6 Ways to Deal with a Difficult Candidate
In today’s market there’s a real shortage of candidates, meaning that recruiters sometimes find themselves desperate to fill roles for their clients. Of course, this shortage of quality talent leads to an obvious problem, by forcing recruiters to consider more ‘difficult’ candidates: ones that they might not normally consider. This is not to say the candidates in question don’t have the necessary skills- good recruiters won’t represent incompetent candidates- but rather that the candidate exhibits certain behaviours that make them difficult for the recruiter to manage.
Dealing with ‘difficult’ candidates is something we’d probably all prefer not to do, but there are some basic skills and principles that can help recruiters navigate this tricky area, thereby delivering a high level of service to both clients and candidates.
Managing Demanding Candidates
When it comes to difficult candidates, the most common one recruiters tend to encounter is the ‘overly demanding’ type. In lean times, this kind of candidate simply doesn’t find employment and so has to lower their demands, but it times of plenty like the current job market, this type of candidate often starts ‘turning the screws’. Most often, this behaviour will take the form of demands for unreasonably high salaries, benefits and working conditions.
In this scenario, the recruiter finds themselves in a very delicate situation. They need to supply skilled candidates to the client, yet the candidate is being pushy and perhaps overstating their worth. The client may not be able, or want to meet those demands for high salaries or benefits, but the recruiter may not have any other highly skilled candidates to offer them.
The recruiter then needs to manage both the client’s and candidate’s expectations, while also considering whether the candidate’s behaviour might damage the recruiter’s reputation in the long run if they are hired and then continue to be pushy in the role. An employee that you place who becomes toxic down the line is not exactly going to reflect well on your reputation, so you have to balance out whether the placement fee is worth the potential damage.
Some tips for negotiating with demanding candidates
1. Demanding candidates are often just ‘seeing what happens if they ask’. They’ve been told it’s a candidate’s market, and may be bluffing to an extent. It’s worth probing to see how serious they are about these demands.
2. Try to get the client to meet one of the smaller demands to see what happens. Oftentimes this produces a win-win situation, with the candidate feeling they’ve gained something, while the client feels they’ve gained something by only having to accede to one of the smaller requests.
3. If the candidate is proving unwilling to budge on their demands, it’s time to run through their resume, asking them to prove their case for the higher salary or whatever the case may be. Here, industry salary averages etc will be necessary weapons in your arsenal. If they are overstating their worth, then it is up to you to tactfully explain this. However, if they are a good candidate and prove they are worth the higher demands, then you are able to present this new information in the negotiations with the client.
4. Of course, if the role is offering below-benchmark compensation, your job becomes trickier! If (and only if) you have the client’s permission, explain why the requested salary/benefits aren’t possible. For example, if the candidate requests a high salary, a company car and 2 days working from home, it is reasonable to explain why these demands can’t be met. Perhaps the office set-up doesn’t allow for remote working, perhaps there are no company cars available, or perhaps their salary figure would outstrip valued existing team members and threaten morale if it’s discovered. Make sure you find out from the client if and when these requests might be re-considered.
5. If the candidate still won’t play ball or make the slightest concession, then you have to decide whether this candidate is the right one for the role. Take into account whether you think they will continue being pushy in the role, and have an honest discussion with your client about their expectations and whether they’d like you to keep searching for alternative candidates. They will respect you more for withdrawing the candidate than saddling them with a problematic employee.
6. If they do agree a figure, make sure to determine when the next pay appraisal will be, and communicate to the candidate that requests for salary or benefit increases will not be welcomed before that date. This will create a ‘safe period’ of time, both for the client’s wage bill and your professional reputation.
Negotiating with demanding candidates is a walking a tightrope of delicacy and tact. It involves deciding how much ‘hard truth’ you want to deliver to a candidate who is perhaps overstating their worth, and how you can get the best deal for a client who wants the job filled, but doesn’t want to be robbed blind by a pushy candidate in doing it. Luckily, recruiters specialise in delicate situations where they need to keep competing parties happy!
Until next time
Cheryl