What are early career professionals looking for?

New report finds disconnect between what employers offer and what candidates want

What are early career professionals looking for?

Hiring managers should learn to think long-term and more strategically as they experience a disconnect from early career professionals who have different expectations at work, according to a new report.

The report from Talogy, which surveyed more than 1,200 managers, recent employees, and early career seekers across the world, found a disparity between the immediate hiring requirements in organisations and what early career professionals are seeking.

According to the report, organisations are more focused on immediately plugging the gaps in their workforce over providing long-term opportunities for development, which is what early career professionals are seeking.

Alanna Harrington, managing consultant at Talogy, attributed the urgency felt by hiring managers to the impact of the Great Resignation.

"Hiring managers need to think more strategically about what they want from candidates, the long-term goals of the organisation, and how to be more engaging throughout the recruitment process," Harrington advised in a statement.

Early career professionals' expectations

Opportunities for learning and development are just one of the various expectations from early career professionals, according to the report. In fact, it only ranks third among the top factors they consider in applying for organisations.

The top factor in the list is salary and benefits (91%), followed by how an organisation is a fit between their interests and role requirements (77%).

Source: Talogy

"Early career professionals need the opportunity to shine. Many new entrants to the marketplace have transferrable skills, from side-hustles to being very technology-savvy. They need the opportunity to be able to show what skills and competencies they bring to the table," Harrington said.

"This research provides hiring managers with an insight into what it's like to be a young person embarking on their career and some of the barriers they face, so that hopefully the expectations of both candidate and employer align better.