Part VI:
The Final Step
The hiring leader should then ask the top candidates to prepare a Vision Statement for the department. The statements will be up to 30 pages long and will include major goals for the next three years, major programs to be developed or enhanced, staffing levels, revenue projections, required resources, potential obstacles or challenges, and major equipment to be purchased.
A tall order, but yes, it is feasible to require this of top candidates. By this stage, the candidates have had at least two interviews and received the resource compendium outlining all of the information about the job and the department that they will need.
Vision Statements provide great insight into candidates’ experience and perspectives. Sometimes your second-choice candidate emerges as the top choice through the process.
The hiring leader will base his or her decision on the profiles, the interviews, and these statements.
The Offer and the Close
If executed correctly, closing the deal actually starts during the offer stage. The offer should be made verbally by the hiring manager first. Tell the candidate that no paperwork will be sent out until a verbal agreement is reached.
This may sound strict, but it is very important. It is not at all uncommon for a candidate to take a client’s contract or letter of offer and “shop it around” to other potential openings during the negotiating process. Don’t open your organization up to this risk. It’s also true that candidates want what they don’t have, so the offer letter is a powerful closing tool.
It is more effective to get the candidate to decide if this is truly the position he or she wants, and under what circumstances. Coach the candidate to put together his or her entire list of wants and desires. It is in the candidate’s best interest to compile and submit the whole list at one time and NOT ask for something new in every call. If they do, it looks like they are trying to “hold up” your organization. They quickly lose credibility and sometimes lose the job altogether.
Once the negotiation process is completed and the candidate accepts all of the terms, you can put together the appropriate paperwork and send it by registered mail with a return receipt requested.
The agreement should have a seven-day expiration date, which you can extend if you choose. This is important for the reasons discussed above. It also allows you to rescind the offer if necessary.
Now, take a deep breath. It is not often a candidate goes through this whole process and then turns down the job at the eleventh hour.
Check back next month for Part VII, Executive Search Timeline
