Most articles list red flags that candidates should watch for in recruiters. This one is for the other side. On a staffing desk, the red flags are the things a client says at intake that mean the order will not fill, or will fill and bounce. "Salary is competitive." "We'll know the right person when we see them." "Can they start yesterday?" Each one is a missing line on the job order. Each one can be fixed with a question, if you ask it before you search.
The red flags, decoded
"Salary is competitive." Translation: they have not decided, or it is low. Ask: "What is the range, and what did the last person in the role make?" If they will not say, you cannot screen for it, and your candidates will walk at offer.
"We'll know the right person when we see them." Translation: there is no written standard, and you will be sending people into a guessing game. Ask: "Who did this job well before, and what made them good?"
"Can they start yesterday?" Translation: the last person left badly, or the order has been sitting with another agency. Ask: "What happened with the last person?" and "When is the real start date?"
"Just send us everyone you've got." Translation: they plan to do your screening for you, and reject most of what you send. Ask: "If I could only send one person, what would they have to have?"
"The last three agencies couldn't fill it." Translation: the order, the pay or the site has a problem. Ask what the other agencies sent and why it was rejected. You will hear the real must-have.
No name for who decides. Translation: your submittals will sit in an inbox. Ask: "Who says yes, and by when?"
Why these matter more than candidate red flags
A candidate red flag costs you one submittal. A client red flag costs you every submittal on that order. Six candidates screened and sent against "we'll know when we see them" is a week of work and a client who now thinks your firm cannot deliver.
What to do with a red flag
You do not have to turn the order down. You have to turn the flag into a line on the order. "Pay: $22 to $24 an hour, confirmed." "Must have: current forklift card, agreed to nights." "Decision: Maria, by Thursday." Once it is written, you can source for it, screen for it, and check each submittal against it.
If the client will not give you the line, that is the real red flag. Take the order, but put your best recruiter on an order that is written down instead.
Where M-Tracker fits
A red flag is a gap in the brief. In M-Tracker, the job order is written down as the brief, with its must-haves, and every submittal is checked against it before the client sees it. If the order has a gap, it shows up before the search starts, not after six people have been sent.
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Questions people ask
What is the biggest red flag from a client?
No decision-maker. Everything else can be fixed with a question. An order with nobody to say yes does not fill.
Should I refuse an order with red flags?
Rarely. Fix the order first. Refuse only if the client will not give you the basics: pay, must-haves and who decides.
What about red flags from candidates?
They matter too: dates that do not add up, a certification they "can get," a reference who cannot be reached. Turn each one into a question before the submittal, not after.
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