If you haven’t noticed, the “war on talent” has heated up again now that companies have fired up their hunt following the height of the Covid 19 pandemic from 2020.  We began to notice the large increase of hiring in February and by March, the race was on. Currently, there is no sign of slowing down and we are in our busiest quarter this year.

The conversations have shifted, however, taking a different turn than in past years in this now candidate driven market.  So, what’s changed?  To put it bluntly, everything.

Candidates are no longer just motivated by a good opportunity, a chance to get their foot in the door at an organization or even monetary gain.  The best and smartest employers are keeping their top talent highly satisfied, which makes the job of pulling them away even harder.

Every call we have here at iNNOV8 Talent now includes a thorough understanding of a candidate’s ideal situation and key list of company must-haves, after we make sure they are an exceptional talent and a fit for our client opportunities.  The more a company can offer from the list is directly related to how likely they are to win them over.

As a recruitment agency for creative and marketing talent, we wanted to share these findings and make sure you are communicating where your company can provide insights into these priorities during the interview process and effectively win your next great hire.

1. A clear path for career growth
2. A remote, work anywhere opportunity
3. The ability to make a big impact
4. Competitive base salary, bonus opportunity, strong benefits
5. Insight into vision and goals of the company

A Clear Path for Growth

Ambiguous touting of people moving up within an organization will no longer suffice for candidates considering joining your team.  Candidates are now looking for a clear and concise path for their trajectory within a company.  They want opportunities for reviews, raises, title and pay increases and to have a strong understanding of how to get there.  Ideally this would come with measurable objectives that if reached within a certain time frame is achievable. According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report , 94% of employees stated that they would stay at a company who consistently invested in helping them learn.  I’d say growth is important to virtually everyone.

Remote or Hybrid

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that many workers and companies can get along well working remote.  Obviously, this isn’t the case for all industries or job professionals, but for marketing and creative workers…it’s absolutely doable.  This should be no surprise for those involved in these specialized areas of expertise however, freelancing among these job types has been a thing for many years prior to Covid entering the scene. We determined most of our conversations with candidates exploring new roles now include the request for remote positions.  The second most popular request would be a hybrid option…part of the week from a home office, part of the week from a corporate office.  The best of both worlds combined. If you can provide this option, winning your next great hire is even easier.

Big Impact Matters

Almost all candidates get to a point in their career where they want to be able to make more significant impacts within their organization.  They are no longer satisfied to feel as though they are a cog in a very large wheel.  This can be a big advantage for smaller organizations where they can communicate to candidates how critical and visible their role is within the firm.  The ability to take on special projects, have opportunities to lead new initiatives, and have client facing experience or strategize with leadership are all ways to provide this to various employees who go above and beyond.

Show Me the Money

You may be surprised to learn that most candidates say money isn’t the most important aspect in finding their next great opportunity…but let’s be frank, it’s still important.  Most candidates want a competitive salary and solid benefits.  Healthcare, 401k with matching, equity, sign-on bonus, and annual bonus are all asks of today.  The total package is what mid to senior level talent is taking into consideration when deciding if your organization is right for their next move. What if you can’t provide it all?  Don’t worry, there are many other ways to provide a satisfactory package to candidates who might be just beyond your budget.  We find candidates will strongly consider a company that has significant vacation time available over other more rigid plans.   Adding additional vacation days to your PTO plan, opportunities to earn them, or going to an unlimited policy is very enticing.

Vision and Goals 

Most hiring managers can do a pretty good job of asking about a candidate’s goals and even explaining who the company is and what they do, but they sometimes fall short in illustrating where they have been and where they are going.  By illustrating the vision of the company’s executive leadership team and the future goals, you are painting a picture for a candidate and helping them to envision themselves within your organization and how their own career could evolve there.

We know as a company and a hiring manager that if you can provide insight into how a candidate can benefit from your company offerings and align yourself with the desires of top talent, you will be head and shoulders above your competition…allowing you to become the victor in the war on talent