"What is your rate?"

[darrenb]

A lot of agents with no real jobs call me up and the main thing they are interested in is "What is your rate?" I generally tell them I'll discuss it in connection with a particular job.

But they get more and more insistent.

This puzzles me. What have they got to gain? Other contractors get, "Give me 2 references." I don't get that so much. I get, "What is your rate?" Why is that? Has word gone round that my rate is too high? Anybody else see this pattern?

D.

[DS23]

why not answer them?

[StuntManMike]

This puzzles me. What have they got to gain? Other contractors get, "Give me 2 references." I don't get that so much. I get, "What is your rate?" Why is that? Has word gone round that my rate is too high? Anybody else see this pattern?

D.

They are tying to cut everyones rate. They want to see if they can get you down, I've already cut £70 per day. Not cool. Better person at a lower rate.

[downsouth]

they've got lots to gain, you want £50ph, client willing to pay £60ph, they pocket difference.

I tend to give a ball park figure or ask them what the client is offering and go from there

[malvolio]

"For a job where I don't leave the house it's <insert current day rate here>. After that it goes up depending on factors such as distance, risk, seniority and so on. So I don't really have 'a rate' "

HTH

[Ashwin2007]

Some other typical questions :

(1) How is your job hunt going?

(2) How many interviews you had? (If you answer that you had some interviews, then he would insist naming the clients, if you answer that there were no interviews, then he would comment, "No success so far?")

(3) What is the ideal role you would like to have? What is your preferred location?

(4) What is your rate? (if you say you can discuss this with respect to the job he has, then he would ask what was your rate in the last contract)

[original PM]

when asked this question I always quote a ridculously high rate (way over what I would actually work for)

then during the conversation casually drop in that if it seems like a contract that would interest me, is in the correct location etc etc etc I can be flexible

this way I am only every negotiating down from my starting point - which is much easier to do than negotiate up!

[VectraMan]

I had one ask yesterday: "Are there any local companies you'd like me to approach on your behalf?".

Yeah right - get your own leads.

[darrenb]

Some other typical questions :

(2) How many interviews you had? (If you answer that you had some interviews, then he would insist naming the clients, if you answer that there were no interviews, then he would comment, "No success so far?")

That's another good one. There is no right answer apparently. If you say you had interviews, then the recruiter will say, "Well you are waiting to hear back from someone, it is too much of a risk for me to put you forward." If you say you haven't had interviews, then the attitude is, "Oh you can't be much good then."

What's the best way out of this dilemma?

[Likely]

That's another good one. There is no right answer apparently. If you say you had interviews, then the recruiter will say, "Well you are waiting to hear back from someone, it is too much of a risk for me to put you forward." If you say you haven't had interviews, then the attitude is, "Oh you can't be much good then."

What's the best way out of this dilemma?

Just say you finished last gig just last week. Works every time.