What Do Professionals Value Most?

January saw application rates soar by a staggering 83.6% across the UK, suggesting that many job hunters are on the lookout for their next opportunity.

With this in mind, CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site, sought to reveal what professionals value most in a job, with a good salary (58.1%) and friendly colleagues (48.2%) topping the list.

The survey of over 1,200 workers revealed that over half the nation are unhappy in their current roles. This job dissatisfaction could be one of the driving factors behind last month’s hike in application rates.

When asked to share what they believe to be the biggest contributing factors to their own workplace happiness, professionals revealed that their top career priorities include:

• A good salary – 58.1%
• Friendly colleagues – 48.2%
• Great company culture – 40%
• Room for progression – 33.5%
• Learning new skills – 28.2%
• A nice boss – 22.4%
• Flexible working opportunities – 13.3%
• Good location close to home – 11.5%
• Interesting daily responsibilities – 10.9%
• Good workplace perks – 10.4%

Interestingly, salary was the driving factor for the majority of men (61.3%) but this was not the case for their female counterparts. In fact, friendly colleagues came top of the list for the majority (54.9%) of women, just slightly above a good salary (53%).

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments: “Candidates are storming the job market like never before and it’s clear that many are searching for roles with a strict set of criteria in mind. As such, it’s important that businesses are offering the full package. But this doesn’t just mean fair salaries and workplace perks. A great company culture and a friendly workforce should also be a priority.”