I'm a very helpful sort (sorry Mark Twain).

Speak to anyone I've worked with and they'll tell you the same.

I'll always help anyone, subject to two questions:

1/ Can I help?

Often I can't. Either I don't have the knowledge or the capacity.

I'm sorry if you want to immigrate to the UK, need a work permit, need something in an area I don't know about, or want to jump on a call for no benefit.

If I can't help with your vacancy, I'll try to make a recommendation.

2/ Can I afford to help?

That comes down to the notional cost of standing still.

Let's say the average billings of a Recruiter in the UK is £104,000, for ease (different anecdotal sources say between £80,000 to £120,000).

That's £2k a week, or £50/hour on a 40 hr week.

As a standard bog recruiter, if I helped people for free all year, I'd cost the business £50 an hour. Fast math for easy digestion.

That's without my 20-year expertise, insight and IP, or the running costs of my business.

For Exec UK job seekers, I help them for free, fully paid for by my Reciprocate campaign - a fund built on one-sixth of profits from retained projects.

My notional charge rate here is £200/hr, and the amount of help I provide is limited by my success in filling vacancies.

I think that's fair.

And when an employer asks me to help them, of course I will - if I can afford to.

For longstanding relationships, the relationship in part pays for my help, and is something I enjoy.

For new clients, I expect to spend 80-100 hours in research, as well as all the tools and resources I invest in, all in service of your project.

Problem vacancies, key hires, 'new role' recruitment across commercial, operational and technical.

As a bog standard business, let's say this costs me minimum £4k + tools and resources. £6k?

Is it reasonable for me to bear this cost, with the risk that I won't be paid if the vacancy is taken away from me, through no fault of mine?

That's why I don't do contingency recruitment.

Besides, I'm not a bog-standard recruiter.

I service a small number of vacancies, with care, and with results:

100% fill rate for retained vacancies, a 4 year+ average hire, and I back my work with a 1 year free replacement guarantee.

A guarantee I've been asked to honour twice in 12 years of trading.

So.... can I afford to help you fill your vacancy?

That's the question.