Use a simple, clear structure. Here's a template you can just fill in:

Name Surname
City · +421 9xx xxx xxx · email@email.com

PROFILE
2–3 sentences: position, key experience, what you can bring.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Position — Company (month/year – month/year)
  • concrete result (ideally with a number)
  • responsibility / project

EDUCATION
School — field of study (year – year)

SKILLS
Professional: ...   Software: ...

LANGUAGES
Slovak – native · English – B2

If you want the European standard, use the official Europass format.

What are the most common CV mistakes?

One universal CV for everything — the biggest mistake.
Overstuffed, two or more pages — the recruiter doesn't have time.
No results, just a list of duties — missing numbers and impact.
Typos and messy formatting — looks careless.

How do you tailor your CV to a specific position?

Go through the job listing and use its keywords in your CV. Many companies sort résumés using an automated system (ATS) that filters out ones without the right terms — read more in the article why nobody replies to your CV. Then prepare your cover letter as well, and think through the questions you're most likely to be asked at the interview.

Do I even need a CV?

In many cases, not anymore. With Surikado you skip writing a CV entirely — on WhatsApp you say in your own words what you can do, and the system matches you with positions you're suited for.

Try Surikado: write on WhatsApp what you can do, and within a few minutes you'll get tailored offers — or Surikado Interview AI will interview you for the position right over a call. No CV, no registration.

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