Salary, benefits and office perks used to dominate candidates' decision-making. Today, those factors still matter, but the biggest question has shifted from "Is this a good company to work for?" to "Is this the right company for me?"
In this Wise Words feature, we spoke to Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and Co-Founder of Flexa, about the shift that has impacted many companies' market positioning for present and future employees.
Molly built Flexa after struggling to find a job that worked around her health needs without stalling her career, a problem she knew wasn't hers alone. Flexa helps candidates see what an organisation actually offers when it comes to things like flexibility, progression, and culture, and gives employers data on what talent cares about.
In this blog, we discuss how candidate expectations have shifted, where employer brand teams still go wrong, and why being specific matters so much in the world of work.
Why Flexa was built
Molly started like most graduates, focused on what traditionally defined a good job: salary, progression, opportunity. But the longer she worked, the more she noticed a gap between what companies showed candidates during hiring and what working there was actually like.
"I don't believe every company needs to offer flexibility. But I do believe every company should be honest and open about what they offer."
The information candidates needed was scattered across job adverts, careers sites, EVPs, review platforms, recruiter calls and rarely added up to a clear picture. Meanwhile, she kept meeting companies with good cultures and flexible working that simply weren't talking about it.
"I remember thinking that these companies had so much to shout about, but candidates had no easy way of finding them."
That gap became Flexa. What began as a platform for flexible working has grown into a data-driven careers platform that helps people and companies find their perfect match by showcasing what companies actually offer: from benefits, career progression, and flexibility, to culture, inclusion and wellbeing. Being transparent about what workplaces really offer empowers candidates to make more informed decisions about where they'll thrive.
How the definition of a good workplace has changed
The challenge Molly identified when building Flexa has only become more relevant over time.
The pandemic put millions of people into remote and hybrid work for the first time, giving them real choice over how and when they worked, leading candidates to learn the conditions they work best in, the trade-offs they'll accept, and the ones they won't.
This means today "a good employer" has its own personal definition. Alongside pay and progression, candidates weigh:
Reward and recognition
Progression pathways
Flexibility and ways of working
Learning and development
Leadership style
Wellbeing support
Diversity and inclusion
Autonomy
Culture and values
Benefits from “pawternity leave” through to excellent pension contributions
And so much more
None of these are universal. What draws one person in means nothing to the next. A graduate might pursue development; a working parent might need flexibility; someone else might choose purpose over leadership.
Flexa's data continues to reveal the organisations standing out are those that are clear about who they are, what they offer and who is most likely to thrive within their environment.
The power of precise communication
Employer branding used to mean casting the widest net of terms to describe your company in your employee value proposition: "supportive", "forward-thinking", "agile". Molly emphasised how those words, however well-meant, could be more meaningful.
Generic taglines are losing their impact. Candidates are looking for hard evidence and clarity."
The problem is that the words mean different things everywhere. "Flexible" might mean fully remote at one company and a fixed hybrid rota at another. "Wellbeing" might mean private medical cover or a few mental health days. Candidates have learned to read past the slogan and check whether what recruiters promise matches what the current team experiences.
That matters more now that AI tools have pushed application volumes up. The job has more of a focus on attracting the right candidates rather than the masses.
"Branding used to be defined by what a company wanted to broadcast. Now it's defined by what a candidate needs to know."
The companies that will attract and retain the best talent will be the ones clear about who they are and who they aren't, and are honest about the kind of person who will progress and thrive there.
As candidates gain more access to information, honesty has become a competitive advantage for companies to stand out. The objective isn't to be liked by everyone; it's to ensure the right talent can see themselves within your organisation.
The future of employer branding
Stop trying to appeal to everyone; candidates today know what matters to them. The employers that stand out will be the ones that communicate those realities clearly, rather than relying on broad promises and generic messaging.
"Those who take the time to prioritise being credible over being generically attractive will benefit the most in the long run"
Today, candidates have more information and more choice than ever before; transparency will help the right people find the right organisations.
