In Part I of  “How does your company sell itself to ensure you win over your ideal candidates?” we asked all of you what exactly you’re doing to snag the attention of your ideal candidates. There were many great responses, and in sifting through them, I realized that while many of the ways you compete for candidates you want are conceptual, many others are so tangible you can pet them (dogs in the office, anyone?)

How Are You Getting An Edge?

Some of you said your company keeps abreast of new technologies to get an edge over your competition, and that you utilize social media like Twitter and Facebook to engage with candidates and promote awareness of your brand. Others talked about the importance of your company’s longevity, stability and growth in light of our current economic climate. Some said they swear by their employee-written company blogs and employee video testimonials, and more than one person mentioned job shadowing as a great way to not only introduce candidates to the company culture, but also give employers a genuine feel for the candidate and potential for a fit.

But wait — Do you know where your competitors are? As we’ve mentioned before, while these are all excellent examples of how to set your company apart from your competition and reach your ideal candidates, it’s all for naught if you don’t first know who who and where your competitors are. Once you are armed with this knowledge, you can tackle your competitive gaps head-on and more effectively employ your candidate “sales” strategies. How do you find out this information, you ask? Check this out.

Perk Up

Unique perks that entice your ideal candidates range significantly, and include:

• A healthy work/life balance
• Flexible or alternative work schedules
• Corporate volunteering groups and efforts
• Cross-training in various areas of the business
• “Green” building design
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health benefits for an employee and his/her family
• Casual dress code
• Dogs in the office
• Employee trips
• Candy at the reception desk
• Free yoga
• In-house massage
• Learning opportunities
• Fun contests to promote recognition
• 15 days off during the holiday season
• Profit sharing
• Onboarding programs

In your own words, a few of the ways you’re bringing unique back into the workplace:

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“There are usually one or two employee dogs roaming the office daily offering their own brand of therapy and if that doesn’t do it, we have free yoga classes. Great atmosphere, open and honest dialogue, and good benefits makes us a pretty easy sell.” ~Stacy
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“When we find the right candidate, we immediately send him/her a large box of Godiva chocolates (or special Hershey Kiss package if the candidate has kids)with a warm note telling the candidate how much we enjoyed meeting him/her and why we want him/her to join our team. As a result, we stand out in the crowd. Works every time.“ ~Julie
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We provide a full overview of the benefits that we offer, which are competitive. We also focus on work/life balance offering an alternative work schedule which is a very desirable benefit. ~Lauren
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Our company offers excellent benefit packages, continued training and advancement, and the ability to cross train in various divisions globally. ~Janine
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We post as many details about our jobs as possible. Careerbuilders job posts allow this detail. We include a link to our job board as well. At our website candidates can find complete information about our credit union as well as the benefits we offer. Our site lists all the charitable organizations we support. Any questions that applicants have can be discussed at the interview. ~Barb
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Our firm is on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In to engage candidates with news about our company. Every external signature on email contains our links so ensure the word gets out. ~Laura
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We share our information with candidates on all the “little” benefits we offer (outside of health insurance, etc.) such as an employee referral program, gym on campus, holiday party, employee recognition dinner, perfect attendance awards, etc. We also have a very generous Paid Time Off program. We may not be able to pay the best but we try to make up for it in other ways. ~Nicole
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A simple tour of our state of the art facility will let any potential employee know we mean business and are serious about growth. ~Matt
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Environment! Fun!  Opportunity! We place fun high on our priority list, and being on our staff is like being in the “A-List” crowd. We are all friends, and choose to spend time outside of work together because of our group dynamic.
Our patients “sense” the energetic camaraderie in our office and want to be here to simply bask in our warm, fun glow. As a result, we never have a problem hiring the “right people”, and no one ever quits. Even in 2009, we grew 6% over last year, and added staff. ~Melissa
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It is all about the candidate! What do they want, not what can I fit them into. Knowing their career goals and matching that with the clients needs creates a win/win/win for candidate/client/recruiter. ~Scott
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We are embracing social media! Twitter and Facebook for sure. ~Elizabeth
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We differentiate ourselves when it comes to hiring by really showing a prospective candidate the advantage to our products and technologies. We primarily recruit civil engineers and like to show the opportunities for them to really advance and get more out of this company than any other experience before. We have a uniquely open culture and we also like to talk on that as a good fit to any one looking for a progressive company. ~Chris
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We sell ourself through promotion of our excellent insurance benefits, safety record, corporate spirit/values, and job stability/security. Cash always talks too. If you want the best, you have to pay a little more. ~Josh
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We foster an entrepreneurial environment and make sure everyone enjoys a piece of the profits derived from their hardwork. ~Kelly
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We are always paying close attention to our candidates needs and concentrating on what will drive them once they become an employee: salary, benefits, work-life balance and career development. Several programs are inplace to ensure that once a candidate transitions into a new hire, they will want to stay until retirement. ~Trina
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And “Adam” quite possibly summed up the spirit and pride of many of you well with his statement:

-We are AWESOME
-We are FUN
-We have free drinks for everyone
-We are stable
-We have a great business model
-We have candy jars at the Receptionist’s desk
-We pretty much RULE THE WORLD. ~Adam

Do you want to see what other steps your peers and competitors alike are taking to attract candidates? I couldn’t mention all of the comments in this post, but many excellent minds contributed. Read all the comments here.