Attracting and developing the strongest talent pool begins with direct sourcing candidates and segues smoothly into your interview questioning strategies and techniques. But knowing how to preempt a counteroffer, set the stage appropriately for reference checks, and structure job offers and deal terms are equally critical in ensuring candidate acceptances and a smooth onboarding process. This presentation combines strategies from both sides of the hiring desk—corporate recruiter and headhunter—to generate maximum candidate interest and close the deal effectively. (33 slides) Presentation developed by author Paul Falcone - www.paulfalconehr.com.

1. www.PaulFalconeHR.com
Paul@PaulFalconeHR.com

2. Contents
Candidate Direct Sourcing Scripts: Direct and
Indirect Sourcing Calls
Building a Case for the Candidate: 4 Criteria for Every
Hire
Achievement-Anchored Questions
Pressure Cooker Interview Questions
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3. Contents (cont.)
Post-Interview Debriefs
Preempting the Counteroffer
Reference Checking Scripts
Making the Offer and Closing the Deal
Post-Acceptance Follow-Up
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4. Direct Sourcing Scripts
Type I: Indirect Approach
“I know people tend to network, and I’m hoping that
you could recommend someone who’s either in career
transition right now or who might be feeling kind of
boxed in where they are. . .
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5. Direct Sourcing (cont.)
If you feel they’d consider sitting down with us for an
hour to see if we could offer them a long-term career
opportunity or a compensation package that’s
somewhat stronger than their current position, I’d
love to talk with them. What are your thoughts?”
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6. Direct Sourcing (cont.)
Type II: Direct Approach
“I don’t know if my timing’s right or if you’re
currently looking to make a career move right
now, but I guess my question to you is, Are you
the type of person who’d consider sitting down
with a competitor firm for an hour or so to see if
we could offer you a long-term career opportunity
or compensation package that’s potentially
stronger than your current position?”
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7. Direct Sourcing (cont.)
Be prepared for:
Who gave you my name?
What do you know about me?
What did you have in mind?
What does the position pay?
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8. Building a Case for the Candidate
Use four key criteria in selecting your next hire:
Longevity
Progression through the ranks
Technical skills
Personality match
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9. Longevity
Lay-Off
How many employees
were laid off
simultaneously?
How many people
survived the cut?
How many waves of layoffs
did you survive before you
were let go yourself?
Orchestrating Your Own
Moves
What does growth mean
to you?
What would be your next
logical move in career
progression at your
present company if you
were to stay put?
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10. Progression Indicators
“Walk me through your progression with your
current company, leading me up to what you do now
on a day-to-day basis.”
“How have you had to reinvent your job in light of
your company’s (or department’s) changing needs?”
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11. Technical Skills
“On a scale of 1-10, 10 being you’re a perfect match
for this position, how would you grade yourself
from a technical standpoint?”
“Why are you an [8]?”
“What would make you a 10?”
“Why is this a good move in career progression
for you in terms of building your resume?”
“Where will you need the most support in your
first six months?”
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12. Personality Match
“Do you prefer more structure, direction, and
feedback on a day-to-day basis or an environment
with more autonomy and independence?”
“How many hours a week do you find it necessary to
work in order to get your job done?”
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13. Personality Match (cont.)
“Tell me how you prefer to accept constructive
criticism: Do you pride yourself on your “tough hide”
or should we be more sensitive to your feelings?”
What pace do you typically prefer in the office: (a)
moderate, controllable, and predictable, (b) face pace
with deadline pressure, or (c) hair-on-fire, hyper-
space, floor of the New York stock exchange?
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14. Achievement-Anchored Interview
Questions
“What makes you stand out among your peers?”
“Tell me about the greatest career achievement
you’ve ever had and what you’re proudest of…”
“What have you done on your present / last
position to increase revenues, decrease expenses,
or save time?”
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15. Pressure-Cooker Questions
“Tell me about your last performance appraisal:
What was your overall score, and in which area
were you most disappointed?”
“What would your most-respected critic say
about your work and specific areas of
improvement?”
“From an interpersonal standpoint, where do you
disagree with your boss most often? Tell me about
the last time you were right and she was wrong.”
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16. Pressure Questions (cont.)
“If you had to critique your past supervisor’s
performance, what suggestions or constructive
criticism could you provide? How would he react to
your suggestion if he were here right now?”
“Is there any reason we shouldn’t hire you for this
position?”
