Every fresh headline strikes new fear in the hearts of leaders and hiring managers nationwide; ‘2.4 million jobs projected to go unfilled in the next ten years;’ ‘45% of employers reporting extreme difficulty filling roles’; ‘unemployment at lowest rate in five decades’ – the list goes on.

In this crazy competitive climate, skilled candidates are empowered to bid up offers, pit companies against one another, and ghost as they please. Hiring managers often feel helpless – and rightly so.

But smart companies are doing something different. They aren’t acquiescing to the whims of the most-desirable professionals; no, what they’re doing is asserting control, putting their best foot forward, and framing the conversation to make themselves undeniable. Here’s how they’re succeeding, step by step:

1. Smart companies build a highlights reel

You can’t expect top professionals to be woo’d purely by the fact that you are extending them an offer. Apart from salary, why would an in-demand candidate want to work for your company?

This is one of the biggest struggles faced by businesses of any size; articulating what makes you uniquely positioned to deliver what a person wants – in terms of both personal and professional goals – can be extremely difficult. The key is in arming your team with a pre-populated list of creative must-haves.

Here are some examples from our own library:

• We’re flexible: we know that work and life are not synonymous – but they do have to work together to make you happy and successful. We’ll help you build a schedule that fits your life and complements your goals.
• We celebrate success: you’ve put in the effort, and now it’s time to reap the benefits. We organize incentive trips, weekly happy hours, and team events to reward hard work.  
• We empower you to learn: the more you know, the better you’ll be able to succeed. We sponsor conference trips, pay for online courses, and subsidize college classes
• We believe in autonomy: you’ll always have power over your own decisions and work – we’re just here to guide and coach you along the way.
• We have a newly-remodeled, centrally-located office with leading-edge technology and free snacks
• We have invested and caring management: we all know who you work for is more important than which company you work for. The people with whom you surround yourself will shape your happiness – and here we place incredible value on people.
• We love dogs! Bring your pet to work so you don’t have to wonder what they’re doing all day, and you can both rest easy

If marketing isn’t your forte, don’t panic – that’s why recruiters exist. We are here to sell your company by matching the candidate’s desires with your unique offerings. We’ve collected data from thousands of professionals and can quickly pinpoint what they want to hear. Just send us an email to start crafting a pitch together.

2. Learn your job-seeker’s pain points & expand the universe of options

Not every candidate is looking for money – though few will refuse it. If you lead with salary, the negotiation will be limited from the get-go.

What you want to do is paint a broader picture of the person’s needs. Is your candidate a parent? How valuable is their time? Are they looking for a shorter commute? More autonomy? Fewer deadlines?

Identify what the person wants and tailor the conversation to how you’re fulfilling their needs. Other companies will just make a conventional offer, unchanging from person to person. You can stand out by playing to the person’s desires and priorities.

3. Show genuine confidence in your company – and be prepared to walk away

It’s not enough for hiring managers to know the company’s core selling points – they have to believe them. That belief has to be so strong, so rooted in real knowledge of the company, that you are willing to walk away from a great candidate over it.

If hiring managers don’t believe what they’re selling, the message will never land properly. Your star job-seeker will simply go with the company that pays the most.

Even more critically, there’s something deeply wrong with your company culture if your ambassadors to the hiring world – the hiring managers – are not connecting with key value propositions. If you’re telling your team to sell ‘flexibility’ but have continually denied them that same privilege, they won’t be properly armed to make your case.

As recruiters, we function as an extension of your existing hiring-force, helping you to identify, attract, and eventually close the most desirable professionals in today’s ultra-competitive market. Let’s get started.