Recruiting can be incredibly stressful these days, since we’ve got the lowest unemployment rates in at least 10 years, and the highest number of unfilled positions in the U.S. ever recorded.

Basically, the qualified people who want a job right now already have one, which means there is heavy competition for the jobs you want to hire for. At Betterteam we help companies of all sizes hire every day, and one of our co-founders is a veteran recruiter.

We’ve brainstormed 5 hacks you can implement starting today that will quickly help boost your recruiting efforts and give you an edge on the competition.

1. Write your job postings like an advertiser.

What would you think of a commercial for a new car that listed all the things the automaker wanted in its ideal customer? It’s an absurd question to ponder, but that’s exactly what our job posts are like.

We’re in a job seeker’s market right now. That means we’ve got to sell the jobs, not just give a boring description of what we want in an ideal candidate. Imagine your ideal employee. They’re talented, so they’ve already got a decent job. But they happen to go to a job board and flip through some jobs one day.

What’s going to set yours apart from the rest? Why should they work for you? Think about what it is that makes your company great to work for. What is it about the position, the team, the work space, and location that makes it awesome?

Put that in your next job posting, and you’ll get much better results.

2. Post your jobs to social media.

Your candidates are likely already working, which means there’s a good chance they don’t spend much time on job boards. But they are likely to spend time on sites like Facebook.

Posting your jobs to social media can help you get exposure to “passive candidates” the ones who already have jobs but may still be open to an opportunity if it’s put in front of them. Be sure to put the word out to your current employees in an email, asking them to share your open positions. It doesn’t hurt to have some pre-written updates they can copy and paste for this purpose.

3. Build a fast hiring process.

Cut down on wasted time in your hiring process and move candidates through your system quickly, and you’ll snatch the best candidates off the market before competitors know they exist.

We recommend three ways of doing this:

• As soon as someone applies, email them a set of 5 questions to answer. The questions should be job-related and hard enough that it takes at least 20 minutes to answer them. This will give you a way to quickly compare the knowledge and motivation level of your applicants. Have an inspiring job post is key to making this part work.
• Create a test for applicants that send the best answers. This should mimic the job as much as possible – ideally, it has them perform one of their most common tasks. Pay them for their time, or the best candidates won’t do it. This will give you solid info on their ability to perform.
• As soon as you identify a solid candidate, set up a 15-minute phone interview with them. In-person interviews are tougher to arrange, especially for people already employed. Most people can do a 15-minute phone interview tomorrow.

If you go through all three of these steps, you should have some really high-quality candidates identified quickly. Now put them through more in-depth interviews, and make an offer before anyone else.

4. Borrow this key job interview question we always use.

Not sure what to ask in your interviews? Here’s a question we always start off with.

What is your current and expected salary?

Does that seem a little too forward, or even rude? Lots of people feel uncomfortable with it until they start to use it. This question will give you a lot of valuable info really quickly.

Candidates who want more than you can offer, or already make more than you offer almost never work out. Nobody likes to take a pay cut, and if you’re below expectations, they’ll be looking for the next job the day they start. Best to find out now, rather than go through the whole process with them.

This question also tells you about the level of their last job. Were they making senior, junior, or starting level wages for their position? Their pay often tells you more than their title.

5. Make an offer that seals the deal.

Once you’ve narrowed your search down to the candidate you really want, it’s time to make the offer that gets them on your team. Part of this is in what you’re offering, part of it is how you present it.

Be sure to remind them about what exactly attracted them to the job, and all the things that they’ll love about it. Let them know that in this market it’s likely their employer will make a counter offer. Let them know that while it may be generous, these rarely work out well in the long run. Once they find out you’re interviewing elsewhere, it will likely erode their current employer’s trust, and no manager likes being forced to give a raise.

Be sure to send them a job offer letter that adds up all the benefits of the job and presents exactly how they’ll be compensated, so that everything is clear.

Ok, that’s what I got! Hope it helps you do better with your next hire.