Creating a Career Page: Structure, Salary Information, and Google for Jobs
What every job posting should include, what the EU Pay Transparency Directive means for salary disclosures, how to integrate your applicant tracking system, and how to properly optimize your job postings for Google for Jobs. With examples from ALDI SÜD, DB, and the City of Munich.
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Do we need our own careers page if our job postings are already listed on StepStone? This question usually comes up when a website relaunch is planned or a new applicant tracking system is being implemented. A careers page is less a matter of design and more a matter of content, technology, and legal considerations: What information is included in each job posting, how do the postings get from the system to the website, and what rules apply to salary, forms, and data?
For this guide, we drew on the EU Pay Transparency Directive, two Bundestag printed papers from July 2026, Google’s documentation on job postings, a report by the Scientific Services of the Bundestag, the vendor documentation from Personio, softgarden, and d.vinci, data from Indeed, several provider studies—including those from StepStone, softgarden, and the Königsteiner Group—as well as the career pages of ALDI SÜD, Deutsche Bahn, Lidl, REWE, the City of Munich, and TRUMPF, all accessed on November 2, 2026. In the section on Google for Jobs, you’ll find a copyable example of the structured data for a job listing page.
In a nutshell (as of November 2026)
If you hire regularly, you should maintain your own careers page: It’s a prerequisite for your job postings to appear on Google for Jobs under your domain, and it puts control over the content, salary information, and process in your hands. A good careers page includes five types of pages, with each job listing having its own page that includes a salary range, a contact person, and a response time, plus a short form that doesn’t require a cover letter. From a technical standpoint, it’s essential that each individual job posting provides structured data in accordance with Google’s Job Posting guidelines. The EU is pushing for salary transparency: Under the Pay Transparency Directive, applicants are entitled to information about the starting salary or its range, regardless of the company’s size. Germany missed the implementation deadline of June 7, 2026; according to our research, a draft bill has not yet been published. Those who specify salary ranges now and remove the question about previous salary from the form will be prepared.
Why Have Your Own Career Page in Addition to Job Boards?
Job boards offer broad reach, but when looking for a job, most people prefer traditional search engines over AI chatbots—and on Google, the domain under which your job posting appears matters. In a 2025 study by StepStone involving 1,025 participants, 87 percent preferred traditional search engines for job searches, while only 13 percent preferred AI chatbots. According to the study, when it comes to career websites, “it’s not necessarily the Google ranking that matters, but the brand.” This speaks in favor of a site that carries your brand.
The second reason is Google for Jobs. Google displays job listings in a dedicated section of its search results if the job page provides structured data—according to Google, this also applies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. If your job listing is hosted only on your applicant tracking system provider’s domain, the provider may appear there as the application channel. d.vinci notes: “If you don’t want d.vinci listed there, you need to set up a custom domain.” With your own domain, the click goes directly to you.
The third reason is control. On a job board, the portal determines the layout and length of the posting; on your own website, you decide how detailed your description of the team, salary, and process will be. Job boards remain useful as a source of leads. According to Computerwoche, a 2024 study by softgarden involving 4,312 applicants concluded: “Three out of ten applicants, according to the survey, turn away from employers who do not have a career page.”
The Structure: Five Page Types
If you want to create a careers page, it’s best to structure it as five distinct page types, each with a clear purpose, rather than as a single long page. This way, HR, marketing, and IT can work separately on content and integration, and Google can index each job listing at its own URL.
The five types of pages on a career site and how applicants navigate between them. Based on information from marschfahrt.de.
Homepage and Employer Page: Who you are and how you work, featuring real people instead of stock photos. TRUMPF showcases career stories by name, such as: “As a sales engineer, Julian Berkmann has to keep everything running smoothly.” It makes sense to have separate sections for apprenticeships, college graduates, and experienced professionals.
Job listings with filters: Search by location, field, and entry-level position. REWE offers a radius search of 10, 15, or 25 kilometers, filters by entry-level position and field, and a “Job Matcher.” The list does not include structured data for job postings.
Job listing page: one job, one address. This is where people decide whether to apply.
Application: the form—best filled out on your domain and on your smartphone in just a few minutes.
Process and Contact Information: What Happens After Submission, How Long It Takes, and Who to Contact.
