Most hiring in 2026 isn't about finding someone who's job hunting. It's about convincing someone who's perfectly comfortable to consider something new.
And that’s exactly where most companies fall down.
You're not offering a step up. You're asking someone to uproot what they know — their routine, their relationships, their standing — for something unproven. If your pitch is basically "same job, come work for us instead," you've already lost.
So what actually makes someone move laterally? It's almost never just money. And it's definitely not a ping pong table.
This is where most lateral moves are won. Two people can hold the same title in two different companies and have wildly different experiences. One's buried in BAU work with no exposure beyond their team. The other's sitting in on leadership meetings, working cross-functionally, and building skills that set up their next move.
Scope matters. Exposure matters. Access to leadership matters. If your role offers broader responsibility, more meaningful projects, or a clearer line of sight to what comes next, that's not a lateral move — it's a better trajectory dressed in the same title.
The companies that win lateral hires articulate this clearly. Not vague promises about "growth" — actual, tangible differences in what the day-to-day looks like and where it leads. A candidate needs to see the path, not just be told one exists.
It's a cliché because it keeps being true. You can offer the best salary, the best benefits, the best office — and still lose someone because their manager doesn't back them, doesn't communicate, or doesn't create an environment where they can do good work.
When we're having honest conversations with candidates about why they're open to moving, leadership comes up almost every time. Not always as a complaint — sometimes it's the quiet realisation that they've outgrown the management style around them.
If your leadership team genuinely operates well, that's one of your biggest selling points. Don't hide it behind generic employer branding. Be specific. Let candidates see how your leaders actually lead.
Flexibility shouldn't need saying in 2026, but it still does. For most candidates, it’s not a perk anymore. It’s the baseline they’re comparing everything else against. It's the number one factor in most candidate surveys. Candidates will reject good offers purely because the flexibility doesn't match what they already have. And it's not just about remote vs. office — it's about trust. Companies still treating flexibility as something to be "earned" are losing talent to competitors who treat it as standard.
But beyond flexibility, lateral candidates are asking an even simpler question: will my life be easier or harder if I take this? That means the everyday stuff matters enormously. The systems, the processes, whether the team is properly resourced or they'll be doing two people's jobs. How much autonomy they have. Whether the role is well designed or a patchwork of responsibilities bolted together over time.
If your day-to-day experience is genuinely better — less friction, better tools, smarter workflows, a team that actually functions — say so clearly. That's one of the most compelling things you can offer.
And while you're at it, ditch the one-size-fits-all benefits slide. A 25-year-old and a 45-year-old don't value the same things. The companies getting this right are offering flexibility within their benefits — not just flexible working, but choices that reflect how people actually live now.
If you're trying to attract someone who isn't looking to leave, your offer needs to clearly beat what they already have in at least two of these areas: better trajectory, better leadership, better flexibility, or a better day-to-day experience.
Salary gets someone to pick up the phone. Those four things get someone to hand in their notice.
Strip the salary out of your offer for a second. What's left? If you can't clearly articulate why your opportunity is genuinely better — not just different, but better — you're not ready to hire laterally. You're just hoping someone falls into your lap. If the only thing your offer improves is the logo on the contract, don’t be surprised when candidates stay exactly where they are.
The market in 2026 rewards companies that can tell a compelling, honest story about what it's actually like to work there. Not the employer brand version. The real version.
At DMC, we have these conversations every day — with candidates who aren't actively looking and with clients who need to understand what it actually takes to move them. If you're hiring laterally and want to get your pitch right, that's a conversation worth having.