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Recruitment Placing
Lots of offices out there with constant needs for new people. Matching candidates with client is a real skill as you have to sell to two different people and then get them selling to each other.
The Dozen Top Tips for Actually Placing Candidates (Where the Money Is Made)
Twelve practical, street‑wise rules for recruiters who want offers accepted, invoices paid, and clients coming back for more.
Recruitment is an unusual selling environment. You sell the candidate to the client, and then, you sell the job to the candidate. If either side hesitates, stalls, or drifts, the placement collapses. No offer, no acceptance, no invoice.
This is where elite recruiters earn their stripes. Below are twelve proven, commercially smart techniques for dovetailing both sides and getting the deal over the line.
 
1. Speed Is not just Important. It is Everything
The best candidates get multiple offers. The best clients interview multiple candidates.
Slow kills deals.
Top recruiters operate with urgency:
•             Push for interview times immediately.
•             Keep both sides warm with rapid updates.
•             Drop slow clients and tyre‑kicking candidates.
 
2. Only Work with Clients Who Make Offers Fast
A client who takes a week to “think about it” is not a client, they are a liability.
Set expectations early:
•             Decision timelines
•             Interview stages
•             Offer process
If they cannot commit to moving quickly, they are not worth your pipeline space.
 
3. Only Work with Candidates Who Accept Offers Fast
Candidates who “need to think about it” for days are signalling trouble.
Qualify early:
•             Are they actively looking?
•             What is their real motivation?
•             What is their decision‑making process?
If they cannot commit to a clear yes/no timeline, they are not a placement.
 
4. Prepare the Candidate Like a Professional Athlete
Most recruiters send candidates into interviews unprepared.
Elite recruiters rehearse them.
Cover:
•             The client’s hot buttons
•             The likely objections
•             The role’s real challenges
•             How to answer the obvious questions
•             How to close the interview
A prepared candidate performs better, interviews better, and accepts faster.
 
5. Extract the Candidate’s True Motivators
Salary is rarely the real driver.
Dig deeper:
•             Career progression
•             Leadership opportunities
•             Culture
•             Flexibility
•             Learning
•             Recognition
•             Stability
Once you know their hierarchy of needs, you can close them against their own criteria.
 
6. Extract the Client’s True Motivators
Clients often say vague things like “We want the best person.”
That is meaningless.
Find out:
•             What problem this hire must solve
•             What success looks like in 90 days
•             What personality fits their culture
•             What they absolutely cannot tolerate
Information is still king.
 
7. Pre‑Close Both Sides Before the Interview Even Happens
Before the interview:
•             Ask the candidate: “If they offer X, Y, Z  are you ready to accept?”
•             Ask the client: “If the candidate demonstrates A, B, C  are you ready to offer?”
If either side hesitates, you fix it before the interview, not after.
 
8. Control the Interview Timing
Push both sides to meet as soon as possible.
Momentum is your friend.
Delay is your enemy.
If a candidate says they can do next week, ask for tomorrow.
If a client says they can do Friday, ask for today.
 
9. Prepare the Candidate for the Resignation Moment
This is where many placements die. Candidates get counter offers. They get emotional. They get scared.
Pre‑empt it:
•             “What will you do if your boss offers you more money?”
•             “What if they promise you a promotion?”
•             “What if they guilt‑trip you?”
If you do not prepare them, the counter‑offer will.
 
10. Understand the Client’s Real Salary Flexibility
Clients often say silly things like:
“We’ll pay whatever it takes.”
Reality check them:
•             “This role reports to you — so the salary must sit between your level and the team below.”
•             “Let’s define a sensible range now so we don’t lose candidates later.”
You are not being difficult you are protecting the placement.
 
11. Help the Client Craft an Offer That Gets Accepted
An offer is more than a number. It is a message.
Coach the client on:
•             Job title (status matters)
•             Clear progression path
•             Three‑month review
•             Training budget
•             Hybrid/flex options
•             Signing bonus if needed
•             Speed of issuing the offer
A well‑packaged offer closes candidates.
 
12. Close the Deal Using the Candidate’s Own Words
When the offer comes in, close using the motivators they gave you earlier:
“You told me progression was your top priority this role gives you that.”
“You said you wanted a leader who invests in people this manager does exactly that.”
“You said you wanted stability this company is rock‑solid.”
People accept offers that align with their own values, not yours.
 
Final Thought: Placements Do not Happen They Are Engineered
Great recruiters do not hope for placements.
They design them.
They choreograph both sides.
They anticipate problems before they appear.
They move fast, qualify hard, and close with precision.
This is the craft.
This is where the money is made.