We'll now carry on with the remaining elements of closing the interview effectively so that you maximise the likelihood of the candidate taking-up the offer if you decide they are the right person for the post.
Establish What Else Is Happening For The Candidate:
Both parties have had an open and frank conversation. Now is the time to establish where the candidate stands in relation to other options so that you know if you have to do more to secure them, if you want them. Ask the following questions and probe further if the initial answers aren't clear:
Where do you stand on your other options at the moment? Assuming they have other avenues they're pursuing, you want to understand how far down the line they are and when decisions are likely to be made. If the answer is that they have no other options at present then it is easy to move on.
If they have other options and you have established the timelines, ask “based on what you have heard about our opportunity and X opportunity (you have to ask where you stand in relation to each option they may have) what are your thoughts about them?”
This is a non-confrontational way of establishing where you stand and finding out whether the opportunity you're offering is being perceived as better than the alternatives or not as good. It is much better to know where you stand even if you don’t like the answer.
Once you have run through the other options, or if the candidate has said there are none, there is one more key question to ask: "If you were to take our role and resign from your current employer how will they react?"
There are a number of reasons to ask this. Firstly, it is to try and establish whether the candidate will be expected to work their full notice, a proportion of it or whether they will be released immediately. More importantly, if they know (or suspect) they are valued by their existing employer, they might also know there is the potential of a counter-offer being made. Loyal employees find such offers difficult to turn down, even though their current employer is only reacting after they resign and merely assuming they are happy rather than actively looking after them up until then.
I will come back to this issue in a future article as it is broad and a few, simple-to-teach sales techniques can turn these situations around. If you are in a position at the moment where guidance would be appreciated, email me in person and I will be pleased to help.
Run Through What Will Happen Next:
This is simple and just literally does just mean telling the candidate what will be happening next and when.
For the candidate that you are interested in, I suggest stating that you are very impressed and think they could be a good fit but just need to run through your notes, and that you will be in touch by XXX time or date.
For the candidate you are not interested in or are not sure about you can either:
a/ conclude the meeting there and then and, rather than maintain their expectations, explain where they were not quite what we were looking for. It is very important to be professional and polite about this as they can still market your company.or
b/. Answer in the same way as for the candidate you were interested in.My preference is to be upfront but you can run with whichever scenario sits most comfortably with you.
Whatever your thoughts about the candidate, it is vital to treat them professionally and with respect - in the same way as you would want to be treated. You want a positive message out there about you and your company and you never know when your paths may cross again. If circumstances change in the future, you would like them to be a 'yes'.
The interview is effectively concluded now, so ask for any more questions from them and thank them for their time, reiterate that it was good to meet them and - if appropriate - reassure them that you will be in touch by the agreed time.
Next Time
Referencing before making an offer.
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