6 things job seekers really want right now

The Great Resignation, the term coined for the record number of people who have left their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic, is far from over. 

In fact, it’s “continuing apace” according to the World Economic Forum, citing a major new study from PwC . 

The consulting firm surveyed 52,000 workers in 44 countries and found one in five of them plan to quit this year.

So what is it that jobseekers actually want? 

1. Mo’ money

The quickest way to earn more is to change job. It is why really savvy career builders go back into the labour market every two years to check out opportunities. 

As inflation has stormed back onto the economic landscape, currently at 8-9% across the UK, EU and US, at the very least you need to make sure your earning power is keeping pace with the cost of living. 

If your current employer isn’t helping you do that, it may be time to leave for one who will.

According to a survey from Blind, the anonymous work platform, 80% of tech workers are considering changing jobs. The Number One reason? Better compensation.

2. Opportunities to grow

Money tops the rankings in a survey commissioned by recruitment software firm Jobvite too but the second biggest reason it found for upping sticks is growth opportunities. 

It makes sense. If your current employer can’t provide a clear progression path, won’t provide the training and development supports to help you get on to it, or is simply happy to let you languish where you are, why stay?

3. Get flexed

Right now the push is on to get staff back to work but not everyone wants to go. 

Very many people discovered the joys of working from home thanks to the pandemic and aren’t keen to relinquish it. 

What flexibility means to each of us is different but what is common to all is the desire to maintain those gains. According to consulting giant McKinsey “Companies’ narrow views on the issue” of flexibility “are pushing people out of their current jobs and even out of the workforce entirely”. 

4. Life-work balance

Flexibility is more than WFH. It’s about autonomy. It’s about being free to work smart. 

So long as you hit your targets, why shouldn’t you be able to meet personal goals too, whether that means spending more time with loved ones, at the gym, or on that promising side hustle. 

According to Future Forum’s Pulse Survey a desire to seek a better work life balance is driving job seekers to look for a new position. Employees with rigid work schedules also say they are 3x more likely to “definitely” look for a new job in the next year (up from 2.6x in February).

5. Play to your strengths

Another major driver for job change is the desire to do what you do best. Whether you’re keen to avoid the Peter Principle – and the stress of rising to the level of your incompetence – or simply find that your responsibilities have grown far beyond what you signed up for, a job change can get you back on track and doing what you’re most comfortable doing. 

Survey company Gallup found that “workers who aren’t allowed to use their strengths very often seek jobs where they can”, while workers who do get to use their strengths “seek out jobs where they get to use them even more”. 

Some 58% of respondents to its survey said the ability to do what they do best is one of the top expectations they have for their next job. 

6. Feel the love

Not feeling appreciated is a major demotivator yet according to a survey by US recognition and rewards company Bonusly 63% of people describe feeling “unappreciated by their employer on a daily basis”.  

The good news for tech workers is that it is an employee’s market. So why put up with anything less than the career you deserve? 

Here are 3 great jobs to consider

Juni provides ecommerce entrepreneurs with an all-in-one financial platform to scale up. Though founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, the internet is its HQ, which means it’s keen to bring in candidates from anywhere within six hours of CET.

Freedom is this company’s watchword: “Freedom to work wherever there’s good WiFi. Freedom to be 100% yourself. Freedom to explore your potential and what’s more – make the most of it,” it says. 

It even offers a “happiness stipend” worth €8,500 per year and currently has a remote opening for a Product Marketing Manager.

Or how about Aiven, a provider of managed open-source data technologies. Headquartered in Helsinki with hubs around the world, it puts a priority on learning and growth and a premium on work life balance, with flexible working hours and wellbeing supports like private health and dental care. 

It’s currently seeking a Partner Solutions Architect EMEA working on a remote basis. 

CRM leader HubSpot, which is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts has a Mobile Hubspot team currently recruiting a Senior Frontend Software Engineer based out of London. 

HubSpot reckons “work and life should fit together” and puts its money where its mouth is, with such initiatives as unlimited vacation, the choice to work remotely and, after five years with the company, a four-week paid sabbatical plus bonus. How’s that for appreciation?

So the question is, do you really want to get a better job right now? 

If you are ready to apply for a new job, them make the Tech EU Job Board your first stop