Candidate profiles are changing in line with job market trends. As a hiring employer, you need to know what they look like, so you can make job offers that appeal to them.
Take a look at the brief profiles of 7 fictitious candidates to find out what employees are looking for in a job in 2023!
Yasmina, 28 years old
Personal motto: “Go with the flow.
If there’s one thing Yasmina learned during the pandemic, it’s that she needs flexibility/space, both at work and in life. Prior to March 2020, she had a fixed-schedule job downtown. Although her tasks were very stimulating, she wasn’t always motivated to complete them or to travel to the office. As a result, she thought she might be out of place…
Then the pandemic struck, and Yasmina was called upon to work from home more often than not. In the midst of all this upheaval, she was even able to start modulating her working hours. At this point, Yasmina realized that she was most effective when she worked in blocks of hours rather than 8 hours a day cut short by a lunch break. She also realized that working in the ambient noise of a café near her home suited her better than among the photocopiers and colleagues in the office.
In the end, Yasmina and her employer learned that flexibility at work is a major asset!
- According to the Future Forum Pulse survey conducted in the winter of 2022-2023, staff with rigid work schedules are 2.5 times more likely to look for a new job within a year than those with good flexibility.
Jonathan, 37 years old
Personal motto: “Slowly, but surely.”
Jonathan has been with the same organization for 8 years. Initially, he was hired into an entry-level position with the expectation that he would move up slowly but surely, and that his pay and conditions would reflect this progression and reward his sustained efforts.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as he’d hoped. His professional entourage can testify to this: Jonathan has changed. He’s gone from being a very present and motivated colleague to a guy you don’t see much of, who never does more than he has to. It’s not that he doesn’t work well; it’s just that he does the bare minimum.
If his employer were to ask him about this change in attitude, Jonathan might explain that his quiet quitting is the logical consequence of his fed-up attitude: he’s had enough of giving his all at work and not getting equivalent consideration in return, whether in the form of overtime pay, recognition or promotion. He’d also tell them that he stays there because part of him still hopes things will get better…
- According to Gallup, 18% of the workforce is currently disengaged.
Ji Eun (Rita), 20 years old
Personal motto: “It’s up to each of us to chart our own destiny”.
Last April, the job market opened its doors wide to Ji Eun, who had just graduated from nursing school. Enthusiastic at the prospect of finally starting his career, they applied for several jobs.
Ji Eun even managed to land not one, but two job offers! The catch: they had already accepted the first offer, and had even worked a few shifts in their new professional environment, when the second offer, which was more in line with their needs, came along. Ji Eun accepted it, thinking that it was up to them to look after their own interests… but was too uncomfortable to inform the first employer of their application withdrawal.
n this way, Ji Eun has contributed to the increasingly common phenomenon of ghosting, i.e. when an employee, without warning, doesn’t show up for work.
- The onboarding of a new employee begins as soon as the offer is accepted! If you maintain communication from the time of the offer right through to the first day on the job, and if you have a robust onboarding program, you’ll increase the commitment of your candidates and reduce the phenomenon of ghosting.
Louis, 32 years old
Personal motto: “It takes all kinds to make a world.”
Ever since he was a little boy, Louis loves people: short, tall , young, old , introverts, extroverts… Everyone!
It’s no surprise that Louis loves talking to his colleagues. He loves the way discussion allows him to see their similarities and appreciate their differences. In fact, it’s in an eclectic environment that he feels most at home, among people from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds and life stories often far removed from his own. According to Louis, there’s no better way to grow than to encounter this human diversity.
As a result, he doesn’t want a workplace where everyone is alike! Louis wants diversity and inclusion in his professional environment. It’s really important to him that his employer takes DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) into account when hiring and, if possible, even gets socially involved.
- According to a Glassdoor study, 67% of candidates say that diversity is important in their decision when it comes to choosing a job.
Francine, 56 years old
Personal motto: “It’s all about balance”.
Francine is well settled in life: friends, family, work, home, hobbies, everything is fine and dandy. When remote work became a necessity during the confinement period, she embraced it with serenity and even took pleasure in setting up an office in her home for the purpose.
Now that things are back to normal, her employer would like to see employees physically return to work, but Francine prefers to stay at home, in the comfort of her own personal space. She finds the office environment unwelcoming, so why bother going there? What’s more, from home, she can play around with her schedule a little more, which makes it easier for her to book her monthly acupuncture appointments.
She admits that her home doesn’t offer her proximity with her colleagues, but she doesn’t find it so much at the office either, since everyone is in their cubicle most of the time. Basically, what she’d really like is to meet up with her colleagues in person for a social activity or a team get-together to exchange ideas.
If her boss could redesign the premises to make them more attractive, comfortable and designed to stimulate human interaction and facilitate team meetings, Francine would want to physically visit the office more often. Not all the time, but more often. She figures a little mix of remote and on-site work wouldn’t hurt!
- Human resources consultant Daniel explained to the daily Le Soleil that employees “don’t want to go back to the office to do the same tasks as when they work remotely. There has to be an incentive to make the trip.”
Youssef, 44 years old
Personal motto: “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can help.”
Like everyone else, Youssef has financial imperatives: between the mortgage, the car loan, the expenses for the kids and the investments for his old age, the budget reserved for leisure is becoming modest, especially since the cost of living has taken a big leap in 2022.
And like everyone else, Youssef wants a salary that’s commensurate with his skills, his value in the field and the experience he gains year after year. He wouldn’t say no to a bonus either.
Youssef is considering changing jobs to earn a better salary, but he’s aware that money isn’t everything, so he’s open to accepting less if the position and organization offer him a lot in other ways.
- If you’re more limited in terms of budget and can’t guarantee market-based pay, be sure to find other ways of attracting and satisfying candidates, such as a generous number of weeks’ vacation.
Kristina, 40 years old
Personal motto: “Down with pressure!”
When 40 knocked on the door, Kristina made some resolutions for the rest of her career. She decided to quit her current job and put her feet up in an organization that values well-being. Her well-being and that of the whole team.
She’s already given too much to workplaces with a toxic culture, where employees are constantly pushed around and not listened to. This time, she wants to find an organization where mental health, work-life balance, employee recognition and collaborative management are priorities.
She plans to use the interview to clarify her potential boss’s expectations of her and assess the organization’s ability to listen to her needs. She knows that if her boss listens to her, she’ll feel more committed and deliver better results.
Personal motto: “Enough with the pressure!”
When 40 knocked on the door, Kristina made some resolutions for the rest of her career. She decided to quit her current job and put her feet up in an organization that values well-being. Her well-being and that of the whole team.
She’s already given too much to workplaces with a toxic culture, where employees are constantly pushed around and not listened to. This time, she wants to find an organization where mental health, work-life balance, employee recognition and collaborative management are priorities.
She plans to use the interview to clarify her potential boss’s expectations of her and assess the organization’s ability to listen to her needs. She knows that if her boss listens to her, she’ll feel more committed and deliver better results.
- Tip: staff in direct contact with customers affected by major problems are more likely to experience psychological distress. Make sure you offer them support to prevent burnout. LÉO Soutien psychologique is a free service designed to help NPOs do just that.
Now that you know a little more about the current state of the job market and what employees want, you’ll be able to take this into account in your recruitment practices… Psst! We’ll be back with lots of tips on how to attract talent in line with these trends in a future article.