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17. Pressure Questions (cont.)
“Some people live to work while others work to live.
Either alternative is fine, but where would you say
that you fall on the spectrum?”
“Grade me on how well I’m conducting this interview.
What could you tell me about my management style
based on the types of questions I’m asking?”
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18. Pressure Questions (cont.)
“I assume you researched our company before
coming in for this interview. Tell me what you
learned, and share with me what potential
problems you see us facing.”
“Of all the bosses you’ve ever had, who would
give you the weakest reference, and what would
she say you need to work on most in order to
become stronger in your field?”
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19. Post-Interview Debriefs
Assess Candidates’ Interest Levels
Initial Impression: “Tell me how it went.”
“What interested you most about the
opportunity: the people, the job, or the
company?”
“On a scale of 1-10, how qualified are you for the
position from a technical standpoint?”
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20. Debrief (cont.)
“What would you have to add to your background
to make yourself an even stronger fit?”
“What concerns or hesitations do you have about
this position?”
“What questions can I answer for you at this
point to help you come to a more informed career
decision?”
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21. Debrief (cont.)
“Salary-wise, did you discuss your minimum
requirements or the position’s range?”
“On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in
making the transition? [What would make you a
10? . . .]”
“What do you see as the next step in the process?”
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22. Preempting the Counteroffer
Steer Candidates Clear of Temptation
“Tell me again why the position you’re applying
for meets your career needs or why working for
our company is so important to you.”
“Again on a scale of 1-10, where do you stand
interest-wise?”
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23. Counteroffer (cont.)
“What would have to change at your present
position for you to continue working there?”
“An employment offer is very emotional, and
candidates shouldn’t let emotions cloud their
better business judgment. If you gave notice to
your boss right now, what would she say to keep
you?”
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24. Reference Checking Scripts
Set the Stage for Reference-Gathering Strategies
Recruitment Brochures: Clarify your intentions
right up front of collecting past performance
reviews and conducting reference / background
checks as part of the selection process
Place the responsibility on the candidate to
coordinate the call with former direct supervisors:
this shouldn’t be a cold call!
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25. Reference Checks (cont.)
1. Open the call by “spreading honey” on the
situation:
“We’re considering Sam for a position as a __ in our __
department. He said some very nice things about your
ability to give him structure and direction in his day, and I
was hoping that, reciprocally, you could share some of
your insights into his ability to excel with our company. . .”
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26. Reference Checks (cont.)
2. Paint a picture of your corporate culture so that
the prior supervisor will be able to do some
evaluative decision-making on his end of the line:
“We’re looking for someone who . . . If you
wouldn’t mind, please frame your answers with
that background and perspective in mind. . .”
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27. Reference Checks (cont.)
3. Begin with either or types of questions to ease the
supervisor into the conversation:
“Does she take a strict adherence to her duties, or does
she think outside the box and assume responsibilities
beyond her basic, written job description?”
“Is he more of a task-oriented or project-oriented worker?”
“Would you consider him high maintenance or low
maintenance from a day-to-day leadership standpoint?”
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28. Reference Checks (cont.)
4. Overcome Initial Objections:
“Corporate policy says that I can only refer to Human
Resources for references. . .”
Challenging the “Stone Waller” when you’ve got
nothing less to lose
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29. Making the Offer and Closing the
Deal
Rule: Remember to control all the variables before
extending an offer!
Opener: “What’s changed since the last time we
spoke?”
“If you had to choose among 3 factors: (1) the
company, (2) the position, or (3) the people you’d
be working with, which would you say plays the
most significant role in your decision to accept
our offer?”
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30. Making the Offer (cont.)
“If we were to make you an offer, when would
you be in a position to decide?”
“If we were to make you an offer, tell me ideally
when you’d be able to start. How much notice
would you need to give your present employer?”
“Share with me what final questions I could
answer for you at this point.”
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31. Making the Offer (cont.)
The $64,000,000 Question
“At what point dollar-wise would you accept our
offer, and at what point dollar-wise would you reject
it?”
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32. Post-Acceptance Follow-Up
Always follow up with the candidate after the
resignation meeting at their current company
Expect “buyer’s remorse” to set in along with
feelings of guilt and fear of loss
Remember that the two-week resignation window
may very well result in another round of
counteroffers!
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33. Q&A: Questions and Actions
Paul Falcone
www.PaulFalconeHR.com
Paul@PaulFalconeHR.com
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