Your backstage pass
to talent insights

Have you ever wished you had a backstage pass to talent preferences?

Where they prefer to work, what benefits they value most, or how much they care about salary, culture, and mission?

Well, now you've got one!

We've introduced a new Persona Dashboard that transforms billions of data points into clear, actionable insights, showing you what different groups of people really want from an employer. To kick things off, we've launched four personas: early careers, senior women, advanced tech talent, and neurodivergent individuals.

Here's a glimpse into one persona: Advanced Tech Talent. You'll see what matters most to them, from flexibility and benefits to mission and culture, and how their preferences compare to the average job seeker's.

What can you do with this data?

With these insights at your fingertips, you can:

Shape your employer brand around what truly matters to different talent groups

Write job descriptions that resonate with the people you want to hire

Refine your benefits and flexibility offering to stand out in a competitive market

Understand cultural priorities like mission and values so you can align your messaging

Attract and retain the right talent by removing the guesswork and acting on evidence

ADVANCED_TECH_TALENT

Advanced Tech Talent

Summary

Specialists who thrive on innovation and scientific discovery, often found in cutting-edge technology and R&D roles. Attracting them requires a deep understanding of their unique drivers.

This group is profoundly driven by 'science research driven' and 'tech for good' missions, valuing innovation and objective, 'data driven' approaches. They seek 'meritocratic', 'dynamic', and 'fast paced' environments where contributions are recognized by skill and impact, not a 'high performance' pressure cooker. They want challenging work leading to tangible progress.

They strongly prefer 'remote first' or highly flexible working, rejecting rigid 'hybrid' models. While practical benefits like 'health insurance' are valued, their primary motivators are the mission and a culture fostering genuine innovation and fairness. They're less swayed by broader social causes or workplace 'fun', focusing instead on meaningful technological advancement.

Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Science Research Driven

+99%

Meritocratic

+87%

Core hours 11–3

+49%

Health insurance

+27%

Mission and vision

+16%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Animal Focused

-57%

High Performance

-56%

A little flexibility in start and finish times

-34%

Fertility treatment leave

-29%

Diversity

-21%

Preferences breakdown

This section shows which preferences are most in demand for this persona. The percentages highlight how this persona's preferences compare to the average person.

Benefits
Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Health insurance

+27%

Parental leave

+10%

Sabbaticals

+6%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Fertility treatment leave

-29%

Open to part-time employees

-26%

Open to compressed hours

-22%

Key takeaways

Practical Well-being: 'Health insurance' is a standout preference, alongside 'parental leave' and 'sabbaticals', indicating a focus on foundational well-being and long-term career sustainability.

Career-Centric Choices: Their lower interest in 'fertility leave', 'part time', or 'compressed hours' suggests a primary focus on career progression and impact, where these benefits might be perceived as less relevant to their immediate goals.

Flexibility
Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Core hours 11–3

+49%

Remote-first

+46%

Fully flexible hours

+40%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

A little flexibility in start and finish times

-34%

Hybrid

-28%

Fully Remote

-9%

Key takeaways

Time & Location Autonomy: This group strongly gravitates towards 'remote first' and 'full flex time' models, valuing the freedom to manage their work schedule and location. Rigid 'hybrid' setups or 'little flex time' are significant deterrents.

Beyond Fully Remote: While 'remote first' is key, their slightly lower preference for 'fully remote' suggests they value the option and default mindset of remote work, rather than an absolute exclusion of physical spaces for occasional collaboration.

Role Criteria
Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Mission and vision

+16%

Culture

+13%

Reward and recognition

+7%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Diversity

-21%

Benefits

-14%

Personal development

-5%

Key takeaways

Purpose & Environment First: 'Mission' and 'culture' are top drivers when evaluating roles, highlighting their desire for meaningful work within a compatible, innovative environment. 'Reward recognition' is also important, signaling a desire for fair compensation for their contributions.

Self-Directed Growth: While 'personal development' is slightly lower, it likely means they expect growth to be inherent in challenging roles and a 'dynamic' culture, rather than a separate, explicit offering. Their lower preference for 'diversity' as a primary role driver doesn't mean they oppose it, but rather that other factors are more critical in their decision-making.

Culture
Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Meritocratic

+87%

Dynamic

+53%

Fast Paced

+48%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

High Performance

-56%

Fun

-31%

People First

-14%

Key takeaways

Merit & Momentum: A 'meritocratic', 'dynamic', and 'fast paced' culture is highly appealing, indicating a desire for environments where skill and contribution drive success and innovation is constant. They want to be challenged and see progress.

Sustainable Intensity: Their lower preference for 'high performance' suggests they seek challenging work without the intense, potentially unsustainable pressure often associated with that term. They prioritize impact and innovation over a relentless, competitive grind.

Mission
Top preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Science Research Driven

+99%

Tech For Good

+79%

Automation

+73%

Lower preferences
COMPARED TO AVGBased on H2 2025

Animal Focused

-57%

Not For Profit

-54%

Womens Health Focused

-48%

Key takeaways

Tech for Good & Science: This persona is profoundly drawn to missions that are 'science research driven', 'tech for good', 'automation', and 'data driven'. They want to apply their skills to solve complex problems and create tangible, technologically advanced solutions.

Focused Impact: They show significantly less interest in broader social or welfare-oriented missions like 'animal focused' or 'not for profit'. Their passion lies squarely in the realm of scientific and technological advancement.

In summary, what does this mean?

Key takeaways

Mission-Driven Innovators: This persona is deeply motivated by contributing to cutting-edge, 'science research driven' and 'tech for good' initiatives. Employers should clearly articulate their impact and technological vision.

Meritocracy & Flexibility: They thrive in 'meritocratic', 'dynamic' cultures that offer significant 'remote first' or 'full flex time' options. Fairness and autonomy in how and where they work are paramount.

Impact Over Perks: While practical benefits like 'health insurance' are appreciated, their core drivers are the intellectual challenge, the mission's impact, and a culture that values objective contribution over superficial 'fun' or 'people first' approaches.

Explore more personas with Flexa

Want to dig deeper into other talent groups? Remove the guesswork and get in touch to see how talent insights can help you strengthen your employer brand.

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