What do Future Employees of your Business Want?

Article by Emma Hourston , Business Manager - Finance, HR & Legal dSb Recruitment Consultancy Ltd.

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The most common question I'm asked by my clients is what do candidates really look for when searching for a new job? We often discuss this as a wider team at dSb in terms of; what is the most significant impact on a candidate’s decision to move forward with a job offer or decline…

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Here is what we found:

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1. SALARY – sure enough, money and the bracket on offer for a role is the first question most prospective employees will ask. Given the fact we are in a cost-of-living crisis we are finding this question even more important and the bracket in which candidates are looking at, even more non-negotiable.? With that in mind sharing salaries as early in the process as possible is essential to not waste anyone’s time. A budget is a budget on both sides and if there isn’t a match then it simply won’t work. We would also most certainly always suggest to our clients if moving to offer that the desired salary which has been communicated from the start of the process is matched as a minimum. Again, highlighting that there are significant reasons that go behind a candidate's expected salary, mostly due to budget/bills & family.
2. WORKING MODEL – whether the role offers a hybrid model is often a very close 2nd in terms of importance to candidates. On average we would suggest candidates are ideally looking for a 3 day on site 2 day WFH model. We notice an increased candidate dropout rate when the role is full-time on-site. Wherever possible we will push our clients to reconsider this to ensure they aren’t losing out on potential applicants. Extensive studies show that not only does the hybrid split offer flexibility but also improves mental health and significantly supports women in returning to work from maternity leave (helping to ensure they maintain their pre-pregnancy position /level).
3. CULTURE – this is a relatively new addition to the top requirements of a potential applicant, however more and more prospective employees suggest that understanding a business's ethos, values, and how they look after their employees is an essential aspect of their decision making. This doesn’t tend to include ‘Pizza for the office on a Friday’, it's more – how the business shows up on a daily basis for its employees. How will the business support their employee’s career, lifestyle & health?? With the market still heavily candidate-driven businesses who aren’t able to tangibly communicate this within the hiring process will lose out. It is essential for employers to understand that the hiring process between themselves and a prospective employee is as equally about whether the business is right for them vs if they are right for the business. Just as we manage our candidate's expectations in terms of turning up as professionally and positively as possible throughout the process we also always encourage our clients to do the same.

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We hope these tips help and as always if you are ever in need of guidance and support within a hiring process, please do reach out!