Work-life balance has overtaken salary as the No 1 factor New Zealand professionals look for in a job, according to a survey by recruitment firm Hudson.

The latest Hudson Hiring Report found 69 per cent of professionals looked for work-life balance in a new role, narrowly ahead of a higher salary, which 68 per cent thought was important.

A good cultural fit with the organisation was the next most important factor, with career progression and better benefits rounding out the top five must-haves for those looking to switch jobs.

However, salary is still the top priority for younger people, with nearly nine out of 10 Generation Y professionals seeing it as important, ahead of career progression (80 per cent) and work-life balance (67 per cent).

In contrast, only half of Baby Boomers looked for a higher salary in a new job, while 72 per cent wanted work-life balance.

The survey of more than 700 people also found men were almost as likely as women to prioritise work-life balance.

Hudson New Zealand chief executive Roman Rogers said work-life balance had grown in importance in recent years but had always been among the top three or four factors candidates looked for in a job.

"The challenging thing around work-life balance is what's the definition?" he said.

"It means different things to different people. There might be a massive difference between two 37-year-old single males."

The Hudson survey also found the way people look for jobs is changing, as is the way employers look to fill roles.

For instance, one in five hiring managers said job boards were becoming less effective, while nine out of 10 believed they needed to look beyond those applying for a particular role to find the best candidate.

Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of professionals were open to being approached by recruiters.

"There's a higher potential you can find someone sitting at their desk doing a good job,' Rogers said.

Another trend is growing use of mobile technology in job applications, with 23 per cent of professionals wanting to be able to apply for a job by smartphone.

But Rogers warned there were potential pitfalls to this convenience and said many candidates were not even bothering to write individual cover letters to employers.

"Hiring managers are getting frustrated with the quality of applications they are receiving. A hiring manager can see it's just a stock standard reply."

He also advised caution over what people put online, with more than four out of 10 hiring managers saying they look at a candidate's social media history.

A separate survey from job website seek.co.nz found 76 per cent of Kiwis are seeking a new job or monitoring the job market and two-thirds say they would like to work in a different industry altogether.