Filling an account manager vacancy in a market with few applicants is achieved by stopping waiting for responses and starting to actively recruit. You can reach the best salespeople through paid campaigns on the channels where they’re already active, with a compelling employer brand and a fast, streamlined application process. At FosFor, vacancies are filled within 3 to 8 weeks on average.
Does this sound familiar? Your job advert has been online for weeks, there’s been a poor response, and the candidates who do apply aren’t the right fit. For commercial roles, this is no coincidence: the best account managers are usually already in a job and rarely apply actively. So you need to seek them out rather than sit back and wait.
Why do account manager vacancies often remain unfilled?
An account manager vacancy remains unfilled because the best sales candidates are passive jobseekers and do not come across your vacancy. The labour market remained tight in 2025, with a structural surplus of vacancies over the number of unemployed (CBS, 2025). Waiting for applicants via a single job board will therefore yield too few high-quality candidates.
Sales is a hard-to-find role. Good salespeople are retained through bonuses, car schemes and career progression opportunities. They have no reason to scour job sites every day.
What’s more, many job adverts for account managers are very similar: a list of job requirements and a vague promise of “a dynamic team”. A job advert like that won’t persuade an A-player to give up their secure job.
The result: you get responses from candidates who are already looking for a job anyway – often not because they’re the best. The top candidates remain out of sight as long as you don’t make an active effort to reach out to them.
How do you fill an account manager vacancy when there are few applicants?
You fill an account manager vacancy by using target audience data to reach passive salespeople, enticing them with a compelling employer brand story and guiding them swiftly through a streamlined process. It’s all about attracting and retaining talent, not sitting back and waiting. These steps provide structure.
Would you like to find out more about data-driven recruitment?
- Recruitment using AI and data
- Takes an average of 3–8 weeks to complete
Step 1: Decide who you’re really looking for
First, define what sets an A-player apart in your sales team: whether they’re a new business developer or an account manager, whether they deal with short or long sales cycles, and what industry knowledge they possess. The more precise your profile, the more effectively you’ll be able to target candidates later on.
Step 2: Use labour market data to identify where your target audience is
Analyse which channels your type of account manager uses and what competitors are offering. Employers often discover through data that candidates prioritise different factors than expected. Find out how to tackle this in our guide to carry out a target audience analysis.
Step 3: Write a message that entices
Replace the list of requirements with a narrative about earning potential, autonomy and growth. That is exactly what motivates top commercial talent, because they choose based on ambition and remuneration, not job titles.
Step 4: Launch targeted campaigns on the right channels
Run paid campaigns on Meta, LinkedIn and Google, tailored to specific regions and profiles. This way, you can reach passive jobseekers outside working hours, when they are actually open to a new opportunity.
Step 5: Streamline and strengthen your recruitment process
Speed wins candidates. Respond within 48 hours, arrange interviews quickly and keep the line of communication open. You can read more about this in Speeding up the recruitment process without compromising on quality.
Which channels are most effective for reaching passive account managers?
The best way to reach passive account managers is through paid social media and search campaigns, not through free listings on job boards. LinkedIn and Meta reach people who aren’t actively looking, whilst Google captures candidates who are exploring their options. The right mix depends on your profile.
The key point is that each channel plays its own role in the journey from candidate to job application. The table below will help you choose, as selecting the wrong channel wastes budget on the wrong target audience.
| Channel | Achieved, in particular | Great for account managers |
|---|---|---|
| Passive, highly educated sales staff | Targeting by role, sector and seniority | |
| Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | Latent jobseekers outside working hours | Bringing the story and employer brand to life visually |
| Google (search) | Candidates actively exploring their options | Be found by searching for “account manager vacancy + location” |
For commercial roles, a combination usually works best: LinkedIn and Meta to attract top-tier passive candidates, and Google to capture candidates who are just exploring their options. This way, you cover both account managers who are waiting for the right opportunity and those who are actively looking. Read how we translate this into campaigns in our data-driven approach.
How do you retain account managers throughout the candidate journey?
You retain account managers through speed, clarity and personal contact throughout the entire process. Drop-outs mainly occur due to slow responses, unclear steps and an impersonal process. When profiles are in short supply, every candidate lost is one too many.
Top commercial talent are used to moving quickly. If you make them wait a week for a reply, they’ll already be in talks with another employer.
Be transparent about the process. Let them know in advance how many interviews there will be and when they will be informed of the decision. You can read about how to incorporate this into your text in Explaining the application process in your job advert.
Research by FosFor, based on hundreds of campaigns, shows that most drop-offs occur shortly after the initial response. You can find out more about these bottlenecks at the main causes of drop-off in the candidate journey.
What is the cost if an account manager vacancy remains unfilled for a long time?
A long-unfilled account manager vacancy costs you revenue straight away, because every month without a sales representative means missed deals and extra pressure on your current team. For sales roles, this counts double: an account manager is expected to bring in money. That lost profit often exceeds the recruitment costs.
Do the maths. An account manager with an annual target loses a proportionate share of that target for every month a property remains vacant. That amount adds up faster than the cost of investing in a targeted campaign.
That is why an increasing number of SMEs are opting for data-driven recruitment marketing as a cost-effective alternative to traditional recruitment and selection or temporary staffing. You do not pay for temporary placements, but instead build a sustainable talent pipeline.
At FosFor, on average, you’ll only interview the 2 to 4 best candidates each month, as the entire pre-selection process is handled for you. This means you can spend your time on sales rather than sifting through CVs. Would you like to work out how this would apply to your situation? Book a no-obligation strategy meeting or have a look first our results.
Frequently asked questions about applying for account manager vacancies
How long does it take to fill an account manager vacancy?
Using a data-driven approach, FosFor fills vacancies within 3 to 8 weeks on average. The exact timeframe depends on the role, the region and how compelling your employer brand is. A streamlined, fast application process further reduces the turnaround time, particularly for roles where suitable candidates are in short supply.
Why am I not attracting any good candidates for my sales vacancy?
The best account managers are passive job seekers and rarely apply for roles proactively. If you simply post on a job board, you’ll mainly reach candidates who are already looking for work anyway. You can reach top talent through targeted paid campaigns on LinkedIn, Meta and Google, combined with a message that entices rather than simply listing requirements.
Is recruitment marketing cheaper than secondment for sales?
Recruitment marketing is generally more cost-effective than secondment or traditional recruitment and selection, as you are building a permanent workforce rather than paying for temporary staff. You make a one-off investment in a sustainable talent pipeline. The exact comparison depends on your recruitment volume and job profile; book a meeting for a bespoke calculation.
Which channel works best for an account manager vacancy?
For account managers, a combination works best: LinkedIn and Meta to attract passive salespeople, and Google to capture candidates who are just exploring their options. You can determine the ideal mix using target audience data to identify where your specific profile is located, ensuring your budget reaches the right people.
How can I prevent good candidates from dropping out during the process?
Respond within 48 hours, schedule meetings promptly and communicate the next steps in advance. Top salespeople act quickly and will lose interest if there are delays or a lack of clarity. A personalised, transparent and streamlined process keeps in-demand account managers engaged right through to the offer.
Would you like to know how we approach this for your sales team? Find out How FosFor connects top-tier players with top-tier organisations or view straight away our current vacancies. Sources: labour market figures via CBS (2025) and a voltage indicator via UWV (2025).