For a long time, the labour market followed a one-sided model: the company selects, evaluates, offers. However, today the situation is changing rapidly. Given the acute shortage of qualified specialists, especially in technological, engineering and managerial segments, we are increasingly encountering a reverse dynamic: the candidate chooses the company, not the other way round. And this is not a temporary trend, but a sustainable transformation reflecting changes in motivation, culture and approaches to career.
This does not mean that the process of competence assessment loses importance. On the contrary, the demands on the professionalism of job applicants remain high. However, not only qualifications are important for both parties - employer and candidate - but also the matching of values, expectations, life orientations and career ambitions. Mutual interest and trust come to the fore. Companies are looking not just for performers, but for engaged partners, and candidates are looking not just for a salary, but for an environment where they can develop, feel meaning and security.
Why is this happening? Firstly, the maturity level of professionals is growing. Candidates with strong experience are increasingly looking at offers through the lens of long-term development, work-life balance, corporate culture, management practices and process transparency. An employer who fails to demonstrate strategic thinking, care, support and flexibility risks losing the battle for talent, even if they offer competitive salaries.
Secondly, digital channels and open data have fundamentally changed the nature of recruiting. Job seekers analyse the company's reputation, study employee feedback, look at the dynamics of team development, the public activity of top management, growth cases, and decision-making processes. Transparency is the new standard, and the employer brand is formed not by the PR department, but by real actions.
What does this mean for business? Today, successful hiring requires not only a clear position, but also a developed ‘employer strategy.’ It's important for companies to be professional, mature partners, not just hires. This means: clear and honest communication of values and goals; thoughtful career tracks and training; attention to mental wellbeing and overload; respect for a candidate's time and expectations; and a culture of feedback and alignment.
In reality, selection happens on both sides. Companies continue to select - but they do so in the face of a growing need to be engaging, tech-savvy, flexible and truly open. This is the new norm of today's labour market, and it is what will define business competitiveness in the years ahead.
