Editor’s note: Jeff Allen has heard every employer excuse you can imagine for not paying up — and dozens more that defy imagination. A few years ago he began documenting them in a weekly collections column. Because of the importance of collections, Fordyce will periodically reprise the most common situations he addressed.
What Client Says:
We don’t know how we received the resume.
How Client Pays:
If the resume was received over the internet, the source is disclosed. Was there a cover letter? Did the client date-stamp the paperwork? Of course! An employer always knows the source of a resume.
You may not be aware of the resume interchanges among HR types. This is a way for them to network, make important career contacts, and trade favors with each other. Since you think your resume is only with your client, you don’t know this is happening.
The way to prevent this is by documenting your sendouts carefully, and staying close to your candidates to ascertain whether they’ve been contacted by in-house recruiters from other employers.
It is mind-boggling how few recruiters do this when there’s a turndown. But it’s really mind-boggling when those that follow this advice collect instantly!