The job market for administrative, customer service, HR, sales and marketing roles is evolving, and both candidates and employers are adjusting to new priorities and challenges. From career growth and company culture to technology skills and reliability, expectations are higher than ever. We spoke with an Ultimate Staffing Business Solutions Manager and Executive Recruiter to uncover what candidates value most, what employers are looking for, and how trends in direct hire are shaping the future of work.  

Q: What are you seeing as candidates’ main priorities? 

A:  Candidates want to see a clear path for career growth and professional development with an organization. They’re seeking stability and good benefits packages. 

And culture matters! Candidates want to know how the company supports its people beyond just pay — including DE&I, mental health resources, and work-life balance 

Q: What do your customers want in candidates for administrative & customer service roles? 

A: These are what we hear the most from our customers: 

• Reliability and good attendance! 
• Strong technology skills (Microsoft Office Suite, CRM tools, HRIS systems) 
• Soft skills including adaptability, problem-solving, and professional communication 
  • Ultimate Staffing’s TalentSet program has made a significant impact on identifying soft skills for candidates 

Q: What challenges are your customers facing when hiring? 

A: Companies are often enlisting help from us to fill highly specialized roles, for our access to larger networks, our specialization, and our ability to focus on hard-to-fill roles. Sometimes they will hire temporary employees to fill in and maintain productivity while they search for a full-time employee. 

For searches that are not productive or taking too long, they’re turning to us to after exhausting their internal resources. When working with Ultimate Staffing for direct hire, all our searches are on a contingency basis, and the client doesn’t pay a fee unless we find them the best hire. We encourage clients to use us from day one to benchmark their organic talent. 

Some companies that previously preferred temporary employees in specific roles are shifting to direct hire in order to attract more stable, invested talent — especially for roles with customer impact or revenue responsibility. 

Hiring managers are also experiencing application “overload” with 100+ applications at a time. Ultimate Staffing can alleviate this by reviewing and vetting candidates for them. 

Have questions about hiring or looking for a new career opportunity? Ultimate Staffing is ready to help. Contact us today.