TOP 5 VALUES JOB SEEKERS CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THEIR NEXT ROLE

Today’s job market is highly competitive. A range of factors are contributing to the challenges employers are experiencing when hiring or retaining staff, including record low unemployment levels, skills shortage and increased demand in specific industry sectors including healthcare, education, construction and infrastructure, technical and trades, professional services and technology.

Job seekers have greater choice of job roles in our current market and technology at their fingers tips to research employers and help make better and more informed decisions on their next career move. Their decision making process has changed and it is helpful for employers to understand what’s important to people applying for their roles or perhaps why they’re not applying.

Employers are also wanting to attract the ‘best talent’ in the market and these job seekers have multiple job offers available to them in the current environment of low unemployment and skills shortage.

So whether you’re hiring staff or wanting to review workforce retention strategies, it’s helpful to understand what motivates job seekers and employees.

In our current jobs market we are seeing a shift in the top 5 values that are considered most important when making the decision to accept a job role. Salary has moved from 2^nd to now being the most important compared to three years ago. We are seeing an increased percentage of candidates swayed by salary, closely followed job flexibility, motivating them to search for their next job.

Here’s our list of the top 5 most important factors being considered by job seekers and how employers can attract them to job vacancies;

Salary Package – is becoming one of the most important factors for job seekers. With the cost of living increasing and flat pay increases across most industry sectors, job seekers are looking for a more attractive salary package. It’s helpful to clearly define salary, bonus and any other incentives or benefits in job advertisements and be realistic about the salary being offered compared to similar roles/industries in the market.

Job Flexibility – a higher percentage of women compared to men are interested in flexible working hours and days or a working from home arrangement. These options will open the door to more quality candidates and a higher number of female job seekers wanting a better balance between work and family commitments.

Professional Development and Growth Opportunities –  employers who promote and provide training and development plus structured growth plans and goal setting will attract candidates who are passionate about developing their capability and taking on new challenges to advance their career. Job seekers who are motivated to succeed and continually develop their skills can be a huge benefit to an employer, so be mindful about how best to harness and support their thirst for progress and development.

Working with Strong Leaders and Positive Culture – todays job seekers are looking for authentic, highly reputable leaders who are inspiring and focused on building a strong and positive workplace culture. The values and mission statements on an employer’s website are less important than it was 5 years ago because job seekers are looking for proof not just words. The opportunity to work with ‘stand out’ leaders can influence the decision making process for job seekers. We suggest more business leaders and managers become involved in the recruitment process and organisations would benefit from highlighting the purpose of the business and why they exist.

Education Support and Student Loan Repayments – jobs seekers within wide ranging age groups value the opportunity to expand their education. Organisations offering assistance in the way of funding study or paid time away from work or flexible work arrangements to complete study will help engage a greater percentage of the talent market with this option and promotes a very valuable commitment to learning and development.