Selling & closing
Closing throughout the interview process
Closing is a continuous process throughout the hiring cycle. Each interview should bring the candidate closer to a close.
From the first interview until the offer, your goal is to ask questions that reveal information about the candidate you can use to best position your offer.
Tips for closing
- Make sure the candidate is ready to discuss the offer. Before you start talking numbers, ask them how ready they are to join you on a scale of 1–10. Anything below a 9 means they still have unanswered questions. Clarify those before you discuss the final offer.
- Be clear and transparent about compensation and equity. Know your numbers going in and what you can afford.
- With equity, help the candidate understand cliffs and any special clauses. The more transparent you are with them, the more they’ll trust you.
- Keep appealing to their core motivation. If they desire freedom, mention how much autonomy they’ll have. If they feel super alignment with the vision and mission, keep reminding them of how they’ll be a big part of that.
- Get ready to handle counter offers, offers from other companies, and pay raises from the candidate’s existing company.
- Counter offers: Know what you can afford, and if you aren’t able to make the financial jump, try something else to sweeten the deal.
- Offers from other companies: Drive through this by appealing back to their core motivation and stacking the other benefits.
- Pay raises from their current employer: Ask them why the pay raise is only coming now that they’re considering leaving. If the company valued them, they would have offered the raise sooner. Additionally, a pay raise is usually a short-term solution to a deeper issue. If the candidate was already looking for other opportunities because of a previous issue, remind them of that.
- Just like in sales, time kills all deals. Be quick with the follow-up after the final interview and don’t wait longer than two days.