Has this ever happened to you?

You are currently working with a very responsive and talented candidate. In fact this is your dream candidate.

He has an excellent work history, is responsive to your phone calls, and follows up with you after interviews.

Recently you sent him out on a second interview after receiving positive feedback from both the candidate and the client.

This candidate has expressed more than interest, in fact he says he will accept an offer if it is presented to him.

The client has agreed to extend an offer after he has met the CEO of the company. Everything is in place, you have closed the client with a higher salary figure than the candidate expects and you have closed the candidate lower than what you expect the offer to be.

Nothing short of a natural disaster can go wrong with this deal... Or could it?

The CEO is in agreement he is the right fit and presents you with a fabulous offer; one you know the candidate will accept. You rush to call the candidate and he again gives you positive feedback. Naturally you feel confident and present him with the offer. You hear a deafening silence and wonder if he has fainted because the offer is above and beyond what he expected. You stay silent expecting the words "I accept" to flow from his mouth any second. But wait... This is not the response you expected. The candidate has just informed you that although he thinks the offer is great, he has an upcoming interview with another company and he would like to act professionally and at least keep his commitment.

Do you really think this candidate sees your position as his number one opportunity? Or is this an offer that the candidate will use as leverage to get a better offer from the company he really wants.

What can you have done differently in order to have secured this placement?