I recently reached out to a candidate to pre-close him before an offer. He was most appreciative of this call. It strengthened our communication and trust level, addressed concerns and salary questions and was an important step in securing a great hire.

Don't make the mistake of losing great candidates. The "pre-close" is a  crucial part of the recruiting process and often overlooked.  Recruiters often find themselves in the awkward situation of having to reach out to their second or third choices because candidates have already accepted other job offers. To increase the chances of hiring the best candidate possible, recruiters need to include this in their hiring processes and take steps to prevent a great hire from getting away.

Keep Things Moving Forward

A main reason recruiters find their job offers rejected is because the hiring process had taken too long. Keeping open communication in the process can improve recruiters' chances of securing candidates' acceptance. Taking a week instead of two or three to come to a decision can be the difference between the company getting its first pick and having to reach out to less-qualified workers.

Address Any Concerns

Many job seekers choose to walk away from job offers because they have concerns about the position, how they would fit into the company and types of benefits/salary they would receive. Salary and benefits may be some of job seekers' main concerns and can simply be addressed by asking straight forward questions like "Do you have any concerns or doubts about this position?" or "So you're telling me you'll accept an offer today if we offer you X amount?"

This should be done on a phone call and never over an email. These calls give you an opportunity to continue to develop rapport with your candidate and uncover concerns. During these calls, you’ll be able to re-confirm information that you previously discussed, such as interest, compensation, timing, commute and start dates.

Keep In Communication

Most importantly, recruiters need to keep candidates up to date on how the talent acquisition process is going. If job seekers are left wondering when hiring managers and recruiters will make a decision, these candidates may be more open to accepting another job offer. If you pre-close a candidate properly there will be no question whether they will take the offer or not at the end of the process. Effectively pre-closing candidates allows organizations to set/meet expectations in their hiring process, deliver a wonderful candidate experience, and land top talent.

Need help attracting talented candidates?

Take your recruiting skills to the next level by reading these resources:

• Engaging Passive Candidates & Building a Talent Pool and Pipeline
• Three Sourcing Tips for Recruiting Your Team
• Bon Apetit! A Recruiter's Cookbook on Making Hires
• Stoicism - A Recruiter's Best Friend
• The Cost of a Bad Hire