How do you handle from the client we don't share a salary range?

Here is my new dilemma so to speak. I am helping a law firm locate a candidate in IP with an undergrad in chemical engineering. The job order said 1 to 5 years. I talk to a great candidate with the required under grad. It would be a relocation for him but he seems interested. I ask him what his salary range is. After hanging up with him I call the client and leave a message for the recruiting coordinator with my presentation and salary range. I get an email back saying that range is out for them and oh by the way we want 2 to 4 years even though the job order says 1 to 5. I email back and ask very nicely since that salary range was out could she please share with me the range that they are looking for so that there are no disappointments down the road. The answer was no she could not but they were competitive with the market.

How do I handle this? I have had lots of thoughts going through my head and realized that I need to make about the law firm and not about I work on contingency. Something to the effect that I know the Partners are really busy and would hate to see them spend their time interviewing a candidate get excited about said candidate only to lose out because of salary. It would better knowing if you had a hirable candidate before everyone went through all the interviews and possible flying in to find out that his/her salary would not work.

Thanks. Any advice would be sincerely appreciated.

Theresa

Comment by Jerry Albright on July 17, 2012 at 8:17am: Sorry folks - but I don't like this one bit.

Perhaps it's just the law business, but to me it sounds more like the people involved.

First of all - I hate working with "1 to 5 years of X, Y and Z". I don't go much further once I hear that. My natural curosity wants to know - is it 1 (a more junior, "just out of school" type" or is it closer to 5?)

I can't play games. None of us can.

Picture going to your doctor. The nurse takes you into your room. You sit there, waiting. The doc comes in and asks what the problem is. You reply "Sorry doc. I can't tell you. You'll just have to guess." Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Well - that is the very same as a client telling you they will not give a salary range.

This is not a game to me. Sounds like it is to them.

Comment by Bill Martin on July 17, 2012 at 8:47am: Theresa,

I no longer work on job orders without a salary range from the client. It shows a lack of commitment or lack of knowledge on their part, and usually no consideration for the time I put in to searches. I've never had a good experience in these circumstances.

If you have a candidate, definitely submit since you have time invested.

Comment by Megan Bell on July 17, 2012 at 9:26am: Oh boy Theresa, you have some great ideas/opinions to select from, and really it boils down to how badly do you want their business. If you think this will be a huge time waste that doesn't pay off, then politely let them know you don't think this will work. If you want to stay with it, first put your patience cap on. Then, maybe this coordinator can give you some insight on how other recruiters handled the "no disclosure" policy. If you have market research, maybe you send that over to the coordinator, with a really nice note stating that these are the salary ranges you will try to stick in, and see if you get any usable info from that - maybe they say they're in market because they don't know what market actually is. Or, you could try sending a couple of resumes with varying experiences and pay ranges and note the differences between the Candidates and their pay expectations, maybe you will get some hints as to what exactly they're looking for and how much they can afford. If you keep working it, you'll learn by process of elimination what exactly they're looking for. I've experienced a similar situation, and after submitting 15 Candidates, we eventually narrowed it down to 3 (after many emails and conversations about wants/needs) and the one that was selected was probably the furthest from what they'd asked for in the job description and the scoping meeting; that person was a Candidate that I honestly was so confused/frustrated with the search and at my wits end, that I took a shot with submitting the Candidate, and it landed (go figure)! Sometimes they don't know what they really need and what they really want, and it takes some effort (on your part) to find those. Good luck!

Comment by Joe Redshaw on July 17, 2012 at 9:47am: I think a few people hit it on the head. You have a couple of choices. Play hard ball back and tell them to do your job you need more detailed information. But you may need to be willing to walk away if you take that approach. Or just jump through their hoops. What I would tell them that with less information, they should expect more candidates, rather than a couple strong candidates matching a very specific profile. If they are OK with this, then find candidates that are a little higher level and lower level. More work on your side, but no one ever said recruiting is easy! I think it is really that simple. Go with the flow or tell them no.

Comment by Jerry Albright on July 17, 2012 at 9:50am: Is this about salary range? Or is it about cooperation?

Comment by Theresa Hunter on July 17, 2012 at 9:53am: That is why I truly appreciate this site. I did get a lot of advice about my issue. I feel I do have a basic idea of salary so will go with my gut. Sandra I wish that I could make a couple of calls and be able to present a 3rd year with Chemical Engineering background. Just not that easy. Firms still count both undergrad and law school grades as very important. With that being said I am looking for a 2010 to 2008 law school grad with a GPA of at least 3.3 and his under grad at the same place of 3.3 with his/her undergrad Chemical Engineering with some knowledge of alternative fuel. Oh and this is in the Northeast. I do know about Oil and Gas companies having JD ChE there but not to many of those in the Northeast. I have a candidate that I recruited before I got word that they are now looking more for the 2-4 year and not the 1-5 will do my candidate interview tomorrow evening and based on how it looks will present and see what happens. If it does not go well. I have a motto I can put cars in your parking lot or I can take cars out of your parking lot. : ) This firm will be one I take from.

Comment by Jerry Albright on July 17, 2012 at 9:58am: Would anyone be offended if I dig into the title of this blog? (Thanks in advance Theresa!)

The title includes the word "client". Has this company hired from you? Or are they a company with an opening that has agreed to pay a fee if you can find this needle in the haystack for them?

If they are indeed a client - this lack of info suprises me. If they have not hired anyone from you - then let's call them a company, not a client.

Sorry for being so picky - but it's just how I look at these things. :)

Comment by Theresa Hunter on July 17, 2012 at 9:58am: Jerry I would like to think it is about both. I have been told in no uncertain terms there will be no discussion of salary ranges at this stage in the process. If we get further along with a candidate than is when the discussion will happen. Which means a month of my candidates time, partners time and my time could be wasted because they don't want to share a salary range. It is frustrating but quite a few firms a doing this kind of thing.

Comment by Elise Reynolds on July 17, 2012 at 10:00am: I agree with Sandra

I actually experience this quite a bit. The employer does not have any firm salary parameters. That is becuase they really need the skill set and sometimes they are unsure what it is worth. I will often engage in questioning along the line of " OK, so if I find you this skill set and the person makes 110K is that acceptable?" If the answer is yes I will then go on to what if the salary is 125K? There typically does come a point where the cost becomes too high.

Comment by Theresa Hunter on July 17, 2012 at 10:03am: First off they are not a company they are a law firm and I did present a candidate that was extended an offer and he decided he did not want to move. As I stated law firms are doing this more and more about not wanting to share salary range with me.

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