These five elements should be included in every request for proposals sent to an agency. Our guide to requirements specifications explains how to document your requirements in a comparable way. For individual campaigns—such as those marking the start of a training program—it may also be helpful to create a dedicated landing page.
The Job Listing Page: What Every Ad Should Include
Every job posting needs to include seven pieces of information: job responsibilities, honest requirements, salary range, location and remote work policy, a contact person by name, the application process, and the response time. Even Google requires a complete description: “The description must be a complete representation of the job, including job responsibilities, qualifications, skills, working hours, education requirements, and experience requirements.”
Tasks: Specifically, what needs to be done in the first few months.
Be honest about your needs: distinguish between what is necessary and what would be nice.
Salary or pay range: as an amount, not as “attractive.”
On-site and Remote Policy: Address and a clear policy, such as how many days to work in the office.
Contact person by name: with photo, role, and contact information.
Process: The steps leading up to acceptance, or a link to the process page.
Response time: the deadline by which you will respond. The employer guide from karriere.at also recommends specifying “how soon applicants can expect a response.”
The importance of a point of contact is often underestimated. According to ingenieur.de, in the “Job Postings 2025” study conducted by the Königstein Group in collaboration with bilendi—a survey of 1,028 job applicants—30 percent stated that they would not apply if “no personal point of contact is listed.” Lidl solves this by having a dedicated page for its recruiting team, featuring a photo, name, and area of responsibility for each team member—for example, “Contact person for questions about the store manager position.” Contact is facilitated there via LinkedIn and XING. For your site, one person per position or department is sufficient, along with a phone number or email address where someone will actually respond.
Negotiating Salary: What the Numbers Say
Include a salary range on your job posting: Applicants want to see it, and in Germany, only a small fraction of job listings specify a salary. According to Indeed Hiring Lab on May 14, 2026, only 12 percent of German job listings on Indeed include a salary figure. In the United Kingdom, the figure is 56 percent; in the Netherlands, 48 percent; in France, 43 percent; in Ireland, 39 percent; in Italy, 36 percent; and in Spain, 17 percent.
Percentage of job postings that include salary information, by country. Source: Indeed Hiring Lab, May 14, 2026; data from all job postings published or indexed on Indeed during a given month.
These are data from job providers, but they come from a large, comprehensive survey. An earlier analysis put the figure for Germany at 15.8 percent as of the end of 2024. Because Indeed has changed its methodology, this isn’t simply a decline. That doesn’t change the bottom line: salary disclosures remain the exception in Germany.
On the other hand, there are the preferences of job applicants. StepStone writes, based on its own survey—without specifying the sample size, i.e., a provider-commissioned study—“86% of job seekers are more likely to apply for a position if a salary range is provided.” In a vendor study conducted by the Königstein Group in collaboration with bilendi in September 2025, which surveyed 1,028 employees, 82 percent wanted to see at least an approximate range, while 68 percent wanted specific figures. 16 percent do not apply at all if the listing simply states “attractive salary.” Large employers are no exception: According to Computerwoche, an analysis by the HR software provider Tellent—also a provider study—found that in 2024, out of 147 job postings from the 40 DAX-listed companies, only three included a salary or range.
ALDI SÜD sets a good example. On its dedicated salary page, it lists pay ranges by position—for example, 17.41 to 22.55 euros per hour for sales associates and 5,107 to 6,064 euros per month for store managers—along with a commitment to pay a minimum wage of 15 euros per hour.
The ALDI SÜD salary page, showing pay ranges per shift (1) and the minimum wage pledge (2). Source: karriere.aldi-sued.de/gehalt, accessed on November 2, 2026.
One caveat: ALDI SÜD’s individual job postings do not list a specific amount. We recommend both a central salary page for an overview and the salary range listed on each job page. That’s the only way Google can link the salary to the job posting.
Pay Transparency Directive: What Article 5 Requires
The directive grants job applicants the right to know the starting salary or its range, but does not require that this information be included in the job posting. Under Article 5(1) of Directive (EU) 2023/970, job applicants have the right to information regarding “the starting salary for the position in question, based on objective, gender-neutral criteria, or the salary range for that position” and, where applicable, the relevant provisions of the collective bargaining agreement. This information must be provided in a manner that allows for informed negotiations, “such as in a published job posting, prior to the interview, or by other means.”
