What Do Top SaaS Candidates Want in 2026?

While ambitious GTM SaaS and AI professionals remain attracted to innovative companies and exciting growth opportunities, many are approaching career decisions with greater caution than ever before. Widespread redundancies in recent years, economic uncertainty, and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence have fundamentally changed what top candidates value when evaluating potential employers. In our latest blog, Oakstone explores the key factors influencing candidate decision-making in 2026, including why stability has become a priority, how professionals are assessing company health, the growing importance of leadership and AI strategy, and what SaaS and AI organisations can do to attract and secure the best GTM talent.

Stability Has Become the New Growth Story

Until recently, the most attractive SaaS and technology employers were those promising explosive growth, generous equity packages, and the opportunity to join the next unicorn.

While ambitious candidates still want to work for innovative SaaS and AI companies, many are taking a more cautious and data-driven approach when evaluating career opportunities. Following widespread redundancies across the technology sector, ongoing economic uncertainty, and the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence, top talent is increasingly prioritising stability, leadership quality, and long-term career prospects over the promise of hypergrowth alone.

This new way of qualifying career prospects is changing how candidates assess employers and is creating new challenges for organisations competing for the best GTM, sales, marketing, customer success, and presales talent.

The companies attracting the strongest candidates have to demonstrate sustainable growth, clear leadership, financial health, and a compelling vision for the future.

Why does stability matter?

The technology sector has experienced significant disruption over the past few years. Many professionals have witnessed multiple rounds of layoffs, hiring freezes, restructures, and changing market conditions.

As a result, candidates are becoming far more diligent during the interview process.

Arran Campbell, Managing Consultant at Oakstone International, has seen a clear change in candidate priorities:

"People used to be attracted to high growth and equity, but are now focusing on stability, leadership quality and a clear path for progression. With the recent mass layoffs across tech, companies are tightening budgets and raising sales targets. Some of these targets are unrealistic and cause people to reevaluate their employers. Candidates are asking more questions around company health, rather than base salaries and OTE."

While salary remains important, many professionals are now looking beyond financial packages to understand whether a company can offer security, support, and realistic opportunities for success.

Candidates want confidence that the organisation they join will still be growing in two, three, or five years' time.

How are candidates qualifying the company's stability?

Top SaaS and AI professionals are approaching career decisions much like investors evaluating a potential acquisition. They are looking beneath the surface to understand a business's true health.

Great candidates are conducting their own in-depth research into profitability, growth plans, the existing team and leadership, and market share/opportunity.

Common questions candidates are asking include:

1. Is the Company Financially Healthy?

Candidates increasingly want visibility into revenue growth, funding status, profitability, customer retention, and overall market position.

They are researching:

• Recent, previous and future funding rounds

• Investor backing and support

• Revenue performance

• Customer growth

• Market reputation

• Public reviews from employees and customers

Many candidates now arrive at interviews already familiar with the company's financial story.

2.      Is your leadership credible?

Leadership credibility has become a major deciding factor.

Candidates want to understand:

• The executive team's track record and previous experience

• The company's strategic direction

• Growth plans for the next 12-24 months

• How leaders communicate during periods of uncertainty

Strong leadership provides confidence that the organisation can successfully navigate changing market conditions.

3. Are Targets Realistic?

Sales professionals in particular are becoming more cautious about organisations that promise rapid growth but fail to provide the infrastructure needed to achieve it.

Candidates are increasingly asking questions about:

• Quota attainment rates

• Sales enablement support

• Marketing-generated pipeline

• Customer demand

• Team turnover

High performers want challenging targets, but they also want a realistic opportunity to achieve them.

4. What Is the Company's AI Strategy?

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most significant factors influencing career decisions across SaaS.

Candidates recognise that AI will fundamentally reshape industries, products, and job roles over the coming years.

As a result, they want to understand whether prospective employers are embracing AI strategically rather than simply following market trends.

Burnice Lange, Managing Consultant at Oakstone International, explains:

"Top GTM candidates are placing greater emphasis on job security, proven company growth, a clear AI strategy, and genuine opportunities for career progression, increased scope, and autonomy."

Organisations that can articulate how AI fits into their product roadmap, operational strategy, and future growth plans are often viewed as safer and more attractive employers.

Career Growth Still Matters

Although stability has become increasingly important, ambitious professionals have not lost their appetite for progression.

The difference now is that candidates want sustainable growth opportunities rather than risky promises.

Burnice adds:

"The companies winning top talent are those with compelling growth stories, clear vision, and opportunities to make a meaningful impact, whether that's building functions, enhancing products, or entering new markets."

Candidates are evaluating:

• Internal promotion opportunities

• Leadership development programmes

• Opportunities to expand responsibilities

• Exposure to strategic initiatives

• The ability to influence company direction

Top performers want to feel that their contribution matters and that they can make a measurable impact on business success.

