According to Jelmer Zuidema, using data to improve your recruitment processes is the winning formula in recruitment marketing. But to get to that point, data and people need to come together. Jelmer founded Roadtrip with his business partner. Roadtrip helps companies to collect, analyse and utilise recruitment marketing data. His mission? To help companies recruit more effectively by making the most of the power of data and strong collaboration between marketing and recruitment. We’ll be discussing this with Jelmer.
Data as the basis in recruitment
In the recently published ‘Recruitment Trends 2025’ report from MrWork reveals that many organisations are struggling with the question of how to make meaningful use of their data. The survey shows that 24 per cent of respondents say they want greater insight into recruitment data, but do not always have it. Jelmer sees this demand growing every day, yet at the same time observes how few organisations prioritise it in good time: “We’re increasingly being asked: ‘Can you help us with data?’ But often that question only comes up once the campaigns are already running or have been completed. It’s only then that companies realise they wanted to know, in hindsight, which channels or adverts actually delivered results. In fact, by then it’s too late.”
From marketing campaigns to business goals
According to Jelmer, the core of a good, data-driven recruitment strategy revolves around one thing: quality over quantity. Companies still too often focus on 'quick' marketing results, such as lots of clicks or high application numbers. But in the end, one good hire is more valuable than a hundred irrelevant applications:
"A high CTR (click-through-rate) is nice, but it doesn't make the recruiter happy. What does make the recruiter happy is that your ads bring in four suitable candidates who are ultimately hired. That's where you really make an impact on the business goals."
Breaking the silos: marketing data + ATS data
Jelmer emphasises that there are two 'silos':
- The marketing data, from campaigns and work-by-sites.
- The ATS data, in which the further recruitment process and candidate steps are recorded.
As long as those silos remain separate, the marketer and recruiter do not align. The marketer looks at campaign and website performance, while the recruiter has to sift through all CVs and applications - with no insight into provenance and quality. "It's actually a very human problem: marketing and recruitment each have their own priorities. But if you combine that data in one dashboard or report, everyone sees exactly where things are going right or wrong. You create a common goal: effective hires."
At Roadtrip, Jelmer has seen numerous examples where this integration makes a world of difference. With the integration of ATS and marketing data, you discover such invisible 'losses' and you can shuffle your marketing budget more intelligently: "Sometimes companies halve hires based on the data provided. Then the cost per qualified application drops dramatically, because we no longer focus on quantity, but rather on the quality we find out through our data insights."
Investing in data: the long haul
So why do organisations still choose a 'flashy' video or new AI tool rather than the foundation that data can lay? Jelmer sees that the short-term result often gets more attention. A new tool is easy to present: it is concrete, visible, and (seemingly) quickly deployable. Data, on the other hand, is a lot more abstract, making it harder to make the 'added value' clear beforehand. "Actually, the biggest gain is in the question: how are you going to measure the success of your investment? Whether that is a chatbot, a new ATS or an advertising tool: you want to know what really improves, and you can only substantiate that with the right data. I therefore advise companies to first look at what insights they are missing now, before spending budget on yet another new AI tool."
Towards a more human, data-driven recruitment
How does Jelmer see the future? He believes that with the right use of data - and a healthy dose of humanity - recruitment campaigns can become much more effective. In doing so, marketing and recruitment should not operate as separate islands, but work together around the same KPIs.
"In the end, it's about more than just bringing in candidates. It's about the marketing department also feeling the pain of the recruiter, and the recruiter understanding what the marketer needs to run a good campaign. That exchange of needs, fuelled by data, is what I hope to see in more and more organisations in the coming years."
His advice? Start with the basics: make sure your data are clearly structured, connect marketing and ATS data and agree from day one which KPIs are really important (e.g. quality instead of quantity). This way, every party - marketer, recruiter and HR - can report, adjust and learn from the same insights.
About the expert
Jelmer Zuidema is co-founder of Roadtrip and an expert on the intersection of recruitment marketing and data analytics.
With his company, he helps organisations link marketing data to ATS insights so they can recruit more consciously and effectively. His mission is to make companies focus on quality rather than quantity, with a strong focus on getting qualified candidates. Jelmer believes in the power of collaboration between recruitment and marketing and advocates breaking silos within organisations.