Article 5 of the Pay Transparency Directive on EUR-Lex: Right to know the starting pay or pay range (1), timing of disclosure (2), and prohibition on asking about pay trends (3). Source: EUR-Lex, accessed on November 2, 2026.
No size threshold: “This Directive applies to employers in the public and private sectors” (Art. 2, para. 1). Art. 5 does not specify a threshold. The thresholds of 100, 150, or 250 employees apply only to pay reports and joint pay evaluations.
No questions about previous salary: “The employer may not ask applicants about their salary history in their current or previous employment” (Art. 5, para. 2). Once the regulation takes effect, this will also apply to form fields.
Gender-Neutral Job Postings: Employers must ensure “that job postings and job titles are gender-neutral” (Art. 5, para. 3).
The range is not a ceiling: According to Recital 32, it remains possible to “negotiate a salary outside the specified range.”
It remains to be seen what form Germany will require. The Scientific Services of the Bundestag state: “Member states may determine the specific form in which the information must be provided.”
Situation in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
There is still no implementing law in Germany; according to the federal government, private employers are not immediately bound by it, and yet it is still worth making the switch now. As of November 2, 2026, our research shows that there is no published draft bill, no cabinet decision, and nothing in the Federal Law Gazette. The Pay Transparency Act of 2017 remains in effect.
In printed document 21/7026 dated July 8, 2026, the Federal Government states that the responsible ministry “is currently still clarifying individual issues relevant to implementation. The legislative process is to be initiated thereafter.” Parliamentary Document 21/7180, dated July 14, 2026, states: “It therefore generally has no direct effect between private parties. Existing national law must be interpreted in accordance with the directive on a case-by-case basis.” Exceptionally, according to the same response, certain provisions may have “direct effect” on public employers. Municipalities and government agencies should therefore examine the matter closely. Law firms anticipate a law no earlier than 2027—these are projections. Infringement proceedings are looming, though we have not yet found a letter of formal notice from the Commission.
Austria has gone further. There, Section 9(2) of the Equal Treatment Act has for years required that job postings “specify the minimum wage applicable to the advertised position under a collective bargaining agreement or as provided by law or other collective legal provisions, and indicate a willingness to pay above that minimum, if such a willingness exists.” Violations are first met with a warning, followed by a fine of up to 360 euros. Implementation of the directive is still pending there as well. Switzerland is not bound by the directive; based on our research, we are not aware of any requirement to disclose wages in job postings. However, employers with 100 or more employees are required to conduct an equal pay analysis there.
Here's what you can do right now:
Set internal pay ranges: for each position based on objective criteria, in consultation with the relevant department and, if applicable, the works council.
Delete the “current salary” form field: and remove the question from the interview guides as well.
Review job titles: Ensure all job titles are gender-neutral.
Technical Preparation: Set up a salary range in the system and include it on the job posting page.
This guide summarizes the legal situation based on the sources cited and is not a substitute for legal advice.
AGG Pitfalls in Job Postings
A single word can serve as evidence in a discrimination lawsuit; therefore, every job posting must be reviewed for language that refers to age or gender before it is published. Section 11 of the AGG states: “A job opening may not be advertised in violation of Section 7(1).” Under Section 22 of the AGG, it is sufficient for a party to provide evidence of discrimination; the employer must then prove otherwise. An inappropriately worded statement can constitute such evidence.
“Young, dynamic team”: The Federal Labor Court ruled that this phrase constituted direct age discrimination (judgment of August 11, 2016, 8 AZR 406/14): “The term ‘young’ is directly linked to a person’s age.”
“Digital Native”: This was not a Federal Labor Court (BAG) ruling, as is often reported. The Heilbronn Labor Court (ruling dated January 18, 2024, 8 Ca 191/23) viewed this as evidence of age discrimination and awarded 7,500 euros—1.5 months’ salary—instead of the 37,500 euros sought. According to industry reports, the Baden-Württemberg Regional Labor Court ultimately upheld the decision.
