PRESS RELEASE
from The Stepstone Group
The requirements trap: job ads often ask for more than necessary and hold candidates back
EQS-Media / 28.10.2026 / 10:29 CET/CEST
Press release
The requirements trap: job ads often ask for more than necessary and hold candidates back
This reveals a striking contradiction: 87 percent of HR decision-makers struggle to find candidates with the skills they need. At the same time, more than half lack reliable data on which requirements are typically expected for comparable roles. The result can be overloaded job ads that discourage potentially suitable candidates from applying.
“The longer the list of requirements, the greater the risk that a job ad no longer describes a single role, but the profiles of several professionals combined,” says Dr Anna Wittich, Labour Market Researcher at The Stepstone Group. “HR decision-makers should therefore review job profiles regularly, clearly prioritise requirements and distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Focusing on the core skills that truly matter creates greater transparency and opens the application process to suitable talent.”
Marketing has the broadest requirements profile
The analysis also reveals significant differences in requirements profiles across occupational groups. In marketing, alongside established skills such as communication and organisational abilities, analytical capabilities including data analysis and an understanding of digital platforms shape the current role profile. With an average of 15 skills mentioned per job ad, marketing records the highest figure of all occupational groups analysed.
In HR, interpersonal skills play an important role alongside core administrative processes. Skills such as a service-oriented approach, proactivity and empathy emerge as key differentiators in supporting employees and retaining talent. Alongside traditional process management, proactive employee support and talent retention therefore help distinguish different HR roles.
IT, meanwhile, shows a highly specialised requirements profile. While programming remains a core skill, experience with cloud technologies, IT infrastructure, and security and risk management are among the key areas of focus.
Job seekers should not be discouraged when faced with extensive requirements lists. “Job ads often reflect the ideal profile for a role rather than the absolute minimum requirements. Candidates should not be discouraged by long lists of requirements provided they meet the core requirements,” says Dr Anna Wittich.
For employers, the solution lies in focusing on the qualifications that are truly relevant to the position. Reducing job ads to clearly prioritised core requirements can help prevent qualified candidates from being deterred by overloaded wish lists while also creating greater transparency in the application process.
About the Stepstone Skills Map
For the Stepstone Skills Map, more than 100,000 Stepstone job ads were analysed for skills using AI-assisted methods in collaboration with HTW Berlin, capturing a total of 955,295 skill mentions. The methodology is based on so-called embeddings generated by AI language models, which group similar formulations into 231 broader categories based on the data. Coding and analysis were carried out by Prof. Dr Hendrik Send.
About Dr Anna Wittich
Dr Anna Wittich is a labour market researcher at The Stepstone Group, where she studies job search behaviour, applications, recruiting, and job satisfaction. In her work, she analyses how the expectations, decisions and experiences of employees, candidates and companies in the labour market are changing. Based on Stepstone data and studies, she contextualises developments within career paths, application behaviour, willingness to change jobs, working conditions and modern HR practices. In media appearances, talks and analyses, she combines data-based labour market insights with practical recommendations for employees, jobseekers and companies.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutions connect more than 130 million job applications with about 70,000 customers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs more than 2,500 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group Media Relations
press@stepstone.com
The requirements trap: job ads often ask for more than necessary and hold candidates back
- Study by Stepstone and HTW Berlin: 71 percent of HR decision-makers say that job ads often ask for more qualifications than are actually required for the position.
- 44 percent of jobseekers refrain from applying if they do not fully meet the formal criteria listed in a job ad.
- The analysis of more than 100,000 job ads reveals significant differences between occupational groups.
This reveals a striking contradiction: 87 percent of HR decision-makers struggle to find candidates with the skills they need. At the same time, more than half lack reliable data on which requirements are typically expected for comparable roles. The result can be overloaded job ads that discourage potentially suitable candidates from applying.
“The longer the list of requirements, the greater the risk that a job ad no longer describes a single role, but the profiles of several professionals combined,” says Dr Anna Wittich, Labour Market Researcher at The Stepstone Group. “HR decision-makers should therefore review job profiles regularly, clearly prioritise requirements and distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Focusing on the core skills that truly matter creates greater transparency and opens the application process to suitable talent.”
Marketing has the broadest requirements profile
The analysis also reveals significant differences in requirements profiles across occupational groups. In marketing, alongside established skills such as communication and organisational abilities, analytical capabilities including data analysis and an understanding of digital platforms shape the current role profile. With an average of 15 skills mentioned per job ad, marketing records the highest figure of all occupational groups analysed.
In HR, interpersonal skills play an important role alongside core administrative processes. Skills such as a service-oriented approach, proactivity and empathy emerge as key differentiators in supporting employees and retaining talent. Alongside traditional process management, proactive employee support and talent retention therefore help distinguish different HR roles.
IT, meanwhile, shows a highly specialised requirements profile. While programming remains a core skill, experience with cloud technologies, IT infrastructure, and security and risk management are among the key areas of focus.
Job seekers should not be discouraged when faced with extensive requirements lists. “Job ads often reflect the ideal profile for a role rather than the absolute minimum requirements. Candidates should not be discouraged by long lists of requirements provided they meet the core requirements,” says Dr Anna Wittich.
For employers, the solution lies in focusing on the qualifications that are truly relevant to the position. Reducing job ads to clearly prioritised core requirements can help prevent qualified candidates from being deterred by overloaded wish lists while also creating greater transparency in the application process.
About the Stepstone Skills Map
For the Stepstone Skills Map, more than 100,000 Stepstone job ads were analysed for skills using AI-assisted methods in collaboration with HTW Berlin, capturing a total of 955,295 skill mentions. The methodology is based on so-called embeddings generated by AI language models, which group similar formulations into 231 broader categories based on the data. Coding and analysis were carried out by Prof. Dr Hendrik Send.
About Dr Anna Wittich
Dr Anna Wittich is a labour market researcher at The Stepstone Group, where she studies job search behaviour, applications, recruiting, and job satisfaction. In her work, she analyses how the expectations, decisions and experiences of employees, candidates and companies in the labour market are changing. Based on Stepstone data and studies, she contextualises developments within career paths, application behaviour, willingness to change jobs, working conditions and modern HR practices. In media appearances, talks and analyses, she combines data-based labour market insights with practical recommendations for employees, jobseekers and companies.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutions connect more than 130 million job applications with about 70,000 customers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs more than 2,500 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group Media Relations
press@stepstone.com
End of Media Release
Issuer: The Stepstone Group
Key word(s): Services
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| Language: | English |
| Company: | The Stepstone Group |
| Völklinger Straße 1 | |
| 40219 Düsseldorf | |
| Germany | |
| Internet: | https://www.thestepstonegroup.com/de/ |
| LEI Code: | 894500AGGI0VYKPPQL38 |
| EQS News ID: | 2423254 |
| End of News | EQS Media |
2423254 28.10.2026 CET/CEST