View From the Talent Pool: What Today’s Top Talent Want in Their Next Job
/The hiring landscape has changed rapidly in recent years, reshaping candidate expectations and the strategies employers must use to attract top talent. Understanding these evolving priorities is essential for building a strong, satisfied workforce.
Employers who respond to changing trends with up-to-date offerings like flexible work arrangements and a focus on employee well-being position themselves to attract and retain top talent.
Whether you’re updating your recruitment approach or looking to attract the best-fit candidates for your open position, successful hiring means understanding what today’s top talent want to see in their next job.
The Current Hiring Landscape: What’s Changed?
The world of hiring has changed a lot in the past few years, so the old tried-and-true hiring strategies no longer have the impact they once did.
The pandemic and post-pandemic years brought the rise of remote and hybrid work. And while many companies are bringing more of their staff back into the office, job seekers are still eager to find jobs that offer flexibility in where and how they work.
Workplace demographics are shifting as well, with younger generations of employees making up a larger portion of the workforce. And, of course, evolving technology is playing a major role in changing the face of work, with the adoption of AI across industries.
As a result of these shifts (and more), what employees want in their jobs is also changing…and the companies that adapt will have a significant competitive advantage over those that don’t.
5 Must-Haves: What Today’s Top Talent Want
1. Flexibility and Freedom
Flexibility is at or near the top of the list for today’s top candidates. They want jobs that give them some freedom in where, when, and how they work. This can look like remote and hybrid work options, flexibility in scheduling, or greater autonomy over how work is completed.
Flexibility is no longer just a nice-to-have job perk; it’s now a non-negotiable for many top candidates.
When you embrace flexibility for your staff, you’ll benefit in three major ways:
You’ll keep current employees happy, improving retention rates. In fact, 76% of workers say that having flexibility in when and where they work influences their desire to stay in their jobs.
You’ll expand your talent pool. Flexible scheduling and remote work will broaden your talent pool to include candidates like parents and caregivers for whom a traditional 9-5 schedule can be difficult.
You’ll attract more candidates for your open positions. Flexible working arrangements are so highly desired that at Red Seat, we often receive 50 to 75% more applicants for hybrid and remote positions vs those that don’t offer that level of flexibility.
2. Wellness and Work-Life Balance
Burnout and stress are at an all-time high, so today’s top talent are looking for roles with clear boundaries and well-being built in.
Work-life balance is a higher priority to today’s high-performing candidates than even salary, in many cases—72% of employees say a healthy work-life balance is essential. This can include having firm boundaries between work and personal time, limited after-hours work communications, and leadership who model a healthy work-life balance themselves.
Mental and physical wellness are highly valued as well. Today’s job seekers look for organizations that support their employees’ mental health with the aforementioned work-life boundaries as well as healthy leadership and comprehensive health care coverage that includes mental health benefits.
Supporting work-life balance and wellness will benefit both employees and employers alike. Healthy employees are happy employees: They typically have higher job satisfaction, higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and a more positive work experience that leads to higher retention.
3. Authentic, Purposeful Company Culture
Today’s top talent want meaningful work in companies that have an authentic, positive, and purposeful workplace culture.
More than ever, employees are seeking work that gives them a sense of purpose. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and know that their employer is a force for good in the world. They want to work for organizations that share their values—whether it’s sustainability, philanthropy, social impact, or other priorities.
But they don’t want to work for companies who only pay lip service to those values: they want to see them lived out authentically.
A positive company culture is one that includes transparency about who the company is and why they do what they do. This transparency inspires trust in employees and promotes higher job satisfaction, retention, and performance, as well as positive attitudes and overall happiness.
Throughout your hiring process, as well as in your daily operations, make sure to:
Clearly communicate what your mission, vision, and values are, as well as how they impact the work environment and inform how you do business.
Highlight how your mission and values contribute to a greater cause.
4. Growth Opportunities
Today’s employees want to work for companies that have a vision and a direction for the future. They want to be part of organizations that have a plan for growth—for the company itself and for its employees.
Today’s top candidates want clear advancement paths and opportunities to continually grow in their skills and knowledge. With technology changing as rapidly as it is, today’s employees are facing unprecedented changes in skill requirements, and ongoing growth opportunities have become non-negotiable.
In addition, top candidates want to know that they can advance their careers—not just fill an open slot. They want roles where they can develop new skills and progress within the organization.
As a result, employers who offer training and career development opportunities will have an edge over those who don’t. To highlight your growth opportunities to potential new employees:
Communicate clearly about company growth, financial stability, and long-term career paths.
Provide a clear path for growth through mentorship, training programs, and internal promotions.
Use your employment branding to highlight how your company supports skill-building.
Highlight a skills-based approach in your hiring process using clear job descriptions and interviews that paint a clear picture of what success in the role looks like.
Ensure that the job title, offered compensation, and experience level you seek all align with the prospective job candidate seeking this job as a next step in their career.
5. Competitive Salary and Benefits
Yes, salary and benefits are still a high priority for today’s job seekers—especially for top talent. Top candidates have invested in themselves to advance their careers, and they want to work for companies that recognize their value. And that includes a competitive compensation package.
Beyond salary, today’s top candidates are looking for personalized comprehensive benefits packages that address their unique needs and goals. This includes traditional benefits like health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans with employer matches, as well as added perks like well-being provisions, signing bonuses, and tuition assistance.
To attract top talent, make sure to regularly evaluate the salary, benefits, and bonus structure you offer against similar positions in your area, and make changes accordingly.
Also, communicate clearly about salary and benefits throughout the hiring process by including a salary range and description of benefits in the job ad and discussing the candidate’s compensation expectations in interviews.
Making the Match: The Red Seat Advantage
To meet the evolving expectations of candidates in today’s job market, experience, adaptability, and tenacity are vital. At Red Seat, we harness those qualities to help you find the best-fit candidate for your open position.
If you’d like to enjoy the benefits of confident, quality hiring and a painless hiring process, the Red Seat team is here to help. Contact us today to discuss your hiring needs and determine if our services are the right fit for you.