“Secretary”: In the Federal Labor Court (BAG) case of September 19, 2024 (8 AZR 21/24), the plaintiff’s claim failed solely due to an abuse of process on the plaintiff’s part. The ruling does not constitute a free pass for exclusively female job titles.
“Young team”: On April 29, 2026 (Case No. 4 Sa 54/25), the Baden-Württemberg Regional Labor Court ruled that this phrasing constituted evidence of age discrimination. The lawsuit was dismissed on the grounds of abuse of process; however, the hiring of an older woman did not rebut the presumption.
The amount is often simplified. Section 15(2) of the AGG states: “Compensation for non-hiring may not exceed three months’ salary if the employee would not have been hired even in the absence of discrimination.” This limit therefore applies only if the person would not have been hired in any case. For someone who would have been hired under fair selection criteria, the law does not specify an upper limit. Claims must be filed in writing within two months of receiving the rejection notice.
And what about “(m/f/d)”? We have not found a BAG decision that explicitly requires this addition. The background is the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling of October 10, 2017 (1 BvR 2019/16) regarding the third gender designation. While the suffix is standard practice, a consistently gender-neutral term such as “project manager” is the cleaner solution.
The application form: short, mobile-friendly, and no cover letter required
In the form, ask only for what you need for the initial screening, and do not require a cover letter or a user account. Longer forms reduce the number of applications. The 2026 Benchmark Report from Appcast, a job ad provider, shows the following for the U.S. based on an analysis by JobScore: If the application takes 1 to 5 minutes, the application rate is 5.37 percent; for applications taking 16 minutes or more, it drops to 3.09 percent. These are secondhand data from U.S. providers, but they align with German surveys on application abandonment rates.
In the Königsteiner study “Job Postings 2025,” 37 percent had already abandoned an application because a cover letter was required, and 33 percent because a reference or photo was mandatory. Deutsche Bahn offers two options: You can choose “whether you want to apply in about 4 minutes via chatbot or the traditional way using a form.”
Deutsche Bahn's careers page, which offers the choice between applying via chatbot in about four minutes or using a traditional form (1). Source: db.jobs, accessed on November 2, 2026.
ALDI SÜD states: “A cover letter is not required!” You can apply even without an account—it’s described as “a quick and easy application process without registration.” By contrast, it’s worth taking a look at TRUMPF: According to the company, the form takes “about 5 minutes” to complete, but a cover letter stating your salary expectations is mandatory. The time needed to write the cover letter is in addition to the time it takes to fill out the form.
The ALDI SÜD application process: no cover letter required (1); you’ll usually hear back within 7 days (2). Source: karriere.aldi-sued.de, accessed on November 2, 2026.
Google also explains what a direct application is: “If the user has to click ‘Apply,’ fill out an application form, or sign in or log in more than once during the application process, it means you aren’t offering a direct apply experience.” Since directApply requires users to sign in, it does not meet this criterion. Google does not specify what effect this has on search results.
What to Include in Your Application Form and What to Leave Out. Compiled by marschfahrt.de based on the studies cited and the Pay Transparency Directive.
Required: Name, email, or phone number; resume (uploaded or as a profile link); earliest start date; an optional message field.
Required or optional: cover letter, photo, transcripts in the first step; bank account information before submitting; the “current salary” field.
Technical details: encrypted transmission, fully operable on a smartphone, confirmation via email.
Test every form on a real smartphone, from tapping the field to receiving the confirmation email.
Show the process openly
Write down what happens after you submit your application, who is involved, and when you should follow up. The City of Munich describes its process in five steps, ranging from “receiving applications through the application portal” to “conducting interviews in the form of structured interviews” to “hiring the selected candidates.” It also explains that job postings remain open for at least two weeks and identifies who participates in the interviews.
The City of Munich’s five-step application process, beginning with the application portal (1) and including structured interviews (2). Source: stadt.muenchen.de, accessed on November 2, 2026.
ALDI SÜD also specifies timeframes: a response is usually provided “within 7 days,” and the entire process takes about six weeks. TRUMPF separates the three steps of the application process from the three steps of the selection process and displays the status of your application in a dedicated section. However, it only promises a response time if its internal processes allow for it, and it clarifies in advance with the relevant departments who will review applications and by when.
