Insights from our recent webinar with Lucy Pope (Head of ESG, Matchtech), Henry Bishop (CEO, Furthr) and Annabel Honour (Head of ED&I & Internal Talent, Matchtech). Watch the full recording below.
Salary and benefits still matter, but if you're relying on them alone to win engineering and technology talent, you're competing on the noisiest, most expensive battleground there is. In our latest webinar, we explored a more durable advantage: your ESG story, and how you tell it throughout the hiring process.
Candidates are asking different questions
The fundamentals (salary, benefits, the role) get you into consideration, and the employee experience keeps you there. But increasingly it's a third layer that tips the decision: impact. Candidates are asking: What does this organisation stand for? Do I believe in them?
The data backs this up. Nearly 90% of Gen Zs and millennials say purpose is important to their job satisfaction (Deloitte, 2024), and our own research found 35% of engineering and tech job seekers cite a company's ESG practices as a major influence on their job hunt, with a further 25% factoring it into their decision-making.
The most common mistake? Doing genuinely impressive things on ESG, then burying them in reports candidates never read, drowning them in jargon, or overpromising without evidence. What candidates respond to is simpler: clear values, credible proof, visible inclusion and tangible impact, told through honest storytelling connected to the role you're hiring for.
Sustainability job seekers can actually see
Henry Bishop from Furthr made a point that should land hard with anyone hiring STEM talent: candidates already vet your tech stack before applying, and they're starting to vet your sustainability claims the same way. He flagged the classic pitfalls, from vague "net zero by 2050" targets to offsetting instead of reducing and PR-only narratives. His advice: name your sustainability work on your About Us page and in job descriptions, share real examples of employees driving sustainable innovation, and encourage employee advocacy on LinkedIn. It pays off: an IBM survey found candidates are 67% more willing to apply to companies seen as sustainable.
EDI: the test of credibility
Annabel Honour framed equity, diversity and inclusion as the first and most visible signal of ESG in practice. It shapes first impressions, determines whether candidates feel they could belong, and, as lived experience, can't be faked. Candidates look for representation across teams and leadership, inclusive hiring, fair progression, pay equity and authentic employee stories on your website and socials.
Community impact makes purpose believable too. Volunteering days, charity partnerships and match schemes give you real examples to point to, and 54% of UK employees say working for an employer that supports charities increases their sense of pride (Charities Aid Foundation, 2025).
Embedding ESG across the hiring process
The webinar closed with a practical checklist:
Attract. Write job ads that reflect inclusion, "the why" and role-level ESG relevance. Build an impact section into your careers site, and make sure your recruitment agencies know what to say.
Engage. Reflect purpose in interview packs, and equip hiring managers to share real examples and explain how the role contributes.
Offer. Reinforce values alignment, make it tangible through benefits and policies, and repeat the messaging candidates have already seen. Consistency is what makes it credible.
And remember to mix up the messages so they appeal to different types of people: narratives and storytelling, leadership and employee voice, simple metrics or proof points, and accreditations, certifications, policies and awards all resonate with different audiences.
Quick wins to get started
You don't need a full employer brand project to make progress. Some tangible actions you can take this week:
✔ Ask your recent hires what drew them in, and what nearly put them off ✔ Audit your EVP through an ESG lens ✔ Check for consistency across your different touchpoints ✔ List the ESG-related questions candidates might ask ✔ Create simple talking points for hiring managers ✔ Put yourself in an interviewee's shoes, and use AI to test how your company comes across on purpose and impact
For a growing share of engineering and technology candidates, ESG is part of how they decide where to work. The organisations winning that talent aren't necessarily doing the most; they're making what they do visible, evidence-based and relevant to the role.
Watch the full webinar recording for the discussion in full, including the audience Q&A. And if you'd like help embedding your ESG story into your hiring, get in touch with the Matchtech team.
