What do executive professionals expect when they leave a job, join a new company or apply for a job? Here are some actionable recommendations for employers to help attract and retain the best talent in today’s candidate-driven job market, one in which job seekers have the advantage.

The Execu|Search Group, a recruitment, temporary staffing, and workforce management solutions firm, released its 2017 Hiring Outlook: Strategies For Engaging With Today’s Talent And Improving The Candidate Experience. The findings were taken from a survey of more than 1,000 job seekers, working professionals, and hiring decision makers across a number of industries.

“As the job market continues to evolve over the next year, engaging with talent will become even more critical to an organization’s success,” said Edward Fleischman, Chairman and CEO of The Execu|Search Group.

“With this in mind, employers need to embrace transparency during the hiring process and in the workplace. They must also be aware that the candidate profile is changing, especially in regards to millennial employees as they progress from entry-level roles to management positions.”

The Execu|Search survey found that 50 percent of employees plan to stay with their current company for only two years or less. Keeping this in mind, the Hiring Outlook report provides specific ways in which employers can improve the experience job candidates have during the hiring process, increase engagement and retention among current employees, and develop a more transparent culture and leadership structure that align with the needs of today’s workforce.

Findings from the 2017 Hiring Outlook survey include:

• Employers are struggling to retain and hire top talent
  • The top 4 reasons employees are leaving are lack of advancement opportunities, lack of salary growth, negative work-life balance, and poor corporate culture.
  • 61 percent of respondents reported they were interviewing for two or more roles during the interview process for their current position.
  • 50 percent of employees say that they are planning to stay with their current company for two years or less.

See: Top Skills Recruiters Must Have in 2017

• Employers are not providing the hiring experience expected by job candidates
  • 75 percent of employer responses stated that their hiring process, from initial interview to offer, takes 3+ weeks, while the vast majority of professionals surveyed felt it should take 2 weeks at most.
  • 34 percent of working professionals said that, their interviewer could not convey the overall impact that their role has on the company’s goals.
  • 45 percent of working professionals do not feel that their interviewer made the effort, to give them an introduction to the culture when they were interviewing for their current position.
• Companies need to take a more active approach to culture, retention, and leadership development
  • 76 percent of millennial respondents said that professional development opportunities are one of the most important elements of company culture, and 59 percent of professionals said that access to projects to help keep their skills up-to-date would keep them satisfied at their current company.
  • 42 percent of professionals feel that executive leadership does not contribute to a positive company culture.
  • 48 percent of all working professionals say that they do not believe younger employees are encouraged to pursue leadership positions at their current companies.
  • Working professionals ranked opportunities for professional development, emphasis on work-life balance, collaboration with team members, and access to leadership/management as the most important aspects of a company culture.

To attract the most qualified candidates, it’s important to ensure all relevant parties have full understanding of the role and what it entails. If the job description varies from person to person during the interview process, this can be a major red flag that there is no clear definition of the role.

Without fully knowing what to expect, the candidate may fear that the job they originally applied to might turn out to be something completely different, and as a result, bow out of the process altogether.

Also read: Attracting Top Talent and Improving Employee Engagement are Top Priorities for HR in 2017