Finding the best talent and hiring them before your competitors is always a good feeling, but it’s a misconception to think that in doing so you have to spend big bucks. If you want to get a head start on the competition and win while keeping costs down, start recruiting in unconventional ways. Today’s millennial candidates don’t just compare salaries and then decide on an entry level job offer, they consider many more requirements and facets of a company before making their final choice. Landing these candidates requires that you look at your hiring practices, perks, and unique company opportunities and characteristics to draw them in.

The Law of Attraction for Hiring

Imagine your ideal fresh graduate job candidate and then focus on all their positive qualities. Then, do the following:

Target Your Advertising – Why put your ad on a large all-purpose board? All that does is force you to weed through extra unqualified candidates while your competitor already is interviewing their top choices. Find boards that specialize in the type of candidate you seek. You can even check out social profiles and narrow the list this way. Doing more legwork up front is going to help you cut down on the qualifying you have to do later. More work now means less work less later and you’ll appreciate the extra work you’ve done come interview time.

Offer Unusual Perks – If you’re looking for someone who will give a little extra without necessarily wanting overtime pay, you might be looking for someone with an altruistic bent. Offering perks that attract that type of person can go a long way to getting what you want, like paid volunteer days to their favorite charity or support in money and event sponsorships for a specific cause. The perks should represent your company culture and the mission you’re working towards. The perks don’t have to be insane like around the world trips, but offer benefits that show the employee you care about them as a person and value who they are outside of the office as well as in.

Create One-of-a-Kind Opportunities – If you can offer travel to those wanting new experiences or a special training program your competitor doesn’t have, it can be a way to draw the best talent. Don’t forget to include unusual experiences that the candidate might seek, like scuba-diving lessons for someone that works in an underwater archeological dig. Your company is full of unique and interesting people for new hires to learn from and work with so don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Candidates get post fatigue with all the run of the mill descriptions that are out there so make yours unique and eye catching. Make the new grad jobs descriptions sound as fun and exciting as possible!

Even if your company isn’t rolling in recruiting cash, you can still make an impact with hiring by getting creative and using these cost effective ways to recruit and land the best talent.