I recently made a career change from leasing to recruitment.

Anonymous

March 23,2022 at 4:16AM UTC

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I recently made a career change from leasing to recruitment. During my search, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview for a few positions and have had several offers. The problem is that I have been receiving offers at 45k (associate role) below market rate despite having the equivalent experience with sourcing, selling, communication etc. I received a verbal offer from the hiring manager at a company the other day and presented with two options for commission. I asked to have time to think it over. A recruiter on the team followed up a couple hours later and during the call emphasized that it was up to the team to decide where I would be most successful. I pushed back a bit but I’m the end and I agreed that I could be flexible and gave my verbal acceptance despite not having finalized details regarding the payment & commission structure. I am crushed because it was an opportunity that I felt really excited about but now I feel taken advantage of and uncertain of how to proceed. I don’t want to push to hard and come off as ungrateful, but I feel uncomfortable with how things currently stand. Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you.

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AnonymousMarch 23,2022 at 1:35PM UTC
Have you said anything about the payment and commission structure to them? You can always go back and say you've done research (or even gotten another offer) and want to discuss the pay. It's not final until you've signed an official contract!
Liz PerryApril 1,2022 at 3:21PM UTC
First - congrats on the potential new opportunity. Next - I'd reach out to the recruiter and express that you'd like to review the payment and commission structure. They will write you an offer letter, and in there the payment and commission structure should be clearly laid out. It is standard that a company give a candidate some time to review an offer - typically a few business days. Use that time to review the offer, draft up some talking points about your concerns, do some compensation comparison on bls.gov and then go back to the recruiter to discuss. For example, "I know we had discussed on the phone that the compensation would be x. According to my research, I would expect that a role with these requirements/job duties the compensation would be x. Is there anything that can be done to get my compensation closer to x?"
Don't accept anything that you are uncomfortable with. Know that a recruiter is always going to offer you the bottom of the salary range and will expect you to negotiate. Right now it's a candidate's market, so if you're not comfortable with the offer and the communication, then I encourage you to continue looking! Good luck
Ruth A. Ford, PHRApril 1,2022 at 3:41PM UTC
I don't know what market you're in or what you'll be recruiting for (I'm assuming some type of agency, since you're talking about commissions) but just playing devil's advocate here -- it sounds like you have transferable skills but not proven skills in the world of recruitment. So, it may not be realistic to expect you're going to walk in the door making what an experienced recruiter would make.
Of course, you still have an opportunity to negotiate your compensation and you should absolutely be prepared to make your best pitch. Those that ask for more typically get more.
All in all, recruitment can be a pretty lucrative (and rewarding!) career path. So, wishing you all the best with your negotiations and career change!
Echo SchneiderApril 1,2022 at 6:09PM UTC
Always better to hold your ground and request everything in writing before formally moving forward!
Megan RussellApril 1,2022 at 7:59PM UTC
As someone who recently had a similar situation (switched careers but with transferable skills), it may be worth illustrating how those skills can be put to use. I know these are things you do verbally during an interview, but if you are lobbying for higher pay, then you may need to show them in writing how these things connect. I would encourage you to take phrasing from the job description/duties and create a document with your applicable skills side-by-side. Good luck, and I hope you're able to make your case!
Erika SpodenApril 1,2022 at 9:06PM UTC
Verbal acceptance is verbal- you said this, they said that, so it is not binding at all, more like testing the water for both sides. No advantage has been taken yet, but it still could be. Wait until you get the offer written up and the details related to what you will be doing and your commission and then go from there. After reviewing the write up, come to the table prepared to leverage your skills and remind whoever is there what you will bring. And, if they will not meet you halfway, then you can walk, knowing you were in no way ungrateful, but informed about what you would be doing. Good luck!
Crystal HowellApril 2,2022 at 4:44AM UTC
You don’t have to proceed. A verbal offer should mean they’re sending you a contract. Within that contract you should have full clarity on your commission and bonus potential. If it’s not clear, or they are not willing to spend the time and answer your questions then they’re probably not the outfit you want to be joining anyways.