Dealing with Recruiters and Negotiating Compensation

This presentation was originally delivered at the Writer in the Workplace conference, Sacramento, CA, in April, 2002. It has been revised substantially for several subsequent presentations, the most recent of which was in April, 2006.

Introduction

During good economic times, recruiters are the source of many job listings for technical communicators. Companies engage independent recruiters (such as Synergistech) on a contingency basis to bring them qualified candidates for positions requiring relatively sophisticated skills, and to streamline the interview and negotiation process. Hiring companies only pay contingency recruiters if that firm's candidate is offered and accepts the job, and (in the case of a staff employee) remains there for at least 90 days. A different kind of recruiter, the in-house or ‘retained' recruiter, does much the same thing but gets paid (usually by the hour) regardless of whether the candidates they ‘source' are offered or accept positions.

Once you know the role, motivation, and background of the recruiter, you will be better-positioned to get what you want.

Part 1. Dealing with Recruiters

A) What Recruiters Do

• Gathers info, lets others evaluate
• Works exclusively for the company, and gets paid regardless of who fills the job
• Possesses no domain expertise or interest
• Typically reads a script and follows orders
• Often threatened by recruiter-represented candidates

• Posts own listings, performs substantial evaluation of candidates' skills and abilities
• Acts as candidate's advocate, educating both parties, and persuading hiring manager to follow through
• Possesses substantial industry (and, often, also domain) expertise
• Gets paid only if his or her candidate is offered and accepts the position (and survives on the job for 90+ days)

B) What (Independent) Recruiters Want

• Majority of the skills and experience cited in the 'Required' section of the job description
• Demonstrable commitment to professional development, as evidenced by past jobs, coursework, and relevant volunteer activities
• Above-average interpersonal skills and ability to make the client successful
• As little hostility, entitlement, and stubbornness as possible

• A recruiting budget (!)
• Direct communication with the hiring manager, not just the company's in-house recruiter or HR rep
• Clarity and precision about what is really required in the position
• Decisiveness and the ability to stand up to senior management and engineers
• Willingness to make hiring a consistently high priority
• Clear, frank, forthcoming communication about a candidate's strengths and weaknesses as well as key colleagues' hot buttons

C) How Recruiters Can Help Candidates

• Names, titles, track records, and preferences of key decision-makers on the hiring team
• Company's competition, product set, audience, and culture
• Job description prioritization

• Phone screens and in-person interviews

• Polishing interpersonal skills
• Focusing answers to key questions
• Preparing portfolio items and related talking points

• Soliciting and listening to post-interview feedback from both client and candidate
• Patiently, non-defensively educating to resolve misconceptions ((not just spin-control, but true goal-oriented communication)
• Defusing concerns quickly and completely
• Cementing trust from both parties

• Educating hiring manager about candidate's market value
• Managing candidate's expectations about compensation
• Requesting non-cash incentives when hiring manager's budget is stretched
• Sign-on bonuses
• Accelerated performance and compensation reviews
• Additional stock options
• Buy-out of employee's stock options with former employer
• Additional or altered responsibilities
• Telecommuting privileges
• Company-supplied equipment to use when working from home

D) What Can Go Wrong?

• Recruiter demonstrates no clue about what the hiring manager needs
• Candidate loses interest and abandons the process without warning (seen as evidence of poor screening by recruiter, and candidate's opportunism or insincerity)
• Candidate gets stressed, becoming adversarial toward client or recruiter (and posing risk to recruiter's reputation if the relationship isn't healed)
• Hiring manager gets busy, fails to respond to candidates' resumes (seen as losing commitment, wasting recruiter's and candidates' time)

• Hiring manager changes the job description without warning (makes recruiter look inept, embarrasses and breaks trust with candidate, wastes the manager's time)
• Chemisty missing – bad body language, insincere interaction, clash of professional priorities, personal network check ("who do you know?") hints at potential problems, portfolio NDA issues….
• Hiring manager and other decision makers have conflicting agendas
• Hiring manager attempts to short-circuit recruiter by discussing compensation, competing opportunities, going 'direct', or asking for referrals to other candidates

