[djinnandtonic]

This seems a pretty good read and I've enjoyed it, thanks!

The only spot that really made me grimace was "closing on hiring candidates" advice:

  Ask them, "If we were to make you the following offer (state the offer in full detail, including cash, equity, benefits, etc), would you accept?"

This seems like trying to secure (what the candidate believes to be) a binding decision in the candidate's mind before the details of the offer are laid out, or at the least an offer with immediate acceptance (if you don't pre-accept this offer, I'm not telling you what it is)

It's cute that this guide wants to position the official offer letter as just an endzone dance for the recruiter and candidate, when it is the only thing of legal substance, the only source of guarantees, in the whole process.

I would advise anyone caught in this recruiting tactic to treat a "verbal yes" as exactly what it is - hot air transmitted into a room or over a mic - and scrutinize (and if necessary, clarify or haggle over) the offer documentation.