Loud Thinking February 25, 2014 at 07:22PM

What Do the Best Job Candidates Want?

To attract the best and brightest, tune in to what executives look for in new employers. The answer is more nuanced than wealth accumulation. Executive candidates assess:
The firm. Working for a successful company is of the utmost importance to executive-level candidates. Many job candidates focus on a firm’s platform, track record, and current and future prospects. Candidates also care about an organization’s people and culture — they want to work with people they respect and can learn from.
The job. The single most sought-after characteristic is opportunities for career advancement and personal growth. Candidates assess the training and development that the position offers, the resources that would be available to them, and the degree of autonomy the job entails. They also think about how the outside world would perceive them in the role, particularly if it is a highly visible one.

Adapted by HBR from “Headhunters Reveal What Candidates Want” by Boris Groysberg.

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