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“Compensation” is not a strategy.
It is a lever.
Big brands pull it hard because they can.
Mid-market companies do not lose because they pay less.
They lose because they try to recruit like they are big.
Same job ads. Same generic promises. Same sourcing behavior. Same “we’re like a family” nonsense.
If you can’t outpay the giants, you need an advantage they cannot buy.
You need focus, specificity, and speed.
The frame shift: you are not losing a war, you are losing a game you chose
The giant wins the fame game.
You will not beat them at fame.
So stop playing it.
Your goal is not to be known by everyone.
Your goal is to be chosen by the right someone.
That is a different game.
What actually works: narrowcast, not broadcast
Mid-market strategy is not “more reach.”
It is better signal.
You win by becoming the obvious choice for a narrower audience.
Not for every candidate.
For the ones that matter.
This is what “choosable” means in practice: you build a clear, provable reason for a specific audience to pick you, then you put it in the places they already trust.
Step 1: Pick the roles that buy you growth
You cannot fix everything at once with 2–10 recruiters.
So do not try.
Choose 2–3 role families that are business constraints.
Examples:
- Engineers that unblock product roadmaps
- Scientists that unlock R&D throughput
- Skilled trades that keep delivery on schedule
- Sales roles tied to quota capacity
This is not a branding decision.
It is an operating decision.
Step 2: Build a value proposition with tradeoffs
Generic messaging is not “safe.”
It is invisible.
Your value proposition should include tradeoffs, because tradeoffs are believable.
Examples of tradeoff language:
- “More autonomy, less structure”
- “Faster growth, more ambiguity”
- “Broader scope, fewer layers”
- “Closer to decisions, higher accountability”
If you can say it about any company, it is not differentiation.
Step 3: Proof is the product
This is where most teams fail.
They create claims. Not proof.
Proof is:
- Specific project examples
- Manager behaviors candidates will experience
- Growth paths with real outcomes
- Tools, processes, and standards that signal quality
- Stories that show impact and learning, not feelings
If you want quality candidates, you have to speak in quality evidence.
Step 4: Build a “candidate conversion path” like a sales funnel
A mid-market recruiting strategy is basically demand gen for talent.
Map these steps:
- First impression (job post, LinkedIn, recruiter outreach)
- Proof moment (case study, team story, project narrative)
- Confidence moment (interview experience, clarity of role, decision speed)
- Close (offer narrative tied to what they value)
If you cannot describe your conversion path, you do not have a strategy.
You have activity.
Step 5: Stop letting hiring managers freelance your brand
Hiring managers complaining about quality is often a downstream symptom.
Upstream problems:
- The role is unclear
- The interview is inconsistent
- The team cannot articulate why someone should choose this job
- The process creates doubt
A choosable strategy includes manager enablement:
- A one-page role narrative (impact, scope, success definition)
- A “why this team” proof bank
- A consistent interview story so candidates do not hear five different realities
The mid-market advantage big brands can’t copy
Big brands have money.
You have:
- Faster decision cycles
- Closer access to leadership
- Broader role scope and impact
- Less bureaucracy
- Higher visibility for performance
Those are advantages if you can articulate and prove them.
They are liabilities if you hide them behind generic language.
Copy/paste prompt for your LLM
“Act as a mid-market talent strategist. Create a hiring strategy for a US company with 2–10 recruiters and 50–400 hires/year that cannot outpay large competitors. Focus on: choosing 2–3 constraint roles, defining a differentiated value proposition with tradeoffs, building a proof bank, and designing a candidate conversion path. Include a checklist for recruiters and a one-page hiring manager enablement guide.”
Mid-market talent strategy is not a smaller version of big-company recruiting.
It is a different sport.
And you can win it.
