Almost all recruiters are paid a % of first year salary - 30% was a very common figure when recruiters contacted me to see if we wanted candidates for open posi

Almost all recruiters are paid a % of first year salary - 30% was a very common figure when recruiters contacted me to see if we wanted candidates for open positions. That being said, its not in the recruiter's best interest to try to maximize your salary. The difference between you earning 90k and 100k results in a trivial commission difference to the actual recruiter. His interest is aligned with placing you as quickly as possible and moving on to another position. Its very similar to how your real estate agent isn't really motivated to get you an extra 5k on your 300k home.