The Single Most Powerful Question in Recruiting

Link: The Single Most Powerful Question in Recruiting - Articles - ERE.

Dr. John Sullivan has been called the "Michael Jordan of Hiring" by Fast Company so I think  it's worthwhile noting what he feels is the single most powerful interview question a Recruiter and hiring manager can use:

"What criteria will you use to determine whether to accept a job offer?"

Dr. John Sullivan hits it on the nose with his analogy to car salesman when they ask the customer" What is it going to take you to get into this car?"  Without asking this question of a candidate it's like putting any kind of car in front of a prospective buyer without knowing what kind of car he wants. Sportscar or family van? Does he want to go off roading or does he want an energy-efficient commuter car? Only a rookie sales person wouldn't ask this and in an employee's market it's only rookie Recruiters who forget to ask this too. The information is useful for quite a few reasons (which John notes in his article) but in my opinion it's most useful for "crafting your sales pitch", and "getting managers to change the job".

In extremely tight labor markets the ability to change a job and the way you present to a candidate are going to be key factors in getting them to choose you over another company. I find that doing this in hindsight (asking them what they want in the offer stage) is often seen as reactive by candidates and they sometimes question the legitimacy of the changes. But if you can get this question in early then you can really smooth the process.

Now from a candidate perspective, this question is just as important to you. Knowing that good employers truly value what you want should be a catalyst for you to take the time to really isolate and prioritize your wants when looking for a new opportunity. The more clear you are of what you want - what points are essential and which ones are negotiable, I think the better results you'll get in your job search.

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