Reply to: Interviewing and consequences of being flexible with recruiters

[Sausage Surprise]

Dude, if you had got it I would have been like your bestest friend ever! LOL.

Im guessing only IB's can pay that sort of money.

and Northern Rock !

[Hex]

It happens all the time at Investment Banks. All that I know of pay a fixed fee percentage to the agency and its the bank that negotiates the contractor's rate.

[TheFaQQer]

Ok this one is lost on me so tell me more... How often does this actually happen? I would have thought they would have avoided this at the moment with us taking reduced rates and so on so easier for them to post ridiculous rates and someone will take it.

Many customers are looking for transparency between what they are paying the agent and what the agency is paying the contractor. I have no idea about how often it happens, though - I would think that those that are on an approved supplier list have negotiated a fixed margin to get there.

I know when I was at the Home Office, the agency I was with had negotiated a maximum 12% margin. To get me in, they cut it to 9.5% since I had brought the role to them. Client then had a pretty good idea of what I was on, and I knew how much they were paying for me.

[zemoxyl]

I have the impression that showing flexibility with recruiter is harmuful --> no CV sent to clients.

In particular about salary and positions, I use to ask 75K or 550 pd (based on comparable) but then recruiter :

1) asks if it is the minimum (even if it is in the range he posted in the ad) I say that I'd be willing to go down, even to 55K and I am more interested in that the job is challenging.

2) asks if I would consider other positions outside finance. I say ... providing it is challenging why not

Then he says he will send me the description of the positions but several times I don't hear them anymore.

Is flexibility so harmful?

jj

I have most of them (derivatives at phd level) and long hours is the best thing of this job, delivering solution to critical production issues.

But still couldn't get an interview with a bank.

Hmmm, derivatives @ Ph.D. level ? What uni was that ?

[MarillionFan]

I'm fairly certain my Northern Monkey stalker is talking bile again. Not sure why he's so obsessed, he must have fancied my last avatar.

[MarillionFan]

Dude, if you had got it I would have been like your bestest friend ever! LOL.

Im guessing only IB's can pay that sort of money.

Actually it was FMCG. It was a senior Project Management role which would have been dealing with the CEO and board.

All the stakeholders were on £1M+ Salaries, so they wanted someone super senior. I ticked all the boxes for the project except my stakeholder management level wasnt high enough. Needless to say I've never earnt that much, so was glad to get interviews and get to the last two.

[northernladuk]

I interviewed for one last week which was for a grand a day.

Didnt get it though.

What a *****. Why do you feel you have to lie to make a point on a serious discussion? Cockroach...

Im guessing only IB's can pay that sort of money.

He is just being an arse cause it is me. No way in hell he can command that.

but anyway...

Unless he is on a fixed-rate margin, in which case his job is to get the maximum for you so he gets the maximum commission.

Ok this one is lost on me so tell me more... How often does this actually happen? I would have thought they would have avoided this at the moment with us taking reduced rates and so on so easier for them to post ridiculous rates and someone will take it.

[NeverBeenNorthOfTheM25]

I interviewed for one last week which was for a grand a day.

Didnt get it though.

Dude, if you had got it I would have been like your bestest friend ever! LOL.

Im guessing only IB's can pay that sort of money.

[MarillionFan]

... and the fact there arent that many £550 a day jobs going around.

I interviewed for one last week which was for a grand a day.

Didnt get it though.

[TheFaQQer]

I very much doubt this (unless you are doing something ridiculous but lets assume not) as the amount you drop goes straight in to the agents bonus. If he has a £500 gig and you say you will do it for £450 he gets more money, in fact it is his job to try and lower your rate and make more cash. For this reason the fact he will reject you if you accept a lower rate seems unlikely.

Unless he is on a fixed-rate margin, in which case his job is to get the maximum for you so he gets the maximum commission.

[northernladuk]

... and the fact there arent that many £550 a day jobs going around.

Well I didn't want to mention that but as you have started the ball rolling...

I use to ask 75K or 550 pd (based on comparable) but then recruiter

I am sure these are NOT comparable!!

And was 550pd a number for discussion purposes or is that genuinely what you are asking for? Surely a role commanding that right now needs someone who is pretty sh!t hot at what they do.. These questions are giving me that confidence... Maybe the recruiter is picking up the same.

[NeverBeenNorthOfTheM25]

... and the fact there arent that many £550 a day jobs going around.

[northernladuk]

. I know that some are fishing, but my impression is that they "value" devs from the rate/salary. The higher the better somehow and lowering it during the interview shed doubts about the candidate and could lead recruiter to reject him.

I very much doubt this (unless you are doing something ridiculous but lets assume not) as the amount you drop goes straight in to the agents bonus. If he has a £500 gig and you say you will do it for £450 he gets more money, in fact it is his job to try and lower your rate and make more cash. For this reason the fact he will reject you if you accept a lower rate seems unlikely.

What I am thinking more I am afraid is the following ....

1) Your naivety and inexperience is showing to the agent as well which scares him off
2) You lack of experience is going to be a real issue in a very difficult market
3) Maybe you are in a tight area and lots of applications so you are in the pure luck game.

They all seem much more likely than your initial thinking... erm... particularly number 1 sorry...

[TheFaQQer]

Indeed I have a lot of questions and by the way I found the search engine not very useful.

If you meant the CUK search, then use google instead.

Just add "site:forums.contractoruk.com" at the end of your search terms, and it will only look on here.

[frankjj]

Indeed I have a lot of questions and by the way I found the search engine not very useful.

However for the one I've done, I know recruiters won't call back in 90% of the case. And basically after 1.5 month I'd say I have a 20% callback rate but what is missing is the follow up after the 1st call. I know that some are fishing, but my impression is that they "value" devs from the rate/salary. The higher the better somehow and lowering it during the interview shed doubts about the candidate and could lead recruiter to reject him.

Just my impression stemming from the fact I have a lot of 1st calls, show flexibility on everything but no client so far .....

jj