How To Make Headhunters Keep Their Word

[dgmufasa]

Hi all -

Currently, I have a contracting position that is paying money. I just started. Another head hunter has promised me more money with a different company. I told him that I could not get out there with my own $$$. He said he would pay X amount for a ticket to get out there and $1000 after the first week and another $1000 after the second week. The third week, I am supposed to get paid (which he will take the money out of the check). Basically, I am to relocate myself. This headhunter company does not provide reolcation services.

He sent this "proposal" to the email of my current assignement. How can I save the email somehow to prove that he actually made this proposal? Emails can be changed I know - but still, how can i save it?

Thanks in advance!

[DougR]

Saving emails is fine, but if you're a contractor then guess what? All terms of a deal go in a signed contract. Make sense? I suppose that if you're W2 then you don't have a contract. I'd still draft a simple contract about this deal and make him sign it. The staffing company shouldn't care about signing this, since they are only giving you an advance. Regardless, contracts are useful to make sure both parties are on the same page.

In any case, you should still save the email exchanges.

[JCPOPESCU]

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dgmufasa wrote:

Hi all -

Currently, I have a contracting position that is paying money. I just started. Another head hunter has promised me more money with a different company. I told him that I could not get out there with my own $$$. He said he would pay X amount for a ticket to get out there and $1000 after the first week and another $1000 after the second week. The third week, I am supposed to get paid (which he will take the money out of the check). Basically, I am to relocate myself. This headhunter company does not provide reolcation services.

He sent this "proposal" to the email of my current assignement. How can I save the email somehow to prove that he actually made this proposal? Emails can be changed I know - but still, how can i save it?

Thanks in advance!

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I sense a LOT of double speak in what you write. 

Specifically:   "Basically, I am to relocate myself. This headhunter company does not provide relocation services". 

And:

"The third week, I am supposed to get paid (which he will take the money out of the check)"

So then why would a headhunter company offer to relocate you ?   What happens in the event the third week you do NOT get paid ?  I don't understand why the headhunter is taking money out of the check.  For what ? 

If this headhunter company has agreed to relocate you or provide a stipend to you then I would get it in the form of a contract - specifically a legally binding agreement bearing BOTH your signature and that of the authorized agent acting on behalf of the company.

Quite frankly this story sounds like bad news and I'm betting you will have regrets.  Self inflicted regrets.   The bottom line here is two things:  

One:  KISS.  Keep it simple...    If you can't afford to relocate then don't or tell the headhunter point blank either they pay for it or no deal.  

Second:  YOU will be treated only as poorly as YOU allow.

[0xFFFFFFFF]

You could always ask him for a signed hardcopy letter.

But if you just started a gig, you should probably stay a while.

....  unless the new opportunity is HUGELY better, which I am certain it is not.  Also ANY relocation is expensive and risky even at the best of times, $2k is hardly going to cover it, if the job doesn't pay relocation on top of the pay, then it doesn't, and the recruiter fronting some expenses hardly makes a difference.

[DougR]

By the way, since this company isn't paying for relocation expenses, then ask for a higher rate. $5/hr seems fair. Remember, we are TAKING BACK IT in 2013. Don't let some greedy staffing firm make a ton of money off you without getting something back for yourself.

A $5/hr bump will simplify the deal and give you peace of mind.

[IAmNumber813]

"I just started."

"He sent this "proposal" to the email of my current assignement."

As has been stated, there are some red flags here.

Why does the new recruiter have the internal email address of the current organization that you just started contracting with? Did you put this email address on your resume?

You most likely signed an agreement that your organization's computer systems should only be used for their business purposes. Your organization probably won't complain if you get an email from your spouse or some spam...but suppose a random email audit by your organization later uncovers the correspondence from the external recruiter discussing you leaving the assignment that you just started?

Set-up another email account (gmail, etc.) that can be used by recruiters to contact you when you are not working at any organization.

"How can I save the email somehow to prove that he actually made this proposal?"

Maybe I'm missing something, but you can print it and/or forward it to another email address and then print it.

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[LeslieDiceExpert]

Dear dgmufasa,

Can you clarify the issue? Did the recruiter agree to pay for your relocation? Or, did he agree to advance you the money and deduct the funds from your salary over the first three weeks?

Sounds like a miscommunication and not a breech of trust but it's hard to say based on your description.

Good luck.

[zorba990]

This isn't a headhunter issue, it's a basic business issue.  Get a signed written contract.  Never work without one or you will have little recourse when things go awry.  I would never relocate in this economy but good luck to you and have a great new year.

[JCPOPESCU]

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zorba990 wrote:

This isn't a headhunter issue, it's a basic business issue.  Get a signed written contract.  Never work without one or you will have little recourse when things go awry.  I would never relocate in this economy but good luck to you and have a great new year.

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Absolutely.  

Since your relationship is , really, contractor to customer treat them as a customer.

They want you to relocate ?  They can pay for it.  They want you to work longer than a normal eight hour day then they can pay for that also.   They want you to use your car for business related ?  FOG.  Put up or shut up.  It's that simple.  

As a contractor the cost onus is on me.  It's my time, my vehicle, my whatever I'm expected to use during the course of fulfilling a contract.  If the customer does not like or thinks they should have me eat expenses in time, resources, or both they are mistaken.  I'll give them the four corners of a contract and not one iota more.  I'm not a charity and should not be expected to behave as one.

[dgmufasa]

Hi all and thanks for the responses and Happy New Year.

Basically, the head hunter changed my resume so that I could get a job with this company. Part of the change was that I was working as a contractor on the side for a while. After I got the offer, he told me to provide more information about the places I contracted at.

I was pissed because he made the change to the resume - not I - now he wanted me to provide proof for the change he made. So, I sent an email from my current assignment. After that, his tune changed.

Regarding the relocation - no - they do not pay for it. He was to advance me some money up front and then take it out of my salary when I get paid (which is at the end of the 3rd week). All the other compaines I have worked for paid for relocation or gave you some kind of stipend up front. If you quit before a year (or 6 months), you had to pay the money back. With head hunters, they want you to front EVERYTHING yourself - they don't pay for anything. Heck, I had to pull the teeth of one head hunter to pay for the plane to get to the job site.

Is that the normal way contracting works? To get to the job site, you have to absorb ALL of the costs yourself? If that is the case, then you need to be a Rockerfeller just to take the job.