Motivations for Change - Why is the candidate looking to leave?  Is money their only motivation?  Are they disgruntled with their boss or company?  Are they topped out with no advancement opportunity in their current position? 

Salary Information - Make sure you get detailed compensation information, including base salary, bonus, car allowance, company car, benefits (medical, 401K, profit sharing, stock, etc.) This is also the time to understand their salary expectations from a potential employer and determine whether they are realistic.

Personal Information - Will they need to relocate from the area?  What is their expectation from a potential employer regarding relocation costs?   Is their spouse able/willing to find employment in another area?  Do they have children?  Would they be okay moving to another area and leaving their friends/school/family members behind?

Counteroffer – Counteroffer should be discussed in detail from the initial recruit call until the person successfully leaves their current position.  By bringing it up from the very beginning, the candidate will feel as though you have his/her best interest at heart and view you as a career consultant versus discussing it AFTER it occurs when they will tend to view you as selfish and pushy at that point.

What Other Opportunities/Companies Are They Pursuing? - Candidates are called everyday by multiple recruiters.  It is important to find out what other firms/recruiters they have sent resumes to.  This way you can speed up the process with your client (if they are already interviewing with other firms) and if you are working on a contingent basis, you will not resubmit their resume to the same firms.  Many candidates feel they have a better shot at exploring the market by sending their resume to multiple recruiters, when in fact; they sometimes are viewed as desperate by many companies when they get the same resume from various sources.  This is the time to also educate the candidate on the right way to search for a job and be an employment consultant to them.