Offer call script for recruiters: from pre-close to resignation
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An offer call script for recruiters has five parts: a pre-close call a day or two before the offer to confirm the candidate will accept at the expected numbers, the offer itself delivered in a fixed order (the news, the numbers, the start date, then silence), handling any hesitation by finding the real concern, a verbal yes confirmed back in specific terms, and resignation coaching with a dated plan to the first day. Most offers that fall apart were lost before the call, in the pre-close that did not happen.
The scripts below are written for agency recruiters delivering a client's offer, and work for in-house recruiters with small changes. The conversation when a current employer tries to keep the candidate has its own page: the counteroffer conversation script.
Before the offer: the pre-close call
Call the candidate as soon as the client says they intend to offer and before they put numbers in writing. The goal is simple: no term in the offer should surprise the candidate, and no answer on the offer call should surprise you.
PRE-CLOSE CALL — [Candidate] — [Client] — [Role]
1. Temperature
"How are you feeling about [Client] after meeting [names]? One to ten,
and what would make it a ten?"
2. The number
"If they offer [base] with [bonus / commission], would you accept?"
"Is there a number in that range where you'd hesitate?"
(Use the expectation they gave you. Don't ask about current pay.)
3. The rest of the package
"Title [title], reporting to [name], [on-site / hybrid pattern].
Anything there you'd want to discuss?"
"Is there anything about benefits, holiday or equipment you need to
know before you could say yes?"
4. Timing
"You told me [X] weeks' notice. Still right? Anything at work, like a
bonus payout or a project deadline, that affects when you'd resign?"
5. Other processes
"Where are you with [other companies]? Anything likely to land in the
next week?"
6. Home
"Who else will weigh in on this decision? Have they got any questions I
can answer?"
7. The stay question
"When you tell your manager, what do you think they'll do?"
"If they offered you more to stay, what would you say?"
8. The last objection
"If the offer arrived tomorrow exactly as we've discussed, is there
anything that would stop you accepting on the call?"Write the answers down and send the client what they need before the offer is approved: "She'll accept at 190 base. At 180 she'll hesitate because of the commute. Notice is four weeks; she'd like to start after her bonus pays out on October 15." That sentence is worth more to the client than any template. The pay wording, and where asking about pay history is restricted, is covered in salary expectation questions.
What you need from the client before you dial
Do not call with half an offer. Get these confirmed in writing, even if only by email:
OFFER SHEET — [Role] — [Candidate]
Base: [amount, pay frequency]
Variable: [bonus target / commission plan / sign-on], how and when paid
Title and manager: [ ]
Location and work pattern: [ ]
Proposed start date: [ ] Latest acceptable start: [ ]
Benefits start: [date or "per plan"] PTO: [ ]
Conditions: [background check / references / drug screen / right to
work / license verification — as the client requires]
Written offer: sent by [who] by [date, time]
Response deadline: [date, time]
Flexibility: [none / base up to X with approval from Y / sign-on
available / start date only]
Who calls after acceptance: [hiring manager, to welcome]The flexibility line matters most. If the candidate asks for more and you do not know whether there is any, you will either promise something you cannot deliver or sound like you are not on their side.
The offer call script
Book the call, don't spring it. "Can you talk at 5:30 today for ten minutes somewhere private?" gets you a candidate who can react honestly. An example with invented names and numbers:
1. The news
"Hi Priya, is now still a good time? Good. I've got good news:
Northwind would like to offer you the Senior Backend Engineer role."
[Pause. Let them react.]
2. The numbers, in the order they matter
"Here's the offer. Base salary of $190,000. Target bonus of 10%, paid
annually in March. The title is Senior Backend Engineer, reporting to
Dana Ruiz. Hybrid, three days a week in the Denver office."
3. Start date and conditions
"They're proposing a start date of Monday, October 19. The offer is
subject to a background check, which starts once you sign. The written
offer will come from Sam in HR by noon tomorrow."
4. The question, then silence
"How does that sound?"
[Stop talking. Do not fill the silence.]
5. Connect it to the pre-close
"That's the number and the start date we talked about on Thursday.
Is there anything that stops you saying yes today?"
6. Confirm the yes back, specifically
"So I can tell Dana: you're accepting the offer at $190,000 base with
the 10% bonus, starting October 19, once the written offer matches what
I've just read out. Is that right?"
7. What happens next
"Congratulations. Here's what happens now. The written offer arrives
by noon tomorrow; read it and call me with any questions. Please don't
resign until you've signed it and I've told you the background check
has cleared. I'll call you the moment it does. And Dana will call you
tomorrow to welcome you."Read the numbers exactly as the client wrote them. If the bonus is discretionary, say "discretionary". A candidate who hears "10% bonus" and later reads "up to 10%" feels misled, and the fall-off starts there.
Handling hesitation on the call
Hesitation is information. Ask one question to find what is behind it before you answer anything.
"I need to think about it."
"Of course. So I can help, what's the part you want to think through?" Then be quiet. The answer is usually one of the concerns below. If it really is time, agree a specific call: "The deadline is Thursday at 5. Can we speak Wednesday evening, after you've read the written offer?"
"I need to talk to my partner."
"That makes sense. What do you think their first question will be?" If you asked the home question on the pre-close, you already know. Offer to answer questions for them too, such as about benefits or the commute, through the candidate.
"Can they do better on base?"
"What number would let you accept today, and what's behind that number?" Then: "If I get them to [number], are you accepting?" Take one request to the client, with the reason, as final. Tell the candidate honestly what flexibility exists if you know: "I know base is fixed at this level, but I can ask about a sign-on bonus."
"I'm waiting to hear from another company."
