Attracting Top Talent in 2025 - What You're Missing
If your best candidates keep dropping out of the process, declining offers, or leaving roles faster than you’d expect, it’s time for a reality check:
You’re not losing them to other companies — you’re losing them to a new way of living.
It’s not just about compensation, titles, or remote work anymore. Today’s top talent is prioritising how they work — and why. They’re choosing flexibility, balance, autonomy, and purpose over perks and ping pong tables and if your hiring strategy hasn’t caught up with that shift, you’re going to keep missing out on the people you really want to hire. A recent Global survey by Randstad found that workers are also prioritising less stress over pay, with 40% of respondents accepting lower paying roles to reduce stress.
The New Competition: Lifestyle, Not Just Logos
It used to be that when a great candidate passed on your role, they probably took another offer. Now? There’s a good chance they have
Decided to wait for a role that gives them more autonomy and less noise
Launched their own freelance business
Taken a career break to travel or care for family
Chosen to prioritise mental health over a new role
They’re not running toward your competitors - they’re running towards a different kind of life and unless you start designing roles with that in mind, your pipeline could start thinning out.
A Great Job Isn’t Enough Anymore
You might be offering “a great job,” but the people you want to hire aren’t just looking for a job. They’re looking for:
Time freedom – the ability to structure their work around their lives
Purpose alignment – roles that feel meaningful, not just productive
Flexibility – not just remote work, but true autonomy
Psychological safety – environments that support well-being, not just performance
If your offer doesn’t speak to those things, they’ll quietly opt out and it won’t be obvious why — you’ll just notice fewer responses, slower replies, and more last-minute “not the right fit” emails.
Rethinking Role Design - One of the Most Powerful Questions you can Ask:
'What does success look like in this role — and what’s the least restrictive way to get there?'
That one shift — from “how do I manage this person?” to “how do I support this person?” — changes everything, so instead of defaulting to set hours and rigid expectations, think:
Could this role be outcome-based instead of time-based?
Is in-office time essential, or just habitual?
Could this be a project-first engagement, with a path to full-time?
Can we trust performance over presence?
Top candidates today want to be treated like professionals, they don’t need micro-management. What they do need is clarity, freedom, and the tools to do their best work.
Job Ads Are Sales Pages, Not Checklists
If your job ads still start with a paragraph about your company and end with a laundry list of bullet points, it’s time to work harder.
Today’s candidates are skimming job posts like headlines giving your job ad only seconds to capture their attention — and less time to build interest. That means your messaging needs to lead with impact, flexibility, culture that respects life and what success actually looks like, and above all, be human. Speak as though you would in conversation as candidates want to feel seen, not sold to.
What Candidates Aren’t Saying (But Are Definitely Feeling)
When a great candidate goes quiet or turns you down with a polite “not the right time,” it’s often because they’re asking themselves questions like:
Will this job make my life better or more stressful?
Will I feel trusted here?
Can I grow here without burning out?
If they’re not sure, they move on, not necessarily to another company — just to a different kind of choice. This doesn’t mean they’re not motivated. It means they’ve redefined what motivated looks like. And if you want to hire them, you’ll need to meet them where they are.
Smart Hiring Today Is About Alignment, Not Just Availability
The best candidates aren’t just asking, “Can I do this job?” They’re asking, “Is this worth saying yes to?”
If you want to attract and keep them, don’t just think about your needs, think about theirs. Build roles that are flexible, outcomes-focused, and values-aligned. Offer clarity, not control. Prioritise balance, not burnout - because the companies that win the talent game today aren’t the ones offering the biggest salaries, they’re the ones offering the best fit for the life people actually want to live.This is the future of hiring — and it’s happening right now.
For help designing roles that people genuinely want to say yes to? Or to attract lifestyle-driven, high-performing candidates, call 1300 585 383 for a confidential discussion on how Big Fish Creative Recruitment can solve your hiring problems.