Do you suspect recruiters chase candidates with the biggest paychecks because our fee is a percentage of annual compensation?
If you think real headhunters target the highest-paid candidates just to pad their commission, you have never worked with a professional recruiter who values results over greed.
It’s simply not how serious headhunters work.
If a recruiter pushed higher pay just to earn a bit more, they would lose their client faster than they could cash the invoice.
Overpricing a candidate kills the deal
For top-tier, reputable headhunters, pushing a candidate for a higher salary just to increase their commission is a very shortsighted strategy.
- No recruiter wins by wasting months and risk ending with no hire.
- Market data, supply/demand and not greed, drives salary levels.
- A recruiter’s reputation depends on placements that last, not inflated salaries that blow up later.
Our business model is built on a long-term reputation and relationship with our clients, rather than relying on a single transaction.
This is what has kept me, Tom Sorensen Recruitment | NPAworldwide, in the forefront of Thailand’s executive recruitment market for more than 20 years. Trust. Fit. Long-term results. That’s where the real value lies.
Here are my main arguments for why top headhunters dismiss the idea of pushing candidates for higher and unwarranted salaries.
It undermines long-term client relationships
Trust is paramount at the top level where headhunters work.
A headhunter’s value proposition is being a trusted, expert partner to their client companies.
If a headhunter repeatedly presents candidates whose salary expectations are out of line with the role’s market value, the client’s trust in their judgment will be gone with the wind.
It harms the long-term relationship, which is far more valuable than the higher fee from a single placement.
- Future business is lost. A client who feels taken advantage of will not return for future searches.
A reputation for overcharging is a business killer in a relationship-driven industry like executive search.
Perhaps a bit out of context, but what do you think about recruiters who approach their own placed candidates, still working at the client company, for another job opportunity. Deplorable and deserving strong condemnation! Right?
Clients have salary ranges
Sophisticated clients provide headhunters with clear salary bands for their roles, based on market research.
The headhunter’s job is to find the best talent within that range.
Pushing for an amount above the client’s established budget is a poor use of the headhunter’s time and is unlikely to succeed.
End of the day, it’s not the headhunter who decides who to hire. It’s the hiring company and their assessment of what constitutes fair compensation. If they do not see a match between qualifications and compensation, clients, of course, say no and move on to another candidate.
- Efficiency is key. Top headhunters are highly efficient and only want to invest time in placements that have a high probability of success.
- A drawn-out negotiation over an inflated salary is often a red flag for a difficult, unmotivated candidate and a low-probability placement.
It compromises the quality of the placement
Fit is more important than a paycheck. A top headhunter’s goal is to place a candidate who is a perfect match for the role and the company’s culture.
Forcing a salary higher than the position warrants can attract the wrong type of candidate, one who is only motivated by money and may not be a long-term fit.
- There is a higher risk of employee turnover. A candidate who is overpaid relative to their market value is more likely to leave the company within the guarantee and replacement period, triggering a “clawback” clause that may require a free replacement or even the recruitment fee to be repaid.
This not only costs the headhunter money but also wastes time and damages their reputation.
A placement at an appropriate, fair salary has a higher chance of being a long-term success.
It harms the recruiter’s reputation with candidates
Top headhunters see candidates as potential clients and a valuable part of their network.
They don’t want to burn bridges by pushing candidates into roles with inappropriate salaries or damaging their experience during the negotiation process.
It’s all about treating candidates with respect.
- The best headhunters know that today’s candidate can be tomorrow’s client.
By acting in the best interests of the candidate (finding the right, fairly compensated role), they build a network of future business prospects.
