IMHO, offers of $2000 as referral bonus if you find us a rockstar (while for the exact same role, recruiters will be rewarded with 2 to 3 months of salary, i.e.

IMHO, offers of $2000 as referral bonus if you find us a rockstar (while for the exact same role, recruiters will be rewarded with 2 to 3 months of salary, i.e., $20000 to $30000 per $100k of salary) are asking for a ridiculous arbitrage that does not exist : I know the value of my time and I will not do the job of a recruiter for you without commensurate compensation. This offer is the mirror of these "wow, free money of $2k if you do the job that we normally pay $20k for" offers. I will rather read about Constraint Handling Rules in Prolog or something else that is likely to impact my resume or my mind in a positive way in the time it takes to play recruiter (for either party). Please let me know if I got the economics wrong. "Talk as if you're right, but listen as if you're wrong", said someone wise, and I listen.