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Welcome to The Solo Recruiter (TSR)! This is a weekly newsletter dedicated to providing actionable insights for super-charging YOU and your recruitment business.

Here’s what on the menu today:

DON’T EVER EVER SAY “Money Isn’t Everything”

As a recruiter, this is the worst thing you can ever say to your candidate. Period.

There are 2 “special” occasions recruiters commit this cardinal sin.

The first occasion is at the initial screening call. You know the candidate is the One, but their expectation is higher than the budget.

The second time is at the joyful offer stage.

In both cases, using “Money isn’t everything” to sweet-talk your candidate into accepting the interview or offer is just killing yourself.

The only exception is when the budget is very close to the expected salary and EVEN THEN, it is for the candidate to suggest, not for recruiters.

How then do you fix this?

If the budget is way below the reasonable expected salary, be decisive and suggest keeping in touch for other opportunities.

If the gap is small, you can ask sincerely if they would consider an interview to understand the scope of work and assess for themselves if the budget is reasonable.

Stop there and accept whatever decision they make. Don’t hard-sell!

This is a proper request because the job scope which affects actual workload can be agreed upon by both parties and that can contribute a legitimate factor for a slight salary downshift.

Never try to suggest “Money isn’t everything.”

Money isn’t everything but it ranks up there like oxygen and suggesting it out loud in the hope of swaying the candidate to accept interview or offer indicates poor judgement and creates a less-than-desirable reputation for yourself.

Joo Kwang
​Author of Solopreneur’s Guide to Recruitment Business

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