Recruiter Corner: How To Avoid Fee Dodging Clients

It’s a dreaded situation; but it’s guaranteed to happen at least once in a recruiter’s long career – fee dodging by clients. A client might hire a job candidate under the table after you’ve done all the work. Or, they might hand over your fee to another recruiter who submitted the same candidate. Whatever the root of the dispute, there are a few things you can do to prevent fee dodging. Let’s take a look at a few tips:

1. Let client know that it’s beneficial to work exclusively with your recruiting agency. If the client is trying to “hedge their bets” by working with multiple recruiters this increases the chances of a fee dispute. If two recruiters submit the same job candidate who will get the fee? See where this can lead to a host of problems? Don’t agree to work with a client who won’t give you the exclusive opportunity to fill a job order.

2. Get fee agreements in writing. Make it clear to clients that hiring a job candidate under the table or trying to circumvent your fees will not be tolerated. Clients are less likely to fee dodge if they know there will be immediate consequences.

3. Avoid fee hagglers. Clients who haggle over your fees are more likely to dodge paying you one the bill is due. If possible, avoid these hagglers and focus on employers who appreciate the value recruiters create.

4. Find out which employers the job candidate has already interviewed with or submitted a resume to. Also, find out when they last communicated with the employer and for which jobs they applied. You should avoid resubmitting the job candidate to these companies unless it’s for a completely different position. Take care when doing this because some clients may attempt to dodge your fee by saying they were planning to hire the job candidate before you submitted them.