• Hiring manager won't go to bat on candidate's behalf with colleagues on different teams
• Hiring manager fails to tell recruiter the real reason for rejecting the candidate
• Hiring manager blames recruiter for not being telepathic or forgiving of his or her spinelessness
• Candidate feels misled, exploited, manipulated, or otherwise abused by one or both parties
• Recruiter fails to build the relationship patiently, instead pressures candidate or hiring manager to say 'yes'

Part 2. Negotiating Compensation

A) Negotiating with the Employer/Client

Determine your Value

• Know Thyself
• What do you want from your career (near-term), and are you likely to get it from this job?
• Will the company's expections, values, and culture mesh with yours after the honeymoon ends?
• How much do you need to earn (ie, to meet your physical and emotional needs)?


• Assess the Fit
• As objectively as you can, determine the degree to which your skills and experience match the company's stated requirements. The closer the match, the more you can ask (all else being equal).
• Realistically, are you likely to advance your career on this job? The less likely it is to do favors for your future marketability, the more you can ask (again, all else being equal).
• Will it be fun? The less likely you are to enjoy the experience of working with this company, the more you should ask. Pick a pricetag that will ensure your happiness after the thrill is gone.


• Decide (in advance) when to Walk Away
• Be specific about what you honestly expect this position to provide you (besides a paycheck), as well as what you are prepared to do to keep it functional
• Decide (and write down) how you'll measure your on-the-job satisfaction
• Ruthlessly grade your job at regular intervals (no less than twice a year)
• Assess what you can do to improve your situation, ask advice, then act
• If you opt to revise your job-satisfaction criteria, write down the new rules, accept conscious responsibility for how they'll impact you, then follow them (!)

Strategies

• Talk least
• Make the hiring manager or HR person be the first to specify a number
• Demonstrate your interest, but also make it clear that you respect yourself and know your worth
• Offer to be flexible and to 'work with them' on specifics as long as the overall package meets your needs
• Get promises (for future compensation, responsibilities, etc) in writing

B) Negotiating with Independent Recruiters

• If the recruiter has earned your trust, trust your recruiter. (If not, negotiate directly with the company.)
  • Tell the recruiter what you think you're worth, and why — then ask for feedback
  • Be frank about your professional, emotional, logistical, and other considerations
  • Be specific about what you want to be in the offer
  • Know that you have veto power over any actual ‘deal'

Strategies

• Let the recruiter be your sole representative in all matters related to compensation
• Keep your recruiter fully informed as other opportunities and offers manifest
• Keep your word, and let the recruiter know that you expect the same from all parties
• If you are made an offer and accept, do your best to make the hiring manager look good

C) What can go wrong?

• If the recruiter or hiring manager breaks trust
• Don't feel entitled to do likewise until you've told both parties what happened
• Know that it was probably not deliberate, and try to patch things up


• If the hiring manager or recruiter falls silent
• Politely ask (by phone and email) the silent party for feedback, and offer to resolve any unaddressed questions or concerns
• If you ask twice politely and get no results, call and/or email once more, this time introducing some urgency into the equation. Inform the uncommunicative party that you anticipate another offer (or face a similar kind of deadline) and, while you'd prefer to move forward with his or her position, you must also be true to yourself.
• If the above doesn't work, don't initiate further communication. They'll come back to you when and if they're interested, and you'll want to take advantage of their renewed sense of urgency (and possibly also their remorse for leaving you hanging the first time). Besides, no one likes to be nagged.


• If the hiring manager's or recruiter's words and actions don't mesh
• Ask (by email first, then by phone) for clarification, stating your concerns, and emphasizing your interest in moving forward to your mutual advantage
• Don't play games, even if you're sure you're being manipulated — indignation, resentment, and hostility are never endearing attributes, and have no (constructive) role in a professional relationship
• Keep looking for signs of authentic progress, but focus on (or create) other options. If the other party ever gets its act together, it'll be all the sweeter when they come back to you.

D) Exit Strategies

• If things don't work out, keep your cool, communicate fully, and don't blame
• If you don't get the job, offer to make yourself available when another suitable opportunity arises

Remember that clear communication and professional conduct are much more memorable to the hiring manager and recruiter than whether you were the right person for the job. People hire people they like.

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