Job-hunting seems to be getting more challenging than ever, but on TikTok, creators like Kyyah Abdul (@kyyahabdul) are making the process easier than ever by drawing upon their own experiences and expertise.
For her 223,200 followers, Abdul has made countless TikToks advising job-seekers every step of the recruitment process, and in her latest video, she shares advice about how to get the best salary possible.
The key, she explains, is asking the recruiter how much the takeaway margin is for the role they’re applying for.
@kyyahabdul This is ON TOP of what they may have already charged the company for when searching for you. #contractjobs #careeradvice #kyyahabdul ♬ original sound – Kyyah Abdul
“When the recruiter calls you and asks, ‘What’s your hourly rate for this position?’ and they say the maximum amount for this job is $60, the next question you must ask is, ‘What is your margin for this role? What is the company’s takeaway margin for this role that I’m applying to right now,’” she says.
According to Abdul, this is an important question to ask because “[the company] is going to tell you that the maximum they can pay you is $60.”
“But that’s not true,” Abdul explains. “The maximum amount allocated for that role that the company is willing to pay the recruiting company for you is probably $160. And they’re gonna tell you the most they can pay you is $60 an hour when in reality, they’re taking that $100, and you only get to keep the $60.”
She continues, “The one thing that irritates me to no end about recruitment companies and like contract roles is that they take away these ridiculous margins for doing absolutely nothing besides finding you, and I get it. Everybody has a job to do. But it’s frustrating. So you as the talent, you as the professional, need to protect yourself in this salary negotiation stage and ask that question so that you know you’re comfortable with the rate they’re giving you.”
Countless viewers found Abdul’s advice invaluable. “Learned this the hard way,” one commenter admitted. “I didn’t realize it was THAT much!” another exclaimed.
However, other viewers were unsure about how effective this type of questioning would be. Several commenters worried that they found out this information too late after accepting an offer, while another asked, “How do we know they will tell the truth?”
But not all these barriers were insurmountable. In response to a commenter who already accepted a verbal offer, Abdul advised them to ask the question anyway because “they’d rather have you in the position than have to find someone else. Just say you want to make sure you’re being compensated fairly.”
She also explained that if you’re concerned the recruiter isn’t telling you the truth about the margins, you can “always verify with the client.”
Either way, the majority of viewers seemed determined to apply this type of questioning to their own job-hunting ventures. “I got a call for a contract role this morning and had the same convo but didn’t know about the margin thing,” one commenter shared. “I will be circling back to that.”
In addition to her TikTok videos about career advice, such as what type of jobs to look for and the truth behind raises, Abdul shares similar content on her YouTube channel. In one of her recent shorts, she also praised contract job positions.
The Daily Dot reached out to Abdul via email.
