So you have phone screened the candidate and brought them in for an initial interview, now its time for the final stages – final interview, salary talk and reference checks.

It is best if before you proceed into the final meeting that you request references to help save time. Don’t assume the candidate or the recruiter knows protocol. Some companies don’t do reference checks anymore due to the fact nobody would ever give someone’s name that would give a bad reference. Be realistic of the references you ask, make sure the candidate can provide them from recent times. If you request a client reference, make sure the candidate has had his/her own clients recently.

Now as for the final meeting - It is best to communicate with the candidate and the recruiter if applicable that just because they meet with the hiring manger once, they may need to come back in to meet with others or the hiring manager again. Try to consolidate the day, if the candidate needs to meet with multiple people, find a day that works for everyone. If someone isn’t available, have them discuss over the phone. Remember it’s hard for people to get out of work on a whim, so be respectful of everyone’s time. Give the candidate some background on the people they are meeting with so they can be prepared.

Lastly, there is the talk of salary. Hopefully you have done your due diligence and educated the candidate of what the salary range was for this position or better yet, found out what they are making and their salary history. If you are going through a recruiter, let the recruiter handle all the salary negotiations. That is part of why you hired them in the first place. If you are not using a recruiter, don’t let this part be a deal killer. Work with the candidate, let them know what the position pays and if its less than what their total comp is, work with them, add a sign-on bonus, stock options, etc.

If you do all this in a timely manner, the final stages and offer process should go smoothly. Always remember what it is like to be on the other side of the fence.

[tags] Talent Zoo, advertising, marketing, salary negotiations, reference check, interivew, recruiter [/tags]