"When do you expect to hear? If they came back at the same number, which would you choose, and why?" If the answer is the other company, you need to know now. If it is this client, say so back to them: "So this is the one you want. What would it take to accept before you hear from them?"
"I'm not sure about [the manager / the commute / the team]."
Treat it as a new objection, not a negotiating tactic. Ask what they saw or heard that raised it, and offer something concrete: a second conversation with the manager, a call with a peer on the team, the real commute time at rush hour. A concern that comes out now and gets answered is far cheaper than one that comes out during the notice period.
"My company will probably counter."
"What did you tell me the reasons were for looking? Would more money change those?" Keep it short on the offer call and schedule the full conversation. The wording is in the counteroffer conversation script.
A flat no
"Thank you for telling me straight. What's the reason?" Get it in a sentence you can repeat to the client, confirm it is final, and do not argue. Then tell the client the same day. The debrief questions that surface this earlier are in the candidate debrief after the client interview.
What counts as a verbal acceptance
| The candidate says | Is it a yes? | What you say |
|---|---|---|
| "Yes, I accept." | Yes | Confirm back the base, start date and conditions |
| "Sounds great, send it over." | Not yet | "Great. Once you've read it, are you accepting at those terms?" |
| "I'm pretty sure I'll take it." | No | "What would make you sure?" |
| "Yes, as long as they can do the Friday remote." | Conditional | "So it's a yes only if Fridays are remote. Let me ask and call you back by [time]." |
| "Yes, but I want to see what my boss says." | No | Counteroffer conversation, now |
When it is a clear yes, tell the client within the hour, confirm in writing to the candidate, and stop presenting the candidate to other clients. Log the time and the exact terms accepted in your ATS.
Subject: Congratulations: your offer from [Client]
Hi [First name],
Congratulations again. To confirm what we agreed on the phone:
- Role: [title], reporting to [name]
- Base: [amount]; variable: [as written in the offer]
- Start date: [date]
- Conditions: [background check / references], which I'll confirm as
they clear
Next steps
1. Written offer from [name] by [date, time]. Read it and call me with
any questions before signing.
2. Please don't resign until you've signed and I've confirmed the
conditions have cleared.
3. I'll call you on [day] to plan your resignation.
[Your name] | [mobile]Resignation coaching
The resignation is where a placement is most exposed. Plan it with the candidate on a call once the written offer is signed and conditions have cleared, following the client's process.
Plan the conversation
- When: early in the week, early in the day, in person or on video with their direct manager. Not by email alone, and not on a Friday afternoon.
- Letter ready: short, dated, with the last working day calculated from their contract's notice terms.
- Reason in one sentence: positive and final. They do not owe details about the new employer.
- Expect a counter: decide in advance, together, what they will say.
What the candidate can say
"I wanted to tell you in person that I've accepted a role at another company. It wasn't an easy decision, and I've valued working with you. My last day will be [date], which is [X] weeks' notice. I'll make sure the handover is thorough. I've made my decision, so I'd prefer we focus on the handover."
A resignation letter they can adapt
[Date]
Dear [Manager name],
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position
as [title]. In line with my [X]-week notice period, my last working day
will be [date].
Thank you for the opportunities I've had here. I will do everything I
can to make the handover smooth over the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
[Name]Ask the candidate to call you the same day, after the conversation. "How did it go, and what did they say?" is the question that tells you whether a counteroffer is coming.
From yes to the first day
Notice periods are quiet, and quiet is where doubts grow. A simple touchpoint plan, as an example you can adjust:
| When | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| Day of verbal acceptance | Recruiter, then hiring manager | Confirmation email; welcome call from the manager |
| Offer signed and conditions cleared | Recruiter | Resignation planning call |
| Resignation day | Recruiter | Call the same evening: how it went, any counter |
| Each week of notice | Recruiter | Short check-in; pass on anything from the client such as equipment or first-week schedule |
| Mid-notice | Hiring manager or team | Lunch, coffee or a video intro with the team, if the client is willing |
| Week before start | Recruiter | Confirm time, place, who to ask for, what to bring |
| End of first day and first week | Recruiter | "How was it? Anything different from what you expected?" |
If your terms with the client include a guarantee or rebate period, keep checking in until it ends and tell the client early about anything you hear that puts the placement at risk.
Mistakes that turn a yes into a fall-off
- Skipping the pre-close because the candidate "loved the interview".
- Rounding the numbers or describing a discretionary bonus as guaranteed.
- Letting the candidate resign before the written offer is signed and conditions have cleared.
- Going silent after acceptance. The current employer, other recruiters and the candidate's own doubts are all still talking.
- Negotiating twice. One request, with a reason, framed as final.
Questions people ask
Should the recruiter or the hiring manager make the offer call?
In most agency placements the recruiter calls first, because the candidate will tell you about hesitation they would not tell the client. The hiring manager can call afterwards to welcome them. Agree the order with the client before anyone dials.
How long should I give a candidate to decide?
Agree the deadline with the client before the call, and make it long enough for the candidate to read the written offer and talk to the people who matter, often two to three business days. An open-ended deadline mostly helps a counteroffer; a same-day deadline mostly produces a reluctant yes that falls off later.
Is a verbal acceptance enough?
It is enough to tell the client and stop other activity, not enough to tell the candidate to resign. The candidate should resign only after signing the written offer and after any conditions in it, such as a background check, have cleared, unless the client's process says otherwise.
What if the candidate asks me to negotiate a higher base?
Ask what the number is, why, and whether they would accept today at that number. Take that to the client as a single, final request with the reason. Going back more than once usually costs goodwill on both sides.