Currently the unemployment rate is at 3.9%, which is the lowest it has been in more than 10 years. During the vetting process, we need to listen to what our candidates really want in their next position and make sure the offer is as good as or better than what they’re asking. Many times, the offer isn’t just about money, it needs to also include the flexibility, title and benefits the candidate wants.

When recruiting talent, it’s important to ask your candidate if they have discussed a potential job change with their significant other or families. It’s heartbreaking and frustrating to get a job offer for a candidate that they then turn down because their spouse or significant other isn’t on board. A new job doesn’t just impact an individual but the entire family. Help advocate the benefits of the opportunity by asking to speak with family members (as appropriate). This can result in a win-win for everyone.

In the recruiting world, competition is fierce. Many times, we are all fishing from the same pond of candidates. There is a lot we can learn from our competitors. Step out of your comfort zone, invite someone from the competition out to lunch and try to learn something. You’ll find you have more in common with them than you think.

Everyone has bad days (even recruiters), but never trash your current firm or agency in public. And when prepping your candidates for interviews, remind them to avoid being negative about their current employer. It always backfires in a bad way—always.

As recruiters, it’s hard to not get emotionally attached to some candidates. But the reality is sometimes a candidate will take another offer (that isn’t yours) or a client will hire another candidate because yours wasn’t the best fit. When this happens, it’s important not to take it personally.

Recruiters can spend weeks and months finding the right candidate for their clients and then the interview doesn’t go well and you’re back at square one. So take the extra time to prepare your candidates. Run them through a mock interview. Ask them to do some homework: research the company and the managers they’ll be interviewing with so they don’t show up cold. The 30 minutes spent prepping your candidate could mean the difference between getting them the job offer or not.