Bridging the Gap: Understanding Expectations between Young Talents and HR professionals in corporate settings

This master's thesis delves into the realm of talent management, focusing on analysing the expectations of young talents towards companies and how well the HR professionals understand these expectations when hunting for top talent hires. The study is divided into two main parts: a comprehensive literature review of current talent management trends and practices, followed by empirical research consisting of semi-structured interviews with young talents and HR representatives from major corporations. The thesis aims to answer the question: Is there a mismatch between the expectations of young talents and the perception of those expectations by HR professionals? If so, in which areas is this mismatch the most palpable and most damaging for the potential working relationship, with emphasis on its beginning stages. The conclusion provides concrete recommendations for companies to bridge this gap and align expectations effectively. While targeting recent business school graduates and HR professionals, this research underscores the importance of correctly assessing the expectations of young top talents to foster mutual understanding and organizational success, thereby contributing to the advancement of talent management practices.