The impossible vacancy: how to steer the client, and how to say no

A client is looking for a project manager. Ten years’ experience, an engineering degree, fluent French and a personal network among developers. The pay: what they paid the last one, who was junior. Ideally starting yesterday. Two minutes in, you know: someone like that doesn’t exist, or they won’t come for that money.

Let’s not be naive about it: the temptation to say yes anyway is strong. A vacancy is a vacancy, and maybe you’ll get lucky. But three weeks searching for someone who doesn’t exist costs you more than an honest conversation. And it doesn’t help the client either.

Why a vacancy becomes impossible

• The pay is below the market. The people who fit already earn more today.
• Too many requirements at once. Every extra degree, every language and every year of experience shrinks the pool of candidates, until there’s no one left.
• The process doesn’t add up. Three interviews without the line manager, weeks of waiting for feedback and an offer that still has to get past three signatures.
• The job itself doesn’t attract anyone. No growth, a region nobody wants to drive to or a name with a poor reputation in the market.
• The client doesn’t really know what they’re looking for. Then you get a new version of the same vacancy every week.

What you ask in the intake

You can spot an impossible vacancy in the first conversation, if you ask the right questions. Do that intake with the line manager, ideally on site.

What’s a must, and what’s a nice-⁠to-⁠have? Have the client rank their requirements. “If you had to choose between the degree and the network, which would you let go?”

What’s the salary range, with all the benefits? If the client says there’s no ceiling, keep asking. There’s always a limit.

How does the process run? Who decides, who does the first interview, how quickly does feedback come and does the offer go through you?

Why would anyone move? Growth, flexible hours, working from home, training, a strong team. Without a good reason, nobody with a good job moves.

How many candidates do you know? Count the people in your database who fit, and those in a related role, in the right region. That’s your best argument, and later on it’s your reason to say no too.

The method: how to steer the client

Six steps, from putting the market on the table to a vacancy you can fill.

01Put the market on the table

Not your opinion, but what you see. “I know five people who have everything you’re asking for. They all earn more than your budget, and three of them aren’t looking.” A client will argue with you, not with the market.

02Separate the musts from the nice-⁠to-⁠haves

Go through the requirements together. What really has to be there on day one, and what can someone learn in a few months? Often two of the five requirements turn out to be wishes.

03Propose a trade-⁠off

Let the client choose what to let go of: less experience, a different degree, a candidate from a related role, a wider region or working from home. Or they keep the profile and raise the salary range. “Could it be someone with six years’ experience and the drive to grow, as long as they do have the network?”

04Fix the process

Agree that the line manager does the first interview, that the dates for the second round are fixed, that you get feedback within two days and that the offer goes through you. A strong candidate won’t wait three weeks for an answer.

05Let a candidate make the point

Put forward one or two candidates who almost fit, anonymously, and explain what they do and don’t have. That way the client sees for themselves what the market can give them. Often they’ll then shift on their own.

06Put the new vacancy in writing

After the meeting, send an email with the adjusted profile, the salary range and what you agreed on the process. That’s the vacancy you’re working on, and the one you fall back on later.

How to say no

Sometimes the client won’t budge on anything. Then you say no, and the sooner the better: in the intake or after your first check of the market, not after weeks of silence.

Say it honestly, with a reason that lies with the market, not with you. Offer an alternative, and leave the door open:

“I’ll be honest: as the vacancy stands, I’m not going to fill it. I know the people you’re looking for, and they earn more than your budget. Would you look at someone with six years’ experience, or can the range go up? Then I’ll go all out for it. Otherwise I’d rather say no now than leave you with nobody in three weeks’ time.”

An honest no costs you one vacancy. A yes you don’t deliver on costs you the client.

An example

Take the project manager from the start. You go through your database: five people have everything, and none of them is within the salary range. You put it to the line manager, and together you look at what’s really a must. The network among developers turns out to matter most, the degree much less.

You put forward a candidate with six years’ experience, a strong network and the drive to grow. The client hesitates, meets them anyway and raises the range a little. Five weeks later, your candidate starts.

If the client hadn’t budged on anything, you’d have said no that same day. With an email to back it up, and a call three months later.

Checklist

• You do the intake with the line manager, ideally on site.
• The client ranks their requirements: what’s a must, and what’s a nice-⁠to-⁠have?
• You know the salary range, including the ceiling.
• You know how the process runs and who decides.
• You count how many candidates you know who fit.
• You propose a trade-⁠off, and put the new vacancy on paper.
• If the client won’t budge on anything, you say no early and honestly.

Frequently asked questions

Isn’t saying no bad for the relationship?

Usually quite the opposite. A client remembers the recruiter who told them honestly how things stood, and calls that recruiter back when the range can go up. Anyone who says yes and delivers nothing doesn’t get another call.

And if the client already works with other agencies?

Then they’re probably getting CVs every week that don’t fit. Explain why: not because the agencies are bad, but because the vacancy doesn’t add up. That’s how you win their trust.

When should I propose a retained search?

When the vacancy is difficult but fillable, and the client is willing to go for it together with you. You’ll find how to go about it in Selling retained search to your clients.

How do I know what the market pays?

From your own conversations. Every candidate you qualify tells you what they earn today and what they want. That’s a better yardstick than any salary survey.