Closing candidates, the honest but effective way

Closing candidates, the honest but effective way - A guide to candidate closing

The recruiting process is mystifying for most. The internet is full of guides on parts of the interview process that matter the least, such as what exact questions to ask (“Google interview questions,” Leetcode, etc.). The crucial parts of the recruiting process, when you create a lasting connection between a candidate, the company, and the hiring manager, are overlooked. The candidate closing step, in particular, is daunting for first-time hiring managers and founders.

Suppose you found the right candidate and spent hours of your team’s time interviewing and arguing with other leaders about offer details; you owe it to yourself and the business to give yourself the best chances of closing them. To close the candidate, you need to get the candidate excited and willing to join your team. It won’t be a small task. Why? Candidates may have competing offers. Their current company may try to counter your offer in the future. Think about it: the company they’re currently working at has the candidate’s ears for the next few weeks. Imagine how much fear, uncertainty, and doubt they can create (and trust me, they will). A good candidate closing conversation is the best defense against the hesitation and questions that will build in the days it takes for candidates to decide.

There’s no secret to closing a candidate, but there’s a way to do it right. Let’s get started. If you want to skip the preparation, just go to the “The conversation” section.

At the heart of a good candidate closing, you want to create a lasting excitement that connects the candidate, the company they are considering working for, and you, their hiring manager. Alternatively, if you think the connection is missing, your role is to establish that it’s not a good fit.

[Note:]{.underline} Some closing conversations result in you or the candidate deciding there’s no good mutual fit. Trust me, that’s a way better outcome than hiring this candidate.

Let’s start by defining your responsibilities as a hiring manager. The hiring manager should…

• Remain honest and direct. Lying during the closing process will only get you in trouble later. Some hiring managers think closing is a “sale” where you’re supposed to embellish the situation to get a candidate to join. When the candidates realize they’ve been fooled, they will leave; that outcome is awful for your business.

• Create clarity and safety. Accepting or refusing an offer is scary. No one likes to say no, and candidates will have to say no to something in the future—this offer, another opportunity, or their current job.

• Provide a tight closing experience, with deadlines and clear steps. A candidate’s excitement is finite—candidates are never as excited as when they first receive their offer. It’s downhill from there. Managing time is managing expectations.

• Give an accurate view of the opportunities and challenges that are in it for them. People love to dream about a great offer, but no one wants a softball offer with no challenge ahead.

Before any closing conversation, the hiring manager should…

1. Have the offer details memorized and easily accessible. No reasonable questions should be left unanswered. For a tight closing, the hiring manager should be able to answer candidates’ questions on the spot. Any delay means that the candidate will need extra time to decide.

2. Review and summarize the interview notes from the interview circuit. The candidate needs an honest review of their performance, highlighting the good and the bad aspects of their interview performance.

3. Asked the candidate if they were ready to receive an offer ahead of the closing call. Hiring managers should be able to explain what it means to be prepared to accept an offer. Typically, a good rule of thumb is 5-7 days to say yes or no from the day the offer is delivered. Hiring managers should not accept a day beyond the deadline. It seems like a strict rule, but excitement is limited on both sides. We’re excited about getting them on board; we expect excitement in return. Over the last eight years, I haven’t seen a single candidate asking for more time that I ended up closing. If the candidate mentions that they can’t commit to that timeline, no problem. Wait with the offer in hand until they say they are ready. They risk having the offer going to someone else, but we can’t hold the line for them.

Now that I’ve done that, it’s time to give the offer and do the closing conversation. I usually book 45 minutes, but it can be done in 30 minutes. Call or meet the candidate; don’t do it by email. You need to build a connection. There is no shortcut.

The conversation

Below is a timeline for the closing conversation.

1. Part 1 — the SELL (10-15mins) - I start by sharing the feedback from each interviewer. I always highlight the votes of confidence from specific individuals on the team, using their names and quotes. My role as a hiring manager is to provide an accurate picture of the candidate’s strengths and, more importantly, where the team plans to use these strengths. I ask candidates for feedback and make it interactive so it’s a conversation and not a boring monologue.

2. Part 2 — the “UNSELL” (10-15 min) - I have seen too many hiring managers skip that part. Let me be clear: it’s the most critical part of the closing and a key part of why people will join your business. Candidates expect to be challenged and grow in the position they’re joining. During the UNSELL, this is your chance to pinpoint precisely where you expect them to grow by showing them where they fell short in the interview. The aim is not to hurt their ego but instead show that, as your hiring manager, you started to build a path to grow them professionally as a manager. The more specific you are, the more. Ask for feedback here, too. Is it something that they’ve noticed about themselves? Did they struggle with this in the past, etc…

3. Part 3 — Offer details (5 min) - I spend 2-3 minutes giving the candidate high-level information about their offers. The most useful is a “startup comp 101” speech on stock and options and the company’s compensation philosophy. For example, if you use the 75th percentile for similar roles in the industry, tell them. Make sure to answer any clarifying questions. People get weird with money, so I pause to let them ask questions during a five-second silence. This is also the time to give the deadline for deciding. If they ask for more time, ask them why they believe it’s necessary. It’s powerful to remind them that you asked if they were ready to accept the offer beforehand, so you’re surprised by the change.

4. Part 4—Feedback (5 min) - “Is that an offer you can see yourself saying yes to?” “Would you be ready to give a verbal yes, or is it too early?” “Is there anything pressing we should address?” I wrap up the interview with these questions. I don’t want to push too hard, but getting a candidate’s live feedback can be very helpful in gauging how engaged they are. I want to prime them to react on the spot and tell me what I can expect ahead.

5. Part 5— Wrap up (1 min) - Tell them what’s ahead, that payroll/HR will send them offer details, and that you will keep in touch. Candidates are my priority until the due date, and they can call or email me anytime.

Once you’ve hung up, have whoever is in charge of payroll or human resources email the candidate with all the offer details. I encourage all the interviewers to send a thoughtful message to the candidate once the offer has been sent. This will make candidates feel less lonely and more connected.

As a hiring manager, I connect once a day with the candidates via text or email until they say yes or no to the offer. Sending them articles about the business, news, and social media news connected to the company will keep them connected and show that you care.

On the day the offer expires, I meet for a last time and, if they are still undecided, repeat gently that the deadline is firm, but a deadline is a deadline, and it can’t be renegotiated at the last second. Luckily, if you’ve followed the steps above, that will not happen as a surprise.

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