Re: Recruiters (addendum)

["Sella Rush" <sellar -at- mail -dot- apptechsys -dot- com>]

Actually, I think Michele is in a less than usual situation, that Andrew and
others have misunderstood.  Andrew's complaints about obstinate people was
accurate, but misapplied in this case.

Based on her description, it sounds like she got the job and negotiated the
rate with the client company.  X is what the company is agreeing to pay her.
But the company is also requiring that she contract with this agency as part
of the deal.

From what I can tell, the agency is now demanding a percentage of X to
handle the contract, and Michele's complaint is that their percentage demand
is way too big.

So--the agency is "digging" into Michele's negotiated rate, and its very
much her business--because she did all the negotiating.  It's also not
surprising that she feels she "deserves" it, not because she's deluded but
because that's what the company agreed to pay her.

Michele, maybe your best course of action is not to fight with the agency
over shares of X, but to try and get the agency and company to negotiate a
fee independent of your rate (X).  After all, the company is demanding that
you go through the agency--try to get them to acknowledge that they'll have
to pay the agency for what is really *their* convenience.  The agency is
certainly entitled to a fee for handling the contract, but as Andrew says,
this is best left to the agency and the client to work out.  Of course, it
might help to knock off a bit on your rate to move the negotiation along.

All this is assuming the rate you originally negotiated was reasonable.  If
your original rate was really high, like double what you'd normally expect,
then its probable the company had already factored in a cut for the agency.

Sella Rush
mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
Silverdale, Washington
Developers of the CCM Database
Demo:  www.apptechsys.com/demo