Master the Art of Closing Candidates
Dan Nielsen
Recruiting Initiatives Leader
Towers Perrin

Agenda
 Opening words about Closing
 Developing a Closing approach
 Closing skills at each stage of the process
 Role playing – reacting to candidate
statements
 “Closing” words
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Closing: gathering and interpreting
information and using it to fill the role
Objective: Fill the role
Helpg der
Hin ng
fillin ? filli ?
role role
All
Information: Act
Ask clarifying questions
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Always be closing
 Permeates every part of the process
 Starts before you have a candidate in play
 Applies to all parties and circumstances
 Goes beyond “selling”
 Heightens awareness of potential obstacles
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Effective closing works in the best
interest of all parties
 Helps candidates and hiring managers define, focus
on, and achieve realistic goals and desires
 Helps recruiters and hiring managers avoid candidates
who are not desired or will not move
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Timing is everything
 Watch your pace
 By default, move processes swiftly
 Recognize times to slow the pace
 Focus on right activities at each stage
 Prospect development
 Interviews
 Post offer extension
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Developing a Closing Approach

Step 1 – Craft a powerful Employment
Value Proposition (EVP)
 The EVP is the foundation for all future efforts
 Your EVP should articulate a crisp message on why a
candidate should join your:
Industry
What sets
Company you apart in
Unit each
category?
Job
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Draw on broad information to create
the EVP
 Business plan
 Sales/marketing materials
 Intra/internet research
 Interviews with:
 Leadership
 Hiring managers
 Long-time employees
 Recent hires - especially from competitors
 Don’t lose sight of “intangibles” such as on-site gym,
proximity to public transit, continuing education, etc.
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Document and disseminate your EVP
internally and externally
Internal document has External “marketing”
details to prep piece used for
interview teams prospect outreach
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Step 2 – The importance of resume
screening
Challenging commute Breaking
company loyalty
and relationships
Company with Glen Ross may be difficult
different culture 101 S. Hanley
Hyde Park, NY 12538
XYZ Consulting Firm, Bayside, NY July 1998 – Present
Executive Vice President
• Lead consultant on $3 million of annual revenue
• Foremost company expert for Sarbanes-Oxley related issues
Title your firm Expect a relentless
doesn’t offer counter-offer
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Step 3 – Phone interviewing sets the
tone for your relationship
 Engage the candidate with your value proposition
 Touch upon the fundamentals of the selection process
 Career aspirations  Decision drivers
 Skills, interests and  Obstacles to joining
abilities
 Current/desired
 Pros and cons of current compensation
role
 Directly address any potential barriers from the resume
or the phone interview
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Deal with compensation head-on from
the start
 Gather facts about current compensation
 Ask if current employer compensates fairly
 Why do you believe that?
 What would be fair compensation?
 Address disconnects regarding compensation
expectations
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Patiently wait for answers and clarify
ambiguity
 Wait out any silence that comes after your question
 Listen critically for what is said, not said and implied
 Follow up until you have a clear, acknowledged
understanding with the candidate
 Recognize when candidate doesn’t have reasonable
motivations for moving
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How might you react if your candidate
made these statements?
 “My next review is in December.”
 “I worked with my boss at a former job and
followed him to my current company.”
 “I have no one to delegate work to here.”
 “I don’t have faith in my company’s Senior
Leadership.”
 “I rode my bike to work today.”
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Step 4 – Prepare the interview team
 Review strengths/weaknesses of candidate
 Assign selling points to ensure the applicant gets a
broad perspective of the firm
 Direct probing questions on the primary issues
 Candidate’s ability to be successful
 Any negative impressions from the hiring team
 Confirm threshold criteria needed to make the hire
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Step 5 – Debrief both sides, continuing
to confirm the basics
 Agreement on key criteria
 Desire to work together
 Compensation expectations are aligned
 Discuss start date with candidate
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Step 6 – Avoid surprises
 Thoroughly confirm total rewards issues with candidate
 Draw out anything the candidate considers
remuneration or other rewards
 Even if every element isn’t matched, candidate
needs to know you had complete information
 Stock/options  Retirement
 Parking/commute costs  Paybacks
 Perks  Blackberry/laptop
 Office vs. cube  Expected raise
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How might you react if your candidate
made these statements?
 “My boss will be totally shocked when I resign.”
 “I got passed over for a promotion last year.”
 “I’m getting pulled into a new project at work.”
 “How quickly will I hear back from you?”
 “How much vacation will I get this year?”
 “This is my first time resigning.”
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Answer all questions and focus
negotiations where you have flexibility
Role, Responsibilities, Title
Relocation, Non-Compete
Answering
these Benefits, Vacation
questions…
Target Bonus %
Goals
…focuses negotiations on
Base Salary and Hiring Bonus $
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Step 7 – Develop a “cushion” between
expectations and actual offer
 Creates “insurance” against last-minute cuts to an offer
 Feeds the excitement that accompanies acceptance,
and helps sustain candidate through counter-offer
 Revisit initial discussion about compensation
 A third-party recruiter can add value at this stage
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Use “If I/will you?” questions and clarify
answers
Recruiter If I get $77,000 for you will you accept?
Candidate I was hoping for more than $77,000.
Recruiter If the offer is $77,000 will you reject?
Candidate I was hoping for closer to $80,000.
Recruiter So, at $77,000 will you reject?
Candidate Yes.
Recruiter If I can get $80,000 will you accept?...
 Objective is to get permission from the candidate to
accept
 Keep overall focus on the role and opportunity
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Pick the best way to extend the offer
 Ideally, the recruiter can simply call back and
congratulate the candidate on getting the job
 The only surprise should be that the offer is a bit higher
than expected
 If an acceptance is not yet confirmed, the hiring
manager is usually the best person to extend the offer
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Never revise an offer that’s been
extended without an acceptance
 Don’t let a candidate say “try again” without their
expressed acceptance
 If I make this change, will you confirm a start date?
 If I make this change, is there anything that would
stop you from joining?
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Step 8 – Help the candidate control the
resignation process
 Ask how other resignations have gone
 Ask if they are notifying their boss of a decision, or
starting a dialogue about it
 Role play by asking what happens when (not “if”) the
boss:
 asks about the terms of the offer
 offers to match or beat the compensation
 asks what it would take for the candidate to stay
 asks the candidate not to discuss the resignation
before a counter-offer is made
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Step 9 – Create accountability and
maintain contact after the resignation
 Ask the candidate to call you or the hiring manager
immediately after the resignation
 Schedule “spontaneous” outreach calls from interview
team to candidate until start date
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“Closing” Words
 Add real value to your business with this
approach by improving:
 Acquisition of top talent
 Acceptance rates
 Offer/interview ratio
Contact me with questions
Dan.Nielsen@towersperrin.com
314.719.5898
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