Recruiters: It's Ok to say No!

Every recruiter wants to make placements, to put talent to work, to deliver quality candidates to their clients.

But not every job order is worth working – even in an environment where job orders are harder to come by like we are in now.  Regardless of the market conditions, not every client is worthy of your time, effort and attention.

It is true that in order to work with a client you, the recruiter, must first earn their trust and confidence.

Just as true, however, is the fact that the client has to earn your trust and confidence.  Recruiters often forget that part of the equation and as a result end up spending time recruiting for job orders that are…well…not good job orders!

If all the client is concerned about is price point…what fee or bill rate you will be charging…then they are devaluing your service as a recruiter.  In the same light, if all you as the recruiter are concerned about is undercutting the fees of your competitors to simply earn the business, you are devaluing yourself.

Job orders in the current market are not as plentiful as years past.  Now more than ever, you as the recruiter need to be selective as to the jobs you choose to recruit for so you maximize the time you invest in each job.  To do that, make sure you have a job order evaluation (or rating) criteria that allows you to separate the ‘A’ orders from the rest.  And make sure you do not let emotions enter that equation when evaluating.

Some simple criteria for evaluating job orders are:

1.      Is the job order in your space/area of expertise (do you have a strong network to pull from)?

2.      Is the compensation in line with what the client is looking for in a hire (it has to be competitive)?

3.      Is the fee/margin at or above what the market will bear (it has to be competitive)?

4.      Is the client flexible?

5.      Does the client company have a good sell to candidates (sizzle)?

There are obviously more criteria that could be listed, but those are some major ones to consider.

The more flexible a client is, the more they will work with you and let you as the recruiter leverage your expertise to drive the process, the more worthwhile it is to invest your time recruiting.

Because every job order you choose to recruit for is just that – an investment of your time.

So choose wisely!

John Ruffini is the Vice President of Professional Development for HealthTrust Workforce Solutions in Sunrise, Florida. He is a 30-year recruiting veteran, trainer, and motivator and is the author of the Amazon Best Sellers “Money Makers: Proven Ways to Increase Sales and Productivity in the World of Professional Recruiting”   and “A Quest for Alex.”