One of the most important questions a candidate asks about a new job often has very little to do with the job description itself.
It is something much more personal:
What will my life look like if I say yes?
Of course salary matters. People want to be paid fairly, they want to feel valued, and there are plenty of situations where some extra dollars on the offer genuinely makes a difference.
But the recruitment conversations we have with candidates are rarely quite that simple.
Someone might be genuinely interested in a role, like the organisation and see the opportunity in front of them, while also mentally running through what an ordinary Tuesday might look like if they took it. Can they still drop the kids at school? What time will they realistically get home? Will they be checking emails at 9pm? How much pressure comes with the job? What will their manager be like when things get difficult rather than when everyone is on their best interview behaviour?
Those questions matter because candidates are not simply choosing a job. They are choosing what that job will mean for the rest of their life.
That is also why the biggest salary does not always win. Especially in New Zealand, where lifestyle is such an important factor in decision making.
We often work with people who are quite prepared to earn less for the right opportunity, one that lines up with their motivational and lifestyle choices as much as their capability and career ambitions. That sometimes surprises employers, particularly when they assume remuneration and career opportunity will ultimately dictate an outcome.
But there comes a time for most of us where something else matters more. It might be a shorter commute, greater flexibility, less travel, a better leader, more meaningful work or simply the prospect of being happier.
I have spoken with so many people who have realised that the next promotion is not actually what they want. They do not necessarily need another rung on the ladder. Sometimes they want their evenings back, or a little more energy left over for the people and things that matter outside work.
That is an important distinction, and it is part of what I think we mean when we talk about hiring with heart. It’s not about lowering expectations or putting capability to one side. It is about recognising that people make career decisions with both their heads and their hearts, and that a really good recruitment process should try to understand both.
What is my manager actually going to be like?
This is one of the things candidates care about most, and understandably so. A great role with the wrong manager can become a pretty miserable experience very quickly, so people want to know what the relationship might actually feel like day to day.
Will they be trusted? Will they have autonomy? Can they challenge an idea? How is feedback given? What happens when they make a mistake or need help?
Candidates are often assessing these things throughout the recruitment process, even when they are not asking the questions directly. That’s why it helps to let people experience the real leadership style rather than simply describe it. Instead of saying your leaders are supportive, empowering or people-focused, have a genuine conversation about how decisions are made, what expectations look like and how people work through difficult moments.
The interview is not only the organisation deciding whether it wants the candidate. The candidate is making exactly the same assessment of you.
When you say flexible, what do you actually mean?
Flexibility is another good example because it means very different things to different people. For one person, it may mean working from home a couple of days a week. For someone else, it might simply mean being able to start earlier so they can do the school pickup, attend an appointment without feeling guilty, or occasionally adjust their day when life gets complicated.
Most candidates are not necessarily asking for complete freedom. They are trying to understand how much trust and control they will have over the way work fits around their life. There is nothing wrong with a role that requires someone to be physically present, and there is nothing wrong with having clear boundaries. What matters is being honest about what flexibility genuinely looks like in your organisation rather than relying on the word itself.
Candidates can usually cope with limitations. What they struggle with is discovering after they start that “flexible” meant something quite different from what they thought.
What is the culture really like?
This is probably one of the hardest questions employers get asked because “we have a great culture” has become almost meaningless. Most organisations believe they have a good culture, and almost every job advert tells candidates something similar. What people really want to understand is what it feels like to work there.
Do people help each other when things get busy? Are people comfortable asking questions? Is there humour in the office? Can someone admit they do not know something? Do people stay? Do leaders notice when someone is struggling?
Culture tends to reveal itself in the small, everyday things (and, just quietly, the culture people feel is often more about their direct line management than the wider organisation).
It can also be about the way someone is welcomed on their first morning, whether their manager has made time for them, whether the team knows they are arriving, or whether they are handed a laptop and expected to somehow work everything out before lunch.
A chocolate bar, card or flowers on the desk is clearly not an onboarding strategy, but people often remember that sort of thing because it tells them somebody thought about them before they arrived.
Little moments can say a lot.
What am I really walking into?
Candidates are also becoming more comfortable asking harder questions, which I think is a good thing.
Why is the role vacant? How long did the previous person stay? Is the team fully staffed? What are the pressure points? What is not working particularly well at the moment? What will success look like in the first six months?
Strong candidates are not necessarily expecting perfection. Most experienced people know that every organisation has challenges, and sometimes the challenge is part of what makes the role interesting.
They simply want to know what they are signing up for.
There is a big difference between being told, “We have some work to do and we would love you to help us,” and discovering a few weeks after starting that the situation is considerably more complicated than anyone suggested.
Being open about the difficult bits does not necessarily make an opportunity less attractive. Often it does the opposite, because it allows the candidate to make an informed decision and builds trust before they have even joined.
And then there are all the other little things that add up…
Extra leave. Health insurance. Professional development. A carpark. Gym or professional memberships. A generous parental leave policy. A great team. Meaningful work. A strong purpose. A good office. A manager who understands that life occasionally happens outside working hours. Trust.
None of these things necessarily wins someone over on its own, but together they create a picture of what working for an organisation might actually feel like.
And different people will value very different things.
That is really the point. There is no single perfect employment proposition. There is simply the proposition that fits this person, at this point in their life.
That is why some of the most valuable recruitment conversations happen long before an offer is made. A good recruiter should understand what genuinely matters to the candidate, and a good employer should understand what they genuinely have to offer.
Somewhere in the middle, a good consultant will help make the match!
The best recruitment outcomes aren’t aways about getting somebody to say yes. The process should partner people together and help them make the decisions that still feel right six months or a year later, when the interview process is distant memory.
To me, that is what hiring with heart looks like. If you are thinking about your next hire and want to talk about what really matters to candidates – or how to better tell the story of what your organisation has to offer – drop me a line. The team at Bishop would be very happy to help.
👤 About the Author
Heather Ewing is a Consultant with Bishop Associates, specialising in charity, health, leadership and purpose-led recruitment. She works closely with organisations and candidates to understand not only the skills and experience required for a role, but the values, motivations and personal factors that ultimately determine whether a move is genuinely the right fit. Known for her warm, thoughtful and relationship-focused approach, Heather brings a strong people lens to recruitment and is passionate about creating hiring experiences that are honest, considered and human – helping organisations find people who will thrive, and candidates make career decisions that feel right for the long term.
Heather@BishopAssociates.co.nz