Attracting and recruiting in today's tight job market is indeed a trick. No sooner do you make an offer than the candidate is snatched up by a competing firm offering greener pastures with increased benefits or other attractive perks.

Small firms and businesses have found a way to compete with the rest of the pack by going through brokers to obtain top benefits without breaking the bank. In fact, many times simply passing along the benefits to employees is accomplished at no charge.

No doubt you'll have medical insurance and other traditional benefits. Still, have you thought about other items, like on-site massage or self-improvement classes?

Consortiums like this make sense because they create larger buying power and negotiate the benefits for you. While these programs will go a long way to helping you retain employees, it doesn't help solve the tight labor market.