Integrating Applicant Management: Four Ways
How job postings from the applicant tracking system are displayed on the website determines the domain, design, and Google for Jobs integration, and this decision should be made before the design phase begins. Personio mentions, for example, “various options (link, iframe, XML, API).” This results in four approaches:
A comparison of four ways to integrate job postings from applicant tracking systems, based on domain, design, effort, and Google for Jobs. Original presentation by marschfahrt.de based on the vendor documentation from Personio, softgarden, and d.vinci.
Link to the provider's website: fast and affordable, but the listings are hosted on the provider's domain, and the design and content options are limited.
iFrame: The provider’s job listings appear in a window on your site. softgarden advises against complex integrations and cites “limitations regarding SEO, tracking, and accessibility.” In our assessment, Google tends to consider such content part of the provider’s domain; however, Google’s documentation does not address this.
XML feed or API: Your website extracts the job listings and creates its own job pages. This is the most time-consuming but most flexible option. Personio states: “To integrate the XML feed, you’ll need assistance from a web developer or your IT department.” The application process then often continues with the provider: “Candidates are redirected to your Personio career page.”
Your own subdomain, such as jobs.company.de: The system runs on the provider’s servers but under your domain—as is the case with ALDI SÜD at jobs.aldi-sued.de. With d.vinci, using your own domain ensures that the provider’s name doesn’t appear in Google search results. softgarden also offers a proxy via a subdirectory, such as firma.de/karriere.
There are two details you should check beforehand. First: Which fields does the feed provide? We don’t find a salary field in the Personio XML feed’s field list. If you want to display the salary range, you’ll have to maintain it using another method. Second: Does the provider’s career page provide structured data for Google? softgarden and d.vinci document this. We couldn’t find any manufacturer specifications for Personio; please check this on a live site using Google’s Rich Results Test.
Google for Jobs: Properly Marking Job Postings
Include JobPosting data on every single job listing page, specify the salary range there, and consistently remove expired job listings from the site. The Google Documentation on Job Postings Last updated on September 8, 2026. Five fields are required: datePosted, description, hiringOrganization, jobLocation and title. The title should include only the job title, without reference numbers, addresses, salaries, or company names. Regarding the location: “Note that you must include the addressCountry property.”
Single job postings only: “The JobPosting markup must only be used on pages that contain a single job posting.” The job listing will not include this data.
Salary as a range: “Only employers can provide baseSalary.” And: “To specify a salary range, define a minValue and a maxValue, rather than a single value.” This matches the range specified in the guideline exactly.
Remote only at 100 percent: TELECOMMUTE applies only to positions that are performed entirely remotely. “Do not mark up jobs that allow occasional work-from-home.” Hybrid positions do not receive this value.
Expired Job Postings: “Failure to take timely action on expired job postings may result in a manual action.” Sets `validThrough` if there is an end date, and removes filled positions.
Do not mark as an unsolicited application: “Publishers may solicit resumes only for open positions.”
Indexing API: Google recommends it for job listings instead of sitemaps, but only for that purpose: “The Indexing API can only be used to crawl pages that have either a JobPosting or a BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject.”
A common misconception: Google has done away with salary information. The separate “Estimated salary” feature was discontinued in 2025, but “baseSalary” is still listed in job postings. This is what a streamlined format looks like. The example is fictional; “Muster GmbH” and all values are placeholders:
Only set `directApply` to `true` if applicants can truly apply without any detours or registration. Test each template using the Rich Results Test before using it for all job postings.
Privacy Policy, Legal Notice, and Accessibility
You may process application data for the hiring process, but you may not retain rejected applications indefinitely, and you need consent to maintain a talent pool. As of November 2026, there is no separate Employee Data Protection Act. Section 26 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) remains in the law; however, following the European Court of Justice ruling of March 30, 2023 (C-34/21) regarding a corresponding Hessian regulation, its status as the sole legal basis is questionable. The Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority (LfD) bases the application procedures of private employers directly on Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
Retention period: There is no statutory time limit. The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection states: “Therefore, retaining application documents for a maximum of six months is considered permissible.”
Talent pool: According to the Lower Saxony State Office for Data Protection (as of July 2026), this is permitted only with informed consent, a clear purpose, and a time limit.