The Return of Flexibility, With Balance

Flexible working remains a significant consideration, but candidate expectations have evolved.

The fully remote hiring boom that emerged during the pandemic is gradually giving way to a more balanced approach, and many professionals now recognise the value of in-person collaboration, mentorship, and team culture. However, they are not willing to sacrifice work-life balance entirely.

According to Arran Campbell:

"People want flexibility and work-life balance – people are coming round to working from the office a bit more. Flexibility is important, but great people are understanding that office culture is coming back and open to some days in the office, they don't want to give up on work/life balance completely."

The most attractive employers are finding ways to combine both.

Successful organisations are creating environments where employees benefit from office collaboration while maintaining the flexibility needed to support personal commitments and wellbeing.

Transparency Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

One of the most significant themes emerging in the SaaS candidate market is transparency.

Candidates want honest conversations and realistic expectations about:

• Company performance

• Growth ambitions

• Challenges facing the business

• Career progression opportunities

• Team structures

• Compensation plans

Arran highlights this trend: “Companies winning are those that combine growth and transparency. People want to know about the company they are considering working for.”

Organisations that openly discuss both opportunities and challenges tend to build stronger trust during the recruitment process.

In contrast, candidates are becoming increasingly sceptical of vague promises or overly optimistic narratives that lack supporting evidence.

Hiring process matters more than you think

A company's hiring process often serves as the first indication of how the business operates internally. Lengthy delays, poor communication, and unclear decision-making can quickly undermine candidate confidence.

Burnice notes: "The companies that are winning great talent communicate well, move quickly, and run streamlined hiring processes that keep candidates engaged."

Top candidates often have multiple opportunities available. Organisations that move efficiently while maintaining a positive candidate experience are significantly more likely to secure sought-after talent.

What SaaS and AI Employers Should Do Next

The market for top GTM talent remains highly competitive, but candidate priorities have evolved, requiring potential employers to be more transparent to enable educated career decisions.

The organisations attracting the strongest professionals are not necessarily those offering the highest salaries or the most aggressive growth projections.

Instead, they are demonstrating:

• Financial stability

• Strong, results-driven leadership

• Clear AI strategy

• Realistic growth plans

• Career progression opportunities

• Flexible working environments

• Transparent communication

• Efficient hiring processes

For SaaS and AI companies looking to attract and retain exceptional talent, building and communicating that stability may be the most powerful employer brand message of all.

Why Is This Positive?

At first glance, the increased scrutiny that candidates are applying to prospective employers may seem like another hurdle for SaaS and AI companies competing for top GTM talent. In reality, it presents a significant opportunity to attract and retain people who are genuinely aligned with your business.

When candidates thoroughly evaluate and qualify a company's leadership, growth plans, and culture, they are more likely to make informed career moves. Knowledge provides greater transparency on both sides and helps ensure new hires are fully invested in the organisation's mission and long-term success.

Importantly, candidates are not searching for "perfect" companies to join. They understand that every business faces challenges, but they are looking for a company whose mission, values, and direction align with their own ambitions and where they can make a meaningful contribution. When that alignment exists, organisations often benefit from stronger performance, greater employee engagement, and longer tenure.

For smaller or lesser-known organisations, this shift in analysis can also be advantageous. Candidates are increasingly willing to consider businesses that may not have a widely recognised brand, provided they can clearly understand the opportunity and trust the information they are being given. Working with a specialist executive search partner can help bridge that gap, providing candidates with greater visibility, context, and confidence in the opportunity before they enter the interview process. This often results in higher-quality conversations and a stronger likelihood of securing talent that is genuinely committed to your organisation's growth journey.

How Oakstone International Can Help

At Oakstone International, we specialise in connecting SaaS and AI organisations with high-performing Leaders, Sales, Marketing, Presales, Customer Success, and Revenue leaders across Europe and North America.

Our consultants speak with thousands of GTM professionals every year, giving us real-time insight into what top candidates are looking for and how hiring expectations continue to evolve.

Whether you're building a new function, scaling a team, or hiring critical leadership talent, we help organisations attract the people who will drive long-term growth and success.

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FAQs

• What do top SaaS candidates look for when evaluating a new employer?

  Top candidates typically assess several factors, including financial health, leadership credibility, company culture, AI strategy, career progression opportunities, quota attainment rates, and overall business stability. They often conduct extensive research before entering the interview process.

• How important is a company's AI strategy when hiring GTM talent?

  AI strategy has become a significant consideration for many GTM professionals. Candidates want to understand how artificial intelligence will impact the company's products, growth plans, and future workforce. Organisations with a clear and credible AI vision are often viewed as more attractive and future-proof employers.

• How can SaaS companies attract top GTM talent in a competitive market?

  To attract high-performing sales, marketing, customer success, and presales professionals, SaaS organisations should focus on transparent communication, strong leadership, clear career progression pathways, flexible working policies, realistic performance expectations, and a compelling long-term growth strategy.