Jobmaps: Why We Started – and What SMEs Gain From It

We started Jobmaps in early 2024 – driven by a simple question: Why is it so hard to find the right people and employers? We've experienced firsthand how tedious recruiting can be. And we wanted to find out if it couldn't be simpler.

A job market isn't a machine that works at the push of a button. It's a meeting place: people looking for people, companies looking for colleagues. And like any busy place, there are traffic jams, misunderstandings, missed opportunities. We call these obstacles friction.

We've experienced both sides:

As employers: An open position slows down projects. Every week without filling it costs nerves, money – and sometimes team motivation.

As applicants: The path to a new job is often frustrating. You don't know if your application is even being read. Sometimes it's the uncertainty about whether the switch is worth it, whether the company delivers on its promises.

Friction isn't just bureaucracy or costs – it's also psychology: doubt, uncertainty. And this very invisibility makes it so powerful.

The smaller the company, the more recruiting becomes the boss's job.

While large companies work with HR teams, tools and budgets, an open position in an SME often means: drop everything – and recruit yourself. It's not about "managing capacity", but about finding the next team member. An open position means: interrupting your own work, posting ads, sorting applications, conducting interviews – all while keeping the business running.

Our idea: A tool that makes the process more human and so simple that small companies can start right away – and so practical that even larger companies eventually say: why make it more complicated?

From the start, we didn't want to build yet another job posting tool. There are enough of those. Our question was: How can we reduce the obstacles in the job market – both economic and psychological?

Creating visibility – even for companies without an active vacancy. Lowering barriers – so the first step becomes easier. Simplifying processes – so recruiting doesn't end in chaos. Enabling connections – even when timing and needs don't align.

For us, Jobmaps isn't a tool for "yet another job ad". It's infrastructure that levels the playing field – especially for SMEs.

If we succeed in lowering search costs and vacancy costs, it becomes worthwhile for more companies to recruit earlier. And for more people to take the step of applying.

For people who want to work. And for businesses that need people.

That's exactly what we're working on.