Inside the 2025 SEO Job Market: Salary Trends, AI CV Mistakes, and What Hiring Managers Want

#SEO #seoagency #hireseo The 2025 SEO job market has been unlike anything we’ve seen. Layoffs, explosive agency growth, AI-driven applications, and shifting skill expectations have created a landscape where competition is fierce, but opportunities are still massive for the right candidates. In this episode, we turn the tables and bring on Daris Benallal, Head of Recruitment at SEO for Hire, to break down: • What actually happened in the SEO job market this year • How AI is hurting CVs (and how to use it the right way) • The SEO roles and skill sets agencies are demanding going into 2026 • Salary trends, negotiation wins, and the red flags hiring managers look for • What SEOs should focus on over the next 90 days If you're an SEO preparing for your next move in 2026, this episode is packed with the insight recruiters wish candidates knew. 👉 Follow SEO for Hire on LinkedIn:   / seo-for-hire   Timestamps: 0:00 Welcome to SEO for Hire 0:07 Introducing Daryus, Head of Recruitment 1:11 Overview: What the SEO job market looked like in 2025 1:43 Layoffs, competition, and why strong SEOs were still affected 2:49 Why roles are getting hundreds of applicants 3:24 Increase in open SEO roles and forward hiring for 2026 4:06 AI and CVs: how mass-applying is hurting candidates 5:30 Why tailoring your resume matters more than ever 7:04 How to use AI properly to improve your CV 7:29 Why companies are turning to headhunters due to applicant overload 8:45 How our scorecard works and what clients actually evaluate 10:36 How interview processes are evolving 11:12 The rise of multi-functional strategist roles 12:57 Why clients want strategists who still execute 14:05 Biggest hiring trend surprise of 2025 16:01 Hard skills that were non-negotiable this year 17:28 Salary insights, negotiation dynamics, and what really affects pay 21:30 Why industry background impacts salary brackets 22:50 Notable negotiation wins from this year 25:00 What top candidates did to get hired instantly 26:47 End-of-year actionable CV advice 29:25 What candidates should expect going into 2026 30:06 The #1 thing SEOs should focus on in the next 90 days 31:20 Outro and where to find us