The rules of the job market have changed. Today, candidates are looking for much more than just a competitive salary, while companies are looking for much more than just experience.
In a new interview, Iryna Teut, Head of HR at RedCore, explains what sets a truly strong employer apart, how candidates can identify real career opportunities before accepting an offer, and which qualities have become the new “currency” in the labor market.
Over the past few years, the rules of the job market have changed significantly. If companies used to compete for talent, today candidates are increasingly competing to join the strongest organizations. What do you think about this tendency?
Yes, you are right, the ball is back in the business’s court. But that doesn’t mean candidates have lost. Quite the opposite. If companies used to be able to compete through salaries and bonuses, today that is no longer enough. People are increasingly choosing not the “fattest” offer, but a strong environment where they can grow quickly, work with leaders, and influence results. And also be confident that a wave of business growth won’t be replaced by a wave of optimization and layoffs.
At RedCore, we deliberately changed our approach several years ago. While the entire market was competing with salary ranges and bonuses, we chose to focus on developing specialists, transparent internal processes, and corporate culture. And it worked. Today, our eNPS level is 57%, with nearly 5,000 specialists working with the brands of the business group. Impressive, isn’t it?.
In my opinion, the companies that didn’t try to win the salary race at any cost, but instead consistently built a strong environment, are precisely the ones that people want to work for and stay with for the long term.
“A leader in the industry” has practically become a cliché, with every company using it in the description on its website. But how can you understand, before accepting an offer, whether those big words actually translate into real opportunities for professional growth?
The first indicator is a company’s ability to continue growing even in turbulent times. Not simply to stay afloat, but to launch new products, develop teams, and invest in processes. This directly reflects the sustainability of the business. For example, today our business group already consists of six brands. Most of them were created precisely during a period when things were far from stable. Moreover, most of them grew out of initiatives from our specialists.
The people who work at the company are the second important indicator. If specialists stay for a long time and there are real career growth stories, that tells you more than any LinkedIn description ever could. For example, at RedCore brands, 1,800+ specialists have been working for more than two years. And last year, thanks to recommendations from our colleagues to their friends and family as an employer, another 700+ talents joined us. We also consistently receive requests every week from former colleagues asking: “Is there an opportunity to come back?” For us, that is an indicator that we are moving in the right direction.
And, of course, transparency of processes. From the offer stage, a person should already understand how the work is structured, how their performance will be evaluated, what goals they will be expected to achieve, and what development opportunities await them. At RedCore, this logic remains in place throughout the entire career journey: from the probation period to the Performance Review. Regular feedback makes this process transparent and helps people continuously develop rather than having to guess what the business expects from them.
So my advice is very simple: evaluate not what a company promises, but what it has already proven through its actions.
Populism is not something spread among companies these days, but it’s common for candidates too. What signs tell you that you are dealing with a truly strong professional?
It all starts at the CV stage. If it’s full of vague statements, the conversation won’t even happen. Good experience won’t sell itself: it needs to be demonstrated through numbers and specific results, rather than a list of responsibilities.
But let me put it this way: today, experience is more of an entry ticket than a competitive advantage. Of course, hard skills remain the foundation, but soft skills have become the new currency of the labor market. We look at how well a person can adapt to change, take responsibility, collaborate with a team, and make decisions in conditions of uncertainty. And, most importantly, how well they align with our corporate values.
There are no random people here as we take a thorough approach to hiring. It is important to us that a person is a professional, results-oriented, thinks in numbers, and doesn’t simply work alongside the team, but strengthens it and contributes to the overall result. They should take initiative and responsibility for it. In return, we give such people all the resources they need to fully unlock their potential. These principles apply not only to hiring, but also to how processes, teams, and the entire internal culture at RedCore are built.
These specialists are really in incredibly high demand today. And, as I understand it, RedCore is well aware of that. What do you do not only to attract strong people, but also to help them unlock their full potential?
Probably one of the biggest barriers for a strong professional is the feeling that there is nowhere left to grow. For them, it is important to understand where they can go next. When it seems that there are no more opportunities, it can become a serious barrier to development. That is why we deliberately create different career development paths within the business group. We don’t want people to have to change companies every time they are ready to take the next step in their career. We want them to be able to take that step within RedCore.
Some choose a vertical path and become managers, or even the CEO of their own brand. Others change their direction, product, or profession. That is what our Swap&Work program is for, and more than 300 specialists have taken part in it over the past six months alone. It allows them to try themselves in a new role within the business group without having to start their career from scratch somewhere else.
Both vertical and horizontal growth are supported by our culture of continuous learning. We regularly launch internal educational programs, develop leaders, hold knowledge-sharing sessions, and create opportunities for people to learn from one another. Last year alone, more than 40 educational programs were launched within the company, and 350+ specialists advanced their careers through internal moves and promotions.
That is exactly what the partnership between a strong company and strong specialists is all about. A business needs to be mature and large enough to provide people with opportunities for growth. And specialists, in return, need to always be ready to make the most of those opportunities.
What advice would you give someone who dreams of joining a strong international company?
Don’t try to live up to someone else’s expectations. Instead, be honest about who you are and what you can bring to the business.
Candidates often try to appear “perfect”: they are afraid to admit that they don’t know something or say what they think the interviewer wants to hear. But in practice, it is always visible. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself.
Strong companies aren’t looking for perfect people. They are looking for people who can keep pace with the business.
Want to become part of RedCore? Explore our open positions here. https://redcore.group/career/