Applicant Management: The service provider processes the data on your behalf; you need a data processing agreement in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR.
Embedded content—such as YouTube videos, maps, or rating widgets—generally requires consent under Section 25 of the TDDDG; load it only after consent has been given. REWE does this when users search for maps.
Legal Notice on the Subdomain: According to Section 5 of the German Data Protection Act (DDG), the information must be “easily recognizable and directly accessible.” Therefore, be sure to include a clearly visible link to your legal notice on jobs.company.de as well.
That leaves the Act to Strengthen Accessibility. The prevailing view is that a career page alone does not fall under this law because it covers services provided to consumers. In an interview in July 2026, attorney Dr. Philipp Wiesenecker stated: “Under the BFSG, job applicants are not considered consumers, and a job application process is not a service covered by the law.” There is no court ruling on this matter. A widely shared post about an alleged tightening of regulations for career pages—including a WCAG AAA requirement and heavy fines—appeared on April 1, 2025, and was most likely an April Fools’ Day prank; there is no mention of this in the law. If your website also offers consumer services, such as an online store, the law applies to those sections.
You should still design your website to be accessible. Disability is a protected characteristic under Section 1 of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), and employers are required under Section 164 of the Social Code Book IX (SGB IX) to determine whether open positions can be filled by people with severe disabilities. A form that cannot be filled out using a keyboard or screen reader excludes precisely these individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most questions revolve around the domain, salary requirements, the system, and the effort involved.
Subdomain or subfolder?
Both options work; the important thing is that it’s your domain. A subdomain like jobs.company.de is easier to set up with most applicant tracking systems. A subfolder like firma.de/karriere is more closely tied to the main website, but requires a feed, API, or proxy. In our experience, which approach is best depends primarily on what your system allows.
Does the salary have to be included in every job posting starting now?
In Germany, no—as of November 2, 2026, there is no implementing law, and the directive also permits the disclosure of this information “before the job interview or by other means.” In Austria, the minimum wage stipulated in collective bargaining agreements is already mandatory. Public employers in Germany should have their compliance reviewed to determine whether specific rules already apply to them.
Do we need an applicant tracking system?
If you regularly fill multiple positions, you’ll find it’s almost impossible to avoid this—if only because of the deletion policy and user feedback. Before making your selection, check whether the platform publishes job listings via a feed or API, allows you to use your own domain, and provides structured data for Google.
How long does it take to set up?
In our experience, this depends less on the design and more on how quickly the layout, content, and workflow are coordinated internally, and how complex the integration with your system will be. It’s best to develop the careers page as part of a website relaunch, so that the domain, redirects, and technical aspects can all be planned together.
What Has Changed and What That Means for You
Legally, many issues remain unresolved, but from a technical standpoint and in terms of the numbers, the situation is clear.
May 10, 2023: The EU adopts the Pay Transparency Directive, which took effect on June 6, 2023. Since then, it has been clear that job applicants must be informed of the starting salary or salary range. Establish salary ranges before the German law takes effect.
May 14, 2026: Indeed reports that only 12 percent of German job postings specify a salary. Those that list a salary range stand out.
June 7, 2026: The implementation deadline expires; Germany has no law in place. Private employers are not directly bound by the law, while public employers should review the matter carefully.
July 8 and 14, 2026: In printed documents 21/7026 and 21/7180, the federal government states that it is still clarifying specific issues and that, in principle, the directive does not take effect directly between private individuals. It plans to enact a law, but has not set a specific date.
September 8, 2026: Update on Google's documentation regarding job postings. Using `baseSalary` with `minValue` and `maxValue` is still the recommended way to specify a salary range. Check your templates using the Rich Results Test.
Date of this version: November 2, 2026.
Conclusion
Above all, a good career page is well-organized: five page types, comprehensive job listings with salary ranges and contact information, a short form, and clearly structured data on your own domain. If you set salary ranges now, remove the question about previous salary, and check job postings for AGG violations, you’ll be prepared for the upcoming law. The most important technical decision must be made early on: how job postings are transferred from the applicant tracking system to the website.
If you're redesigning a careers page or want to integrate it with your applicant tracking system, take a look at how we plan and implement corporate websites. For an initial assessment of your system and your job listings, you can reach us through the Contact page.
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