10th July 2026

Paul Harper Search: If You Want the Right Job, Always Tell the Truth

If you want to secure the right job, the most important thing you can do is tell your recruiter the truth.

I recently saw an article stating that one in four clients ignore the recommendations of their financial adviser. When you look closer at the detail, a third of those clients admitted the advice wasn’t right for them because they had withheld important information from their adviser.

I see exactly the same issue in recruitment.

It is remarkable how often candidates leave out key information when we ask them what they want from their next role. The missing details are often the things that matter most - location, travel expectations, flexibility, or working-from-home arrangements. In the current market, flexibility is particularly important to many candidates.

Salary expectations can also be a red line that candidates fail to mention until very late in the process.

Unlike the financial advice example, however, the reality in recruitment is often that people simply don’t know exactly what they want until they see it.

When we headhunt candidates who are beginning to think about a new role, but are not yet actively looking, they are often still some way from making a psychological commitment to move. As recruiters, we train our team to probe carefully and understand motivation. One useful concept is identifying whether someone is a mover towards or a mover away.

From our perspective, the strongest candidates are movers away. These are individuals who have already decided that something about their current situation is no longer acceptable, even if they have not yet taken action. When they secure the right opportunity, they are far more likely to move. They are less likely to accept counteroffers and less likely to stay simply because it feels easier.

That sounds straightforward, but problems arise when candidates are moving away from something they are reluctant to articulate.

For example, someone leaving a toxic working environment or a difficult manager may hesitate to say so openly. As a result, the process can progress a long way before they suddenly lose confidence because they are unsure whether the new company will be any better.

In other cases, a candidate may say salary is not the main issue, only for it to emerge later that it actually matters a great deal. Flexibility is another common example — something initially described as unimportant that later proves to be decisive.

Then there is the issue of belief. Human beings can say one thing and do another. This is particularly true when it comes to bonuses and on-target earnings.

If a candidate has previously been disappointed by promised earnings that never materialised, they may need a great deal of reassurance before believing similar promises again.

Years ago, this was a common issue with companies offering very low basic salaries but high potential earnings. Standard Life was a well-known example. While top performers could earn excellent overall incomes, the basic salary was relatively low. Existing employees often stayed because they understood the system and trusted it. But new candidates frequently hesitated. Even if they believed the earning potential was real, they were reluctant to reduce their guaranteed income to take the risk.

Companies can sometimes underestimate this psychological barrier. They may expect to attract high achievers without offering a structure that gives candidates enough security to make the move.

Just as financial advisers sometimes find that clients have not shared the full picture, recruiters face exactly the same problem.

The simple truth is this: if you want your recruiter to help you find the right job, you need to give them the full story.

If you are hiring or would like a confidential discussion about your career please contact Paul Harper of Paul Harper Search on 07768 952212 or email paulh@paulharpersearch.co.uk

Business Development