Ask these questions before extending an employment offer and closing the deal.
Much of the interviewing training provided to today’s line managers has to do with candidate questioning during the actual interview process: asking behavior-based questions, hypotheticals, strength/weakness queries, etc. Although the actual questioning process is critical, the most important part of the hiring dance is the finish-line negotiation.

Think of it using a deep-sea fishing analogy: It’s critical to understand what a marlin is supposed to look like when it’s 200 yards off the stern of your bow—how high it jumps, how blue the sheen of its body is in the sunlight. But any experienced fisherman will tell you that what counts most is the time when that large fish is resting eight feet below the transom of your boat: one false move and the line will snap, and you will have lost five hours of back-breaking work.

The same is true in the home stretch of the hiring process. Too many managers mistakenly make offers without qualifying whether candidates are leveraging those offers back at their current companies for pricey counteroffers, or wheth er they are just holding out for a better offer. Managers fail to ask if other offers are on the table from competitor organizations and to qualify those offers before jump ing headlong into the negotiations.

Make no bones about it—once you extend an offer to a candidate, the balance of power is shifted. Up until that moment, you are in control: you are the employer and you have the job to offer (no matter how tight a market or how qualified a candidate). However, once you volunteer, "Janet, we would love to have you join our team. Let’s talk salary and when you can start," the ball is in the candidate’s court. Beware!

You will know you’ve fallen victim to a troubled negotiation when you extend an open invitation to join the company and the candidate shares new information, such as, "Did I mention that I recently learned I was in line for a promotion at my current company? I believe that probably should be a consideration in terms of starting salary." Or, "If I accept your position, I would really like to give my current employer four weeks’ notice." Or, "Did I tell you that I had a three-week trip to Cabo planned for two months from now?" Because candidates can throw you similar last-minute curve balls, you should be wary of extending offers before you have accounted for these variables.

So how do you keep control of the negotiation and minimize the bumps that are inherent to the salary negotiation process? No offers should be extended until after you have taken the candidate through the following five-question "offer drill."

The first question is a "pre-closer" that occurs during the interview itself.

"What would be the next logical move in your career progression if you stayed with your current employer? How long would it take to get to that next step?"

The logic of this question is simple: You need to know right up-front if there’s a possibility of this candidate accepting a counteroffer. You should remember that making and accepting employment offers is a two-way street. It’s not enough to hire a candidate that is good for the company; accepting the job has to make sense for the candidate from a career-building standpoint. Therefore, to understand how much your job offer would catapult an individual’s career, you have to have a benchmark. That benchmark is the individual’s current position.

The concerns that led to the candidate leaving his current position must be alleviated by joining your organization. The reason for leaving is the link in the individual’s career progression, so if your job is a "been there, done that" for the candidate, the likelihood of a long-term successful hire is minimal. Generally speaking, candidates should match 80 percent of the job they are applying for—a 100 percent match offers little growth or learning opportunities, and a 60 percent match isn’t typically strong enough to meet your organization’s immediate needs. So always be sure to benchmark the opportunity you are offering to the individual’s current position.

Once all the rounds of interviewing are completed and you have conducted the necessary reference checks, background investigations and applicable drug screenings, then it’s time to make the offer.

"What has changed since the last time we spoke?"

Assuming that you haven’t spoken to the candidate in two or three days, you should open the call this way. Nine times out of 10, candidates will respond that nothing has changed, and you are free to move to the next step of the negotiation. On the other hand, if something has changed like a sudden increase in responsibilities at the current company, a significant raise or a job offer from another company, then you have to put the offer on hold and discuss these new developments. Do not assume that time has frozen since your last discussion. By inviting the candidate to make the first move in the negotiation, you will save yourself time and also demonstrate respect for the individual.

"If we were to make you an offer today, when would you be in a position to accept it or reject it?"

