(Please feel free to forward to your peers and contacts)

With the ServiceNow labor market catching up to demand, its more important than ever to understand your value. Not just your salary, but your personal time too. Make no mistake, there's a player that's actively devaluing BOTH.

I don't need to name names. Its one of the biggest dedicated ServiceNow staffing agencies out there. The one famous for ....

The agency in question posts the survey annually. There's a huge social drive encouraging ServiceNow resources to promote it. Many ServiceNow resources do so gladly.

But friends, KNOW YOUR VALUE, because this is deeply exploitative. Observe:

Staffing agency's exists between your lowest-viable-rate & customers' highest-viable-spend. I have ZERO problem with this. (Many) staffing agencies provide a very beneficial service.

But its exploitation to fool you into believing the Salary Survey is in YOUR favor. Lets see what happens if they convince you market rate is $5 less than you hope:

KNOW YOUR VALUE! Don't take that $10,000 / year hit. If you invested 1/2 that into marketing yourself, you can get the rate you want. $5000 marketing budget that nets you a year at a rate $10 higher than what they wanted you to back down by 5? Differential of $15 / hour! $15 / hour * 2000 hours / year = $30,000 / year - marketing spend = $25,000 upside.

By knowing your worth & investing in it you stopped a Staffing Agency from eating your margins.

Its $10,000 for you to take $5 less. What about the ecosystem?

The average recruiter closes 1-2 deals per month. Call it 15 deals per year. There's over 50 staffers at this agency. 50 * 15 * 10,000 =

7 MILLION for just a $5 differential.

"Yeah but Robert, i'm not going to move by $5 & neither are my friends". Ok. $1 differential:

Now you see how motivated they are to set your expectations lower.

Do not take their Salary Survey. You hurt yourself, and you hurt your industry peers.

DO NOT TAKE THEIR SALARY SURVEY!!!

The same agency that wants you to lower salary expectations also wants to exploit your expertise. They ask rising names in the ServiceNow space to write content for the Agency brand. They will not pay, but instead offer "exposure".

Their own social media & blog sites get nearly ZERO engagement. You are writing & promoting the content. You're doing ALL the labor.

You spend hours & reputation and receive (listen to me!) ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

KNOW YOUR VALUE. Look at these numbers for Freelance writers. You have the domain expertise to command the *highest* freelancer writer rates, & this agency wants you to write AND promote for NOTHING!

DO NOT WRITE FOR THEM.

Write for yourself. Promote yourself. Keep the social credit for yourself.

I have asked this brand not to mention me or engage any of my work. I will not carry water for this brand, and you shouldn't either. You are entirely too valuable.

If you're contracting & want to maximize your command of negotiations, I am available to both audit resumes, or provide a limited # of coaching calls. FREE. The Duke wants you to rule the game.

If you want my advice on staffing agencies, I stake my name behind Brooksource (tell my boy Chris Workman that I sent you) and Momentum Consulting, run by the incomparable Sarah Weeks.

Ponder this over a cup of delicious Groundshark Coffee.

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I remain yours truly,

Robert "The Duke" Fedoruk