Ask someone about their dream job today, and you won’t hear much about titles or offices. Increasingly, the answer sounds like a feeling: energised, fulfilled, purposeful, free. The dream job has evolved and is no longer a final destination, but an ongoing expression of personal values and potential.
As a behavioural scientist and coach, I see this shift playing out across industries and roles. People are moving away from asking “What should I do?” and toward “What kind of life do I want to build – and how can my work support that?” It’s not about climbing faster, but aligning better.
And this shift is fundamentally transforming how people engage with work – and how organisations must respond.
A Post Pandemic Values Reset
The change didn’t come out of nowhere. For years, many professionals chased careers shaped by extrinsic motivation, the external pull of promotions, salary, and status. But for too many, that path led to burnout or a sense of disconnection. When the pandemic hit, it amplified those feelings and gave people space to reflect.
What followed was a values reset, a mass re-evaluation of what truly matters. Ambition didn’t disappear, but it was redefined. Professionals began prioritising authenticity, impact, and autonomy over prestige or tradition. In behavioural science terms, people started acting more from intrinsic motivation – working in ways that felt energising, not just rewarding.
This mindset shift has changed the question from “What job will make me successful?” to “What work helps me grow into the person I want to become?”
Coaching As a Compass in Career Redesign
In this era of transition, one tool has emerged as particularly powerful, coaching.
Coaching offers a structured yet personalised space for reflection, clarity, and action, helping individuals better understand what truly drives them and how to align their work with their values. Rather than following a one size fits all career model, coaching empowers people to craft careers that are both meaningful and sustainable.
For those seeking more purpose, coaching acts like a compass. It supports the exploration of personal values, helps set authentic goals, and builds resilience through change and uncertainty. For organisations, coaching has become a key lever for engagement and retention, enabling employees to take ownership of their development and navigate evolving roles with confidence.
It’s no coincidence that interest in coaching has surged in recent years. As the nature of work continues to evolve, shaped by shifting employee expectations, hybrid models, and a growing demand for purpose, personalised development is increasingly viewed not just as a perk, but as a critical driver of fulfilment and long term performance.
Culture Over Compensation
In today’s evolving work landscape, company culture has become a pivotal factor in employee retention and satisfaction. Recent data from Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report indicates that global employee engagement has declined from 23% to 21%, with the UK notably low at just 10%.
This decline in engagement underscores the importance of aligning organisational culture with employee values. When employees feel their workplace supports their personal and professional growth, they are more likely to remain committed and productive.
Embedding tools such as coaching into the organisational framework can be instrumental in fostering such a culture. Coaching promotes empathy, continuous learning, and open communication, enabling employees to feel valued and understood. In environments where coaching is prevalent, feedback becomes a regular, constructive process, and employees are more likely to connect with the company’s mission and values.
As the workforce continues to seek purpose and alignment in their professional lives, organisations that prioritize a supportive and growth-oriented culture will be better positioned to attract and retain top talent.
Ambition, Evolved
It’s worth emphasising: ambition isn’t going away. But it’s taking on new forms. Today’s professionals still want to achieve, stretch, and grow, they just want to do so in ways that feel sustainable and meaningful.
Success is no longer measured solely by vertical progression. More and more, people are seeking alignment over advancement, work that reflects their evolving identity, energy, and impact. Coaching plays a key role here too: helping individuals stay adaptive, self aware, and in touch with their “why” even as their goals evolve.
Make It Meaningful
For HR leaders, this is a wake up call, and an opportunity. Traditional strategies for attracting and retaining talent are no longer enough. Compensation, prestige, and job titles still matter, but they’re no longer differentiators. What matters more is authentic alignment between people and purpose.
To stay competitive, organisations must create environments where employees feel empowered to grow, not just perform. That means designing work with autonomy and flexibility, fostering psychologically safe cultures, and investing in tools like coaching that support human development, not just productivity.
This isn’t about being soft, it’s about being smart. When people feel connected to their work, they show up with more energy, creativity, and commitment. The dream job isn’t dead, it’s evolving.And in this new world of work, the most compelling offer a company can make isn’t just a role – it’s a relationship. One built on trust, purpose, and the shared journey of growth.
Adeline Segaux is a Senior Behavioural Scientist at CoachHub, blending over two decades of international business experience with deep expertise in coaching, leadership development, and organisational transformation. Drawing on a unique background in intercultural intelligence, emotional alchemy, and strategic and intuitive leadership, she supports companies in creating thriving, purpose driven workplaces.
Adeline's work empowers individuals and teams to unlock their full potential, especially those navigating transitions, neurodivergence, or high potential trajectories, with a blend of evidence based insight and transformative coaching.