The ideal an swer is "right away." Beware of candidates who request long time frames to come to a decision. Ideally, candidates will have had enough opportunity during the multiple rounds of interviews to research your organization, speak with the key players and determine the career benefits of joining your organization. Candidates who ask for more than 24 hours to consider your offer may be delaying their commitment to you because they are more excited about another company’s offer. Putting you off is the only way to buy time to see whether they can generate the offer they really want.

If you expect that this is the case, then communicate your concerns openly:

"Janet, I want to start our relationship on the right foot, and I’d appreciate a candid response. I’ve found that people who need more time at the finish line usually have another offer on the table. If that’s the case, I understand. Still, I’d like to know where we stand relative to your other offer."

At that point, if your perceptions are correct, the candidate will admire your intuition and openness and will respond to your legitimate concerns. You will learn what your chances are of landing this individual, and you can prepare to either wait out her decision or line up additional candidates.

What you don’t want to do is attempt to convince the candidate at the finish line that your offer is superior. Her focus is definitely on the other offer—otherwise you would have heard "I accept" already. So persuading her that you are better than her suitor puts you at a disadvantage in the negotiation process: It will appear that you are placing your company’s interests above hers as you attempt to resell the benefits of joining your organization. Ideally, by the time of offer negotiations, you will have done all the selling you have to. Make a firm commitment to your own plan of action and respect the individual’s right to plan her own destiny.

"If we were to make you an offer, tell me when you would be able to start. How much notice would you need to give your present employer?"

Most candidates will need to give their current employers two weeks’ notice. Of course, senior-level managers may need to give more notice. In responding to a candidate’s answer, consider the following: First, watch out for candidates who don’t feel obligated to give their current employers appropriate notice. An individual’s failure to follow proper corporate etiquette may, in itself, play a role in your decision to extend an offer.

Second, remember that high performers are sophisticated consumers regarding the employment marketplace, and they realize that their current employers will be providing reference-check information about them for the next 10 years. Therefore, don’t pressure candidates to start earlier than would be appropriate. You could build a lot of resentment if you force individuals to walk away from their current companies without appropriate notice—not only for reason of loyalty but also for fear of a negative reference. If you need someone immediately, hire a temp in the interim.

"At what salary level would you accept our job offer, and at what level would you reject it?"

This is the $64,000 question, and that’s why it is saved for last. Candidates typically expect to hear offers rather than to volunteer numbers themselves. Still, it’s best to open this critical piece of the negotiation this way:

"John, you have researched our financials, you have seen the job description, you have a general understanding of our benefit plans, and you have met the key players that you would be working with every day. I am asking you this question for two reasons: First, I would like to gauge your perception of what you believe the market worth of someone in this position should be. Second, I would like you to discuss the minimum vs. ideal salary for this job to again help me gauge your level of interest. Share with me what that walk-away point is for you."

Remember to distinguish base salary from total cash compensation during your interview. The base salary is the anchor weighting of the individual’s market worth; bonus and overtime round out the total compensation picture. Most often, candidates peg an increase in their base pay to a percentage hike—5 percent to 20 percent—depending on their desire for the job and their perception of their market worth. Assuming those figures are within your salary range, you will be safe to make the offer at this point.

Of course, by the time you get to this stage, you will have already looked at internal equity considerations and determined a fair rate of pay. Still, you should find out if candidates’ perceptions of reality make sense. Someone looking for a 35 percent increase in base salary or an apple-to-apple transfer from a contractor or a temporary hourly rate of pay to an annual salary may lack a fundamental understanding of business principles. After all, current pay is a market indicator of one’s worth to a company. Simply stated, they may have an over-inflated sense of their individual value or they may be looking for you to make up past lost opportunities. In such cases, delaying an offer may make sense while you reconsider the individual’s qualifications.

Most importantly, these five questions will help you retain control of the negotiation. As an employer, you would not expect a candidate to accept an offer without all the information necessary to come to an informed career decision. Expect no less for yourself—for a candidate’s behavior during the actual "offer drill" may strengthen your commitment to bring that individual aboard or cast doubt on his suitability.