It’s clear: the Houston job market is hot.

Companies clamor over each other to recruit top talent, and potential employees are tugged in all directions. But not all companies are alike.

Every year, the Houston Business Journal compiles its Best Places to Work List, based on data produced by Quantum Workplace. The awards recognize top-performing businesses in areas like leadership, compensation, advancement opportunities and communication.

However, no single place can be considered the best for every person: Finding a “best place to work” is a journey of self-discovery. Fair compensation and benefits are top concerns for potential job seekers, but finding a satisfying job relies on other factors, too, such as company culture, opportunities for advancement and work-life balance.

Skilled employees are in a different position these days: They have more options.

“Four or five years ago, if you just had a job available, you didn’t really have to tell people a whole lot about your company; you’d get candidates,” said Keith Wolf, managing director of Houston-based Murray Resources Ltd. “Now, you have to be selling the moment they walk through the door.”

Top talent may get multiple offers and a counteroffer to consider, so in the interview process, companies must pitch.

“Today, it’s not so much if the employer is reputable, but if people believe in what the company is doing,” said Greg Harris, president and CEO of Quantum Workplace.

The firm has been analyzing what workers want in their workplaces for more than a decade. And some of its most recent findings may surprise you.

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