What Do Senior-Level Candidates Prioritise in a Job Search?

Key Takeaways:

• Senior professionals prioritise flexibility and work-life balance (41%), expecting remote or hybrid options and a culture that respects their personal time.
• To attract and retain senior-level professionals, businesses must tailor their value proposition to individual needs, be transparent, and invest in executive development.
• Partnering with an executive search specialist is vital for senior-level recruitment, as they provide access to passive candidates and ensure alignment with long-term business goals.

Attracting and retaining senior professionals is crucial for driving business growth, so it’s important to truly understand what they prioritise when considering a new role. To better understand the motivations of senior-level candidates, CSG Talent asked a group of over 600 executive professionals, either recently placed or currently searching, to tell us what mattered most in their decision-making process.

“Secured a new role in the last 6–12 months, or currently looking? What’s been the most important factor in your decision?”

• Flexibility and Work-Life Balance (41%)
• Remuneration and Package (24%)
• Career Development (21%)
• Cultural Alignment (13%)

Let’s explore how each of these factors influences the success of executive search and how businesses can successfully attract and retain senior-level professionals.

Explore our recruitment services to discover how CSG Talent can support your senior-level hiring.

What Do Senior Candidates Really Want in a New Role?

Flexibility and Work-Life Balance (41%)

Flexibility is the most valued factor among senior professionals, with 41% considering it their main priority when searching for a new role. While remote work was once considered a temporary solution to the Covid pandemic, it’s now an expected part of the working model. Many senior-level professionals are managing personal commitments, so they value autonomy, trust, and the ability to structure their working life in a way that suits them.

They typically expect remote or hybrid options as standard and a culture that respects their personal time and boundaries. They also want to see that flexibility supports employee wellbeing and purpose. If flexibility isn’t built into your offering, you risk losing out on highly experienced candidates before the process even begins.

Remuneration and Package (24%)

Although compensation isn’t always the main priority when moving jobs, 24% still consider it a priority, which emphasises the key role it plays in industries with fierce competition for senior talent. But in most cases, it’s less about base salary and more about the overall package. Candidates want transparency around bonuses and how these rewards are tied to impact.

They value transparent and performance-linked bonus structures and flexible benefits tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Long-term incentives such as equity, profit sharing, and pension contributions are also sought after.

Senior professionals will also look at your company’s reputation and the stability of the industry before engaging with an offer. Benchmarking your packages against competitors and clearly communicating this helps build trust from the start and helps avoid further negotiations later in the process.

Career Development (21%)

Senior professionals are typically at the later stages of their careers, but that doesn’t mean they’re done growing. In fact, 21% consider it crucial to actively seek roles that challenge their leadership capabilities, offer strategic influence, and allow them to make meaningful contributions. At this level, career development is about making an impact and aligning with organisations where their leadership can truly shape the future.

Senior professionals typically prioritise:

• Access to innovative projects or emerging markets where they can bring fresh thinking and drive transformation
• Clear paths to board or advisory roles that offer long-term strategic influence
• Opportunities to mentor, scale, or restructure teams

Senior candidates want to know that they’re joining a company that values their continued growth and offers the environment and support to make it happen, so make sure to highlight how your business provides this.

Cultural Alignment (13%)

13% of senior candidates say their main priority is to join an organisation where their leadership style and personal values are fully aligned with the wider business. Many senior professionals have spent years mastering their leadership approach and want to work in environments where their voice is respected and their decisions have impact. No matter how attractive a role may seem on paper, if the business culture feels misaligned for whatever reason, they’re unlikely to accept the offer.

They expect transparency around how decisions are made and how change is embraced, especially when it comes to ESG commitments or D&I initiatives, and they’re likely to assess your employer brand using platforms like LinkedIn or Glassdoor before even considering a role. Showcasing your company culture will help senior candidates get a true sense of whether it’s a role in which they can see themselves thriving and feeling fulfilled.

How to Attract and Retain Senior-Level Professionals

Tailor Your Value Proposition to the Individual

A generic value proposition won’t engage experienced leaders, as their motivations differ based on their career stage, personal circumstances, and long-term aspirations. Instead of just listing benefits, think about what tangible impact they can make and how they can continue their career development.

For example, a C-suite candidate with family commitments may prioritise a flexible working model, while a newly promoted director may favour a clear path to board roles. It’s important to consider how you present the role and the culture they’ll be a part of.

Prioritise Transparency in Compensation

Senior compensation structures can be complex, so clarity and transparency are key. Early in the job search process, outline how your bonus schemes relate to performance and which metrics are most important. Be detailed about your offerings, including healthcare plans, pension contributions, travel allowances, and any unique benefits your company offers. Inviting open, honest conversations about pay also builds mutual respect and avoids wasting everybody’s valuable time.

Invest in Executive Development

Experienced professionals are always seeking new challenges and the chance to leave a lasting impact, so a strong leadership development programme that includes mentorship and upskilling opportunities shows you’re committed to their long-term success. By providing opportunities to speak at industry events or produce thought leadership content with their own experiences and insight, you can help senior hires have a positive impact on your employer brand while also enhancing their own profile.

Build and Maintain a Strong Employer Brand

Your executives can be powerful brand ambassadors, so make sure to spotlight their achievements and celebrate your company’s positive impact. A seamless candidate experience where every interaction feels respectful and personalised strengthens that brand, even for candidates who aren’t successful with their application. Senior leaders have powerful, extensive networks, and a negative review can severely damage your employer brand.

Lead With Purpose and Values

Purpose and values are key factors when looking to attract senior talent. Your organisation must clearly identify its mission, and this should be demonstrated by your entire leadership team. When senior candidates see executives making decisions based on sustainability, diversity, and community, they realise their own values will be respected and encouraged. This will indicate to senior professionals that joining your organisation is an opportunity to contribute to something meaningful.

Partner with an Executive Search Specialist

Senior-level recruitment requires a tailored approach and a strong understanding of leadership dynamics. By partnering with an executive search specialist, you gain access to passive candidates whose profiles aren’t visible on job boards, accessing networks built through years of relationship building.

A dedicated consultant will take the time to learn your objectives, culture, and value proposition, then directly reach out to experienced leaders looking to progress their careers. This reduces time‑to‑hire, improves the quality of candidates, and ultimately delivers executives ready to drive innovation and growth.

Key Questions Business Leaders Should Ask Themselves

Use these questions as a checklist to ensure your strategy aligns with what senior candidates truly want:

1. How flexible is our working model?
    Does our approach to hybrid or remote work genuinely support the diverse needs and lifestyles of senior leaders?
2. Are we completely transparent about rewards and benefits?
    Do we clearly communicate how salary, bonuses, and benefits create a competitive package?
3. Is our career development proposition exciting for senior professionals?
   Do we demonstrate clear progression paths for C-suite roles to drive long-term growth and purpose?
4. Does our culture match executive values?
    Have we demonstrated how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how leaders represent our mission?
5. How strong is our employer brand?
    What would a Glassdoor or LinkedIn search reveal about our reputation and social impact?
6. Do we live our core values?
    Can we point to specific examples that show we genuinely demonstrate our values?

If you think your business could perform better in any of these areas, an executive search partner can help you reconsider your approach to successfully attract and retain senior professionals.

Executive Search Support from CSG Talent

At CSG Talent, our executive search specialists recruit senior-level professionals across various global markets. Our executive search specialists partner with businesses to tailor value propositions, advise on hiring strategy, and connect them with senior professionals who align with long-term business goals and culture.

If you’re looking to future-proof your leadership team, contact CSG Talent today to discuss how we can support your talent acquisition.

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