Recruitment myth busting #1. It is all about the money!

“Recruiters will try to force you into the first job they can”

“Recruiters are only interested in their commission”

“Recruiters take a percentage of your pay as their fee”

Working in recruitment, we come up against a lot of stereotypes, assumptions, and misunderstandings regarding our industry. One of the biggest and most pervasive is expressed in many ways, and this common myth usually boils down to “recruiters only care about money.”

And do you know what? This is true for some recruiters. But we will let you in on a secret: those recruiters are not exceptionally good at their jobs! A good recruiter is one who always works with candidates to find a role that is well suited to their skills, experience, and attitude.

A good recruiter will protect the candidate experience and try to deliver the best-suited applicant for any given vacancy. And although empathy is a key skill for any head-hunter, they do not do this entirely out of altruism. A recruiter who repeatedly places unhappy or unsuitable candidates is unlikely to win a lot of repeat business, so it is also in their best interests to excel.

A misconception with even less truth in it is the idea that recruiters ‘take a percentage of your salary.’ This one seems to stem from a misunderstanding about how recruitment firms work. The fee recruiters charge is indeed based on the salary of the role they are recruiting for; however, this fee is always charged to the client – the company doing the hiring. As a job seeker, you should never be asked for payment by a recruiter.

While recruiters - like many sales-people - have targets to meet, some will cut corners or try to coerce candidates into a role they are unsure about. Others focus only on their own bonus, rather than on providing candidates and clients with a good service. These types of recruiters will be unable to build up the trusting, mutually beneficial relationships they need, and will not last long in the industry. And while there are still some firms out there who still encourage this kind of bad behaviour, they are gradually becoming extinct.

While working with a recruiter is not going to cost you a cut of your pay, it is still important to ensure you are working with the right recruiter – one who is sympathetic to your needs, and who understands the requirements of the role they’re pitching to you.

Want to know whether your recruitment consultant is the kind of person you want to work with? Check out our handy guide to vetting a recruiter. Or visit our career advice blog for more tips to supercharge your job search.