A year since the U.S. began seeing record turnover, exhausted recruiters are putting everything on the table.

The recovering pandemic economy has proven to be a job seeker’s market, with nearly 48 million people quitting a job last year and 76 million taking a new one. Still, the labor market currently has 11 million openings, according to recent Labor Statistics data, and roughly two jobs for every person looking for one.

“If the labor market today is a golden age for workers, it is a lump of coal for recruiters not able to adapt to the new world we live in,” says Pete Lamson, CEO of Employ, the parent company of several recruiting brands.

To make up for it, in-house recruiters are fighting to hire by advertising skyrocketing pay bands, throwing out buzzy benefits and putting everything on the table to chase down a candidate — before someone else scoops them up.

Big salaries are front and center

Pay transparency is gaining steam as businesses in some states and cities, like Colorado and soon New York City, are being required to include their salary ranges in job listings. Angela Copeland, senior vice president of marketing at Recruiter.com, says more forward-thinking companies are advertising pay to attract talent.

And the bands are ratcheting up, too. Copeland recently heard from someone who was being poached by a competitor and was offered three times their current pay — they weren’t even actively looking for a new job, she says, “and the original salary was not a bad one.”

Most people negotiate a raise with a new job, she says, but “to go above and beyond and be extra aggressive like that is a new phenomenon.”

Once again in the aesthetics industry, the base pay is not negotiable. One of my challenges when trying to recruit aesthetic laser reps is that I run into Injectable reps that have a base salary of $90K to $110K. When I let them know about the position I am recruiting for and explained the base is $70k for the area Sales Manager and $60-$80K for the Post Sales position, they gasp. I get it. Going from making a $90K base to a $60K base can be a hard pill to swallow. However, I keep stressing the commissions are higher. Time and time again my network of candidates says well that isn’t a guarantee. They are right. It is a risk to change jobs when your base drops. But sometimes holding out for another company to come and offer you a $100k or $110K base isn’t an option.

You have 4 to 8 seconds to catch a candidate’s attention, whether they’re looking actively or passively, People want to know the bottom line: how much they’ll be paid.

‘No question’ companies with buzzy perks are winning

Higher salary and remote work are table stakes for a lot of job seekers these days, so employers are scrambling to offer the latest and greatest, says Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. That includes instituting a four-day workweek, flexible work hours (popular among caregivers), paid vacation time with a stipend (attractive in a high-inflation environment), and reimbursements on work-from-home costs like phone and internet bills. But again these perks do not work in this aesthetic industry. You can’t have an outside cold calling sales role and work from home. You can’t sell devices over the phone. You can be a Business Development or Post Sales Rep from home.

In the last year, Crystal Brown-Tatum, a Dallas-based HR director, began rewriting all of her company’s job descriptions to lead with benefits first. People know what job and company they’re applying to, after all, so why waste precious time when she could tout all the benefits they have to offer?

McDonald says there’s “no question” throwing exceptional perks into the mix is helping companies close their time to hire. According to a July 2021 Robert Half survey of more than 2,800 senior managers, 48% are providing signing bonuses, 43% are giving more paid time off and 40% are offering better job titles to attract new hires. currently, I only have one aesthetic device company I am recruiting for that will offer a signing bonus. If any of my hiring managers from this company are reading this….way to go, you are setting a trend and attracting that top talent by moving in this direction.

Lauren Rackley, 31, recently got a $19,500 relocation bonus to move from North Carolina to Florida for a new pharmaceuticals job. She’s had to relocate across the country for jobs before but never got more than $5,000. “It’s the best I’ve ever gotten,” she says of the offer, which allowed her to pocket any funds she didn’t end up using on her move.

Leading with hot offers

As a recruiter herself, Brown-Tatum sees the “aggressive” competition from both sides. She’s taken two new jobs since the pandemic began and gets an average of two recruiter messages per week with what she considers a certified job offer — not so much an “are you open to having a conversation?” but more of a sales pitch of “we have this job we want you to take,” she explains. Shortly before our call, Brown-Tatum says she got one such message offering $40,000 more than her current salary.

It’s common for recruiters to try and respond to candidates within 24 hours of their application, Brown-Tatum says. With the rapid pace of closing offers, she’s seen as many as eight people quit one workplace within a month — all of whom pulled in six figures each. “When people walk away from a $100,000 job so easily,” she says, “it lets you know how tight the market is.”

Recruiting to the extreme

Recruiters are casting a wider net on LinkedIn by searching for people with the right job title but easing requirements for education, years of experience or location. It actually makes it a good time to switch industries, says Lamson. “There’s a mobility in the workforce if recruiters can look beyond check-the-box requirements and more about a worker’s ability, aptitude and attitude.”

But they’re having a hard time being targeted and personal while trying to expand their reach. Copeland has seen an increase in recruiters using LinkedIn to send prospects video messages, up to 3 minutes long, inviting them to apply. “It’s a really different approach and takes a lot of time,” she says.

In some cases, recruiters might be willing to re-consider former applicants and meet negotiations they previously rejected.

I want to address the most recent changes that occurred this week with two specific companies in the aesthetics industry. I will not mention names but let’s just say the number of candidates now looking for work is quite large. The problem is my candidates are moving faster than my hiring managers. I am getting talent but the hiring managers of these companies are not getting back to me in a timely fashion in order to schedule these interviews. With the top talent available, both sides need to move quickly. The candidates may start the interview process with another company because of the delay. This causes my candidates to have a negative impression of your company and quite frankly feel like they are not valued. one of my clients gets back to me within the hour almost always and has me set up an interview with HR. This is also the same client that offers the signing bonus. They are just doing things RIGHT!

Another example of why the candidates also need to move quickly. I had two candidates interested in the same role a few weeks ago. One got me all of their paperwork back quickly, the other one took over a week. By the time the 2nd candidate turned in their resume, cover letter, etc. the job was already gone. Taken by the first candidate that had two interviews and was hired. Candidate #1 was presented interviewed and hired before candidate # 2 gave me their paperwork. I understand people get busy, but if you are looking for a job – you should always have an updated resume and cover letter ready to go. This is serious folks. You have to be on top of this if you want a new job. delaying getting back to me could cost you more than you realize.