Season 2| Episode 2

How to Recruit the Mercedes on a Chevy Budget

• The hiring manager was asking for a senior systems engineer… when what he needed was a systems architect
• Compensation didn’t hit the mark
• Location limitations were, well, really limiting

Wilson’s Wisdom: 3 Go-To Strategies to Persuade Your Hiring Manager

Be comfortable pushing back on compensation

More often than not, when you have to deal with an unrealistic hiring manager, you come across more inferior candidates than qualified ones. Use this to your advantage when it’s time to push back.

Show the hiring manager a few candidates he can actually afford, but come prepared with his hit-the-nail-on-the-head candidate. Explain that, if he wants all the bells and whistles, he has to be more flexible with comp.

Validate pushback with market data

There’s still more fight to be fought. After you present the candidates, tell the manager your next steps: take 24-48 hours to research the market. Reach out to folks in and outside of your network to see what you’re up against.

Gather enough data that you can confidently say, “Look, here’s what the top candidates take home, here’s the lowest, and here’s the mean. Do you now have more flexibility?”

Don’t be a “fast food recruiter”

Unrealistic hiring manager expectations are a perpetual challenge in recruiting. The frustration it sparks will also be a perpetual challenge, but you can never be the one to throw your hands up and say, “I can’t find that candidate.”

Don’t resort to shoving any old resumes across the table. Present the best candidates you can with the information you have, and find a way to make it better. Differentiate yourself from other recruiters and put in the work. Otherwise, the client will find a